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Children of Israel
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who had sold their flocks, their herds, their lands, and themselves to
the kingdom. “Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict
them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure-cities,
Pithom and Raamses.
“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and
grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And
the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: and
they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in
brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service,
wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.”
They compelled their women to work in the fields, as though they
were slaves. Yet their numbers did not decrease. As the king and his
rulers saw that they continually increased, they consulted together
to compel them to accomplish a certain amount every day. They
thought to subdue them with hard labor, and were angry because they
could not decrease their numbers and crush out their independent
spirit.
And because they failed to accomplish their purpose, they hard-
ened their hearts to go still further. The king commanded that the
male children should be killed as soon as they were born. Satan
was the mover in these matters. He knew that a deliverer was to be
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raised up among the Hebrews to rescue them from oppression. He
thought that if he could move the king to destroy the male children,
the purpose of God would be defeated. The women feared God and
did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the
male children alive.
The women dared not murder the Hebrew children, and because
they obeyed not the command of the king, the Lord prospered them.
As the king of Egypt was informed that his command had not been
obeyed, he was very angry. He then made his command more urgent
and extensive. He charged all his people to keep a strict watch,
saying, “Every son that is born in Egypt ye shall cast into the river,
and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
Moses
When this cruel decree was in full force, Moses was born. His
mother hid him as long as she could with any safety, and then pre-