Exodus 1

Exodus 1 read aloud, in a fresh direct translation from the Hebrew — plain modern English, nothing added. Translator's notes: • Exodus 1:16 — הָאׇבְנָיִם (ha'avnayim): chose "the birthstool". Alternatives: "the two stones", "the birthing stones". Why: the dual word literally names two stones; in a birth scene it is the support a woman sat or knelt on to deliver, and its exact form is not recoverable. • Exodus 1:19 — חָיוֹת (chayot): chose "they are vigorous". Alternatives: "they are lively like animals", "they are midwives themselves". Why: the word is the plural of the word for a living creature; here it stresses the women's strength and quickness in labor without settling its exact coloring.