1And it came to pass after these things, that all the counsellors of

2And the counsellors and elders of Egypt spoke unto the king, saying.

3Behold the people of the children of Israel is greater and mightier than we

4And thou hast also seen their strong power, for this power is unto them

5Now therefore give us counsel what to do with them, until we gradually

6For if the children of Israel should increase in the land, they will become

7So the king answered the elders of Egypt and said unto them, This is the

8Behold in the land are Pithom and Rameses, cities unfortified against

9Now therefore go you also and act cunningly toward them, and proclaim a

10All ye men of Egypt, Goshen, Pathros and all their inhabitants! the king

11And whilst you are building, cause a proclamation of this kind to be made

12And when some of the children of Israel shall come to build with you, you

13And after they shall have built with you for their daily hire, draw

14And if you do this it will be well with us to strengthen our land against

15And all the elders of Egypt heard the counsel of the king, and the counsel

16And all the servants went away from the king, and they caused a

17You have seen what the children of Esau and Ishmael did to us, who came to

18Now therefore the king commanded us to fortify the land, to build the

19Whosoever of you from all Egypt and from the children of Israel will come

20And when Egypt and all the children of Israel heard all that the servants

21And all the servants of Pharaoh and his princes came at first with deceit

22And the servants of Pharaoh built with all Israel, and were employed in

23And at the end of the month, all the servants of Pharaoh began to withdraw

24And Israel went on with the work at that time, but they then received

25And at the end of a year and four months all the Egyptians had withdrawn

26And after all the Egyptians had withdrawn from the children of Israel they

27And the Egyptians did in this manner to the children of Israel day by day,

28And all the children of Israel were alone engaged in the labor, and the

29And when some of the men of Israel refused to work on account of the wages

30And all the children of Israel were greatly afraid of the Egyptians in

31And the children of Israel built Pithom and Rameses, and all the children

32But the children of Levi were not employed in the work with their brethren

33For all the children of Levi knew that the Egyptians had spoken all these

34And the Egyptians did not direct their attention to make the children of

35And the hands of the men of Egypt were directed with continued severity

36And the Egyptians embittered the lives of the children of Israel with hard

37And the children of Israel called Melol the king of Egypt "Meror, king of

38And all the work wherein the Egyptians made the children of Israel labor,

Chapter 65

The Elders of Egypt conspire with Pharaoh and cunningly bring