Exodus 1

After Joseph's generation dies off, the population of the Hebrews, 'Tribes of Israel" (the sons of Jacob/Israel in Genesis 49:28) grew, even outnumbering the Egyptians. Terrified of their capacity and ability to overtake the Egyptians, the Pharoah enslaves the Hebrews, and made their lives rigorous and bitter.

The population continued to grow, so the Pharoah ordered two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to end the lives of any newborn Hebrew males. They honored God and did not obey the order, which led to the continuous growth of the Hebrew population.