Come and let us deal wisely with them before they become too many, and let us afflict them with slavery before war come upon us and before they too fight against us;
else they will join themselves unto our enemies and get them up out of our land, for their hearts and faces are towards the land of Canaan."
And he set over them taskmasters to afflict them with slavery; and they built strong cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses,
and they built all the walls and all the fortifications which had fallen in the cities of Egypt. And they made them serve with rigour,