# midwives

These were women who helped a woman give birth to a baby. See how you translated this in [Exodus 1:16](./16.md).

# Why have you done this, and let the baby boys live?

Pharaoh asked this question to rebuke the midwives for allowing the male children to live. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. Alternate translation: "You have disobeyed my order by not killing the male babies!" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])