The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.
Shiphrah
and
Puah
two women
Known as the Hebrew midwives
whose names deserve to be known
Inspiring women
who modelled
how women
through all of history
have often made a difference
Not by talk
but by action
Not by articulate reasoning
or even impassioned debate
but by simply getting on
with the task in hand
And still today
when women’s words go unheeded
when our voices are disregarded
Shiphrah and Puah
serve as a reminder
of how we can rise
by subversive action
changing history
one act at a time
using our skills
and professionalism
to be the change
we want to see.
Subversive women are us.
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