Exodus 1:8-12

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.

Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.”

So they appointed taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.

But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they dreaded the sons of Israel.