2
1 A man
of the house
of Levi went
and took a
daughter of Levi
as his wife.
2 The
woman conceived
and bore a
son. When she
saw that he
was a fine
child, she hid
him three months.
3 When
she could no
longer hide him,
she took a
papyrus basket for
him, and coated it
with tar and
with pitch. She
put the child
in it, and
laid it in
the reeds by
the river’s bank.
4 His sister
stood far off,
to see what
would be done to
him.
5 Pharaoh’s
daughter came down
to bathe at
the river. Her
maidens walked
along by
the riverside. She
saw the basket
among the reeds,
and sent
her servant to get
it.
6 She
opened it, and
saw the child,
and behold,
the baby cried.
She had compassion
on him, and said,
“This is one
of the Hebrews’
children.”
7 Then
his sister said to
Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should
I go and
call a nurse
for you from
the Hebrew women,
that she may
nurse the child
for you?”
8 Pharaoh’s
daughter said to
her, “Go.”
The young woman
went and called
the child’s mother.
9 Pharaoh’s
daughter said to
her, “Take this
child away, and
nurse him for
me, and I
will give you
your wages.”
The woman took
the child, and
nursed it.
10 The
child grew, and
she brought him
to Pharaoh’s
daughter, and he
became her son.
She named him
Moses,
and said, “Because
I drew him
out of the
water.”
11 In
those days, when
Moses had grown
up, he went
out to his brothers
and saw their
burdens. He saw
an Egyptian
striking a Hebrew,
one of
his brothers.
12 He
looked this way
and that way,
and when he
saw that there
was no one,
he killed the
Egyptian, and hid
him in the
sand.
13 He
went out the
second day, and
behold, two men
of the Hebrews
were fighting with
each other. He
said to him
who did the
wrong, “Why do
you strike your
fellow?”
14 He
said, “Who made
you a prince
and a judge
over us? Do
you plan to
kill me, as
you killed the
Egyptian?”
Moses was afraid,
and said, “Surely
this thing is
known.”
15 Now
when Pharaoh heard
this thing, he
sought to kill
Moses. But Moses
fled from the
face of Pharaoh,
and lived in
the land of
Midian, and he
sat down by
a well.
16 Now the
priest of Midian
had seven
daughters. They
came and drew
water, and filled
the troughs to
water their father’s
flock.
17 The
shepherds came and
drove them away;
but Moses stood up
and helped them,
and watered their
flock.
18 When
they came to Reuel,
their father, he said, “How
is it that
you have returned
so early today?”
19 They said,
“An Egyptian
delivered us out
of the hand
of the shepherds,
and moreover he
drew water for
us, and watered
the flock.”
20 He
said to his
daughters, “Where
is he? Why
is it that
you have left
the man? Call
him, that he may
eat bread.”
21 Moses
was content to
dwell with the man.
He gave Moses
Zipporah, his
daughter.
22 She
bore a son,
and he named
him Gershom,
for he said, “I
have lived as
a foreigner in
a foreign land.”
23 In
the course of
those many days,
the king of
Egypt died, and
the children of
Israel sighed because
of the bondage,
and they cried,
and their cry
came up to God
because of the
bondage.
24 God heard
their groaning,
and God remembered
his covenant
with Abraham, with
Isaac, and with
Jacob.
25 God saw
the children of
Israel, and God
understood.