Exodus 2
1 To nathuem ah Levi kami maeto mah, Levi canu to zu ah lak.
(There was a man who/My father) was descended from [Jacob’s son] Levi. He married a woman who was [also] descended from Levi.
2 A zu loe zokpom moe, caa nongpa maeto sak; a khet naah nawkta loe kranghoih parai; to pongah anih to khrah thumto thung a hawk.
She became pregnant and gave birth to (a baby boy/me). When she saw that he/I was a good-looking baby, she hid him/me for three months, [because she was not willing to do what the king commanded].
3 Toe hawk thai laek ai naah loe, sakrung kung hoiah sak ih thingkhong maeto a lak moe, tuipan hoi thing tangpri hoiah a bet caeng, nawkta to thingkhong thungah suek moe, vapui taengah a bangh.
When she was unable to (hide him/me/keep it a secret) any longer, she got a basket made from tall reeds. She covered the basket with tar ([to make it waterproof/so water could not get in]). Then she put him/me in the basket and put the basket in [the water] in the middle of the tall grass at the edge of the Nile [River].
4 Anih ih tanuh mah kawbang maw oh, tiah panoek hanah, ahmuen kangthla hoiah khet.
His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
5 Faro canu loe tui amthluk hanah vapui ah caeh tathuk; to naah a tamna nongpatanawk loe tui taengah amkaeh o; anih mah tui taeng ih thingkhong to hnuk naah, a tamna nongpata maeto khaeah laksak.
[Soon] the king’s daughter went down to the river to bathe. Her female servants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket amid the tall grass [in the river]. So she sent [one of] her servants to get it.
6 Anih mah thingkhong to paongh naah, nawkta to a hnuk; kaqah nawkta to a hnuk naah, tahmen moe, Hae loe Hebru nawkta bae hae, tiah a thuih.
When [the servant brought the basket to her], she opened it, and was surprised to see (a baby that was/me), crying. She felt sorry for him/me, and said, “This [must] be one of the Hebrews’ babies.”
7 To naah anih ih tanuh mah Faro canu khaeah, Nang han nawkta khenzawnkung Hebru nongpatanawk to kang kawk pae han maw? tiah a naa.
Then (the baby’s/my) [older] sister [approached] the king’s daughter and said, “Do you want me to go and find someone from among the Hebrew women who will [be able to] nurse the baby for you?”
8 Anih mah, Caeh ah loe, kawk ah, tiah a naa. Tamna nongpata loe caeh moe, nawkta ih amno to kawk.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
9 Faro canu mah anih khaeah, Hae nawkta hae la ah loe, kai hanah com ah, atho kang paek han hmang, tiah a naa. To pongah nongpata mah nawkta to lak moe, khetzawn pae.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Please] take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you [for doing that].” So (the woman/my mother) took him/me and nursed him/me.
10 Nawkta qoeng tahang naah loe, Faro canu khaeah caeh haih moe, anih ih capa ah angcoeng. Nongpata mah tui thung hoiah ka khuih, tiah a thuih pongah, anih to Mosi, tiah ahmin phui.
([A few years later]/when (the child/I) grew [older]), she brought him/me to the king’s daughter. She adopted him/me [as though I was] her own son. She named him/me Moses, [which sounds like the Hebrew words ‘pull out’], because she said “I pulled him out of the water.”
11 Mosi qoeng tahang naah loe, angmah ih acaeng nawkamyanawk toksakhaih ahmuen ah caeh; to nathuem ah nihcae loe karai parai tok a sak o, tiah Mosi mah hnuk; to naah Izip kami maeto mah anih ih nawkamya Hebru kami to boh.
One day, after Moses/I had grown up, he/I went out [of the palace area] to see his/my people, [the Hebrews]. He/I saw how they were being [forced to work] very hard. He/I [also] saw an Egyptian [man] beating one of his/my Hebrew people.
12 Ahnuk ahmaa a khet naah, mi doeh hnu ai pongah, Izip kami to a hum moe, savuet thungah aphum.
He/I looked around [to see if anyone was watching]. Seeing no one, he/I killed the Egyptian man and buried his [body] in the sand.
13 Khawnbang ni hnetto naah a caeh let, to naah kangpanh Hebru kami hnik to a hnuk let bae; anih mah hmuen sah pazae kami khaeah, Tipongah nam pui Hebru kami to na boh loe? tiah a naa.
The next day he/I returned [to the same place]. He/I was surprised to see two Hebrew men who were fighting [each other]. He/I said to the man who started the fight, “Why are you (you should not be) striking your fellow [Hebrew].”
14 To kami mah, Mi mah maw nang hae kaihnik ukkung hoi lokcaekkung ah suek? Izip kami na hum baktih toengah, kai doeh hum han nang patoem maw? tiah a naa. Mosi mah to lok to thaih naah tasoeh moe, Ka sak ih hmuen angphong tih boeh, tiah poek.
The man replied, “(Who made you our ruler and judge?/No one made you our ruler and judge!) [RHQ] [You have no right to interfere with us] Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man [yesterday]?” Then Moses/I was afraid, [because] he/I thought, “[Since that man knows what I did], surely [other people] know, [too].”
15 Faro mah to kawng to thaih naah Mosi to hum hanah pakrong. Toe Mosi loe Faro hmaa hoiah cawnh moe, Midian prae ah khosak; to ah tui khaw taengah anghnut.
[And that was correct]. The king heard about what he/I had done [to that Egyptian. So he ordered his soldiers to] execute/kill Moses/me. But he/I fled from the king [and left Egypt. He/I traveled east to] the Midian [region] and started to live there.
16 Midian prae ih qaima loe canu sarihto tawnh; anih ih canunawk loe tuidok hanah tui khaw ah caeh o moe, ampa ih tuunawk to tui a paek o.
The man who was the (priest/one who offered the people’s gifts to God) for the Midian people, [whose name was Jethro], had seven daughters. [One day] as Moses/I sat down beside a well, those girls came [to the well] and got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father’s flock [of sheep].
17 To naah tuu toep kaminawk to angzoh o moe, tuunawk to huih pae o ving; toe Mosi mah angdoet moe, nongpatanawk to angsak haih pacoengah, tuunawk to tui a naeksak.
Some (shepherds/men who took care of other sheep) came and started to chase away the girls. But Moses/I helped/rescued the girls, and got water for their sheep.
18 Tanglanawk loe ampa, Reuel khaeah amlaem o let, to naah ampa mah tikhoe vaihni loe nam laem o palang takan loe? tiah a naa.
When the girls returned to their father [Jethro], [whose other name is] Reuel, he asked them, “How is it that you were able to [give water to the sheep and] come home so quickly today?”
19 To naah nihcae mah, Izip kami maeto mah tuu toep kaminawk ih ban thung hoiah ang pahlong pongah kam laem o palang, anih mah ni tui dok moe, tuunawk doeh tui a paek, tiah a naa o.
They replied, “A man from Egypt kept [MTY] other shepherds from sending us away. He also got water for us [from the well] and gave water to the flock [of sheep].”
20 To naah anih mah a canunawk khaeah, Anih loe naa ah maw oh? Tikhoe na caeh o taak sut loe? Buhcaak han kawk o khae, tiah a naa.
He said to his daughters, “Where is he? (Why did you leave him [out there]?/You should not leave him [out there]!) [RHQ] Invite him [in], so he can have something to eat [MTY]!”
21 Mosi loe to kami ih im ah oh han koeh pongah, ampa mah a canu Zipporah to Mosi hanah zu ah paek.
[So they did], and Moses/I [accepted and ate with them]. And Moses/I decided to live there. Later Jethro gave him/me his daughter Zipporah [to be his/my wife].
22 Zipporah mah anih han caa nongpa maeto sak pae, Minawk prae ah angvin ah ka oh, tiah a thuih pongah, Gershom, tiah ahmin phui.
Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses/I named him Gershom, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘foreigner’], because he/I said, “I am living as a foreigner in [this] land.”
23 To tiah atue kasawk ah oh na thungah, Izip siangpahrang to duek; Israel kaminawk loe misong ah ohhaih to anghmawt o sut boeh pongah, a qah o; misong ah kaom kaminawk qahhaih lok to Sithaw mah thaih pae.
Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israeli people [in Egypt] were still groaning because of the [hard work they had to do as] slaves. They called out for [someone to] help them, and God heard them call out [PRS].
24 Nihcae hanghaih lok Sithaw mah thaih naah, Abraham, Issak hoi Jakob khaeah sak ih lokkamhaih to a poek let.
He heard them groaning. And he (thought about/did not forget) that he had solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [to bless their descendants].
25 To pongah Sithaw mah Israel kaminawk to khet tathuk moe, nihcae han kho poek pae.
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.
