Exodus 2
1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi,
有肋末家族的一個男子娶了肋末家族的一個女人為妻。
2 and she conceived and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him for three months.
這女人懷孕生了一個兒子，見他俊美，就把他藏了三個月。
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in the basket and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
以後不能再藏了，就拿了一個蒲草筐子，塗上瀝青和石漆，把孩子放在裏面，將筐放在尼羅河邊的蘆葦叢中。
4 And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
孩子的姐姐遠遠的站著，想知道孩子究竟怎樣。
5 Soon the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the Nile, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. And when she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to retrieve it.
當時法朗的一個公主下到尼羅河邊洗澡，使女們在河邊上徘徊。公主發現蘆葦叢中那個筐子，就吩咐自己的使女將筐子取來。
6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the little boy was crying. So she had compassion on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”
她打開一看，見有一個孩子正在哭涕，就動了可憐他的心說：「這必是一個希伯來人的孩子。」
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
孩子的姐姐就對法朗的公主說：「你願意我從希伯來婦女中給你請一個奶媽，為你乳養這個孩子嗎﹖」
8 “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
法兩的公主回答說：「你去罷! 」少女便去叫了孩子的母親來。
9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.
法朗的公主對她說：「你將這孩子抱去，為我乳養他，我必給你工錢。」那婦人就接過去，乳養這個孩子。
10 When the child had grown older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and explained, “I drew him out of the water.”
孩子長大了，那婦人就把他帶到公主那裏；公主遂收他作自己的兒子，給他起名叫梅瑟，說：「因為我從水裏拉出了他。」梅瑟逃往米德楊
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
過了許久梅瑟已經長大，有一次出去探望自己的同胞，看見他們作苦工，又見一個埃及人打他的一個同胞希伯來人；
12 After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
他向四面一望，見沒有人，便將那埃及人打死，將他埋在沙土中。
13 The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
第二天他又出去，見兩個希伯來人打架，就對那無理的一方說：「你為什麼打你同族的人﹖」
14 But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”
那人回答說：「誰立了你作我們的首領和判官﹖難到你想殺我，像殺那埃及仁一樣嗎﹖」梅瑟就害怕了，心裏想：「那事一定叫人知道了! 」
15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
法朗聽說這事，就想殺死梅瑟；而梅瑟卻離開法朗逃走，去了米德楊地，坐在井邊。
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.
米德楊的司祭有七個女兒，她們來打水，灌滿水槽，要飲父親的羊群。
17 And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.
別的牧童來了，趕走了她們；，梅瑟便起來保護了她們，也飲了她們的羊。
18 When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
她們回到父親勒烏爾那裏，父親問她們說：「你們今天為什麼回來的這麼快﹖」
19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
她們回答說：「有一個埃及人救我們擺脫了牧童的手，還給我們打水飲了羊群。」
20 “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
他對女兒們說：「他在那裏﹖你們為什麼撇下他﹖去請他來吃飯! 」
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
於是梅瑟決定住在那人那裏，那人將自己的女兒漆頗辣給了梅瑟為妻。
22 And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
她生了一個兒子，梅瑟給他起名叫革爾熊，因為他說：「我在外方作了旅客。」
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned and cried out under their burden of slavery, and their cry for deliverance from bondage ascended to God.
過了很久，埃及王死了。那時以色列子民由於勞苦工作，都嘆息唉號：他們因勞役所發出的求救聲，升到天主面前。
24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
天主聽見了他們的哀號，就記起了他與亞巴郎、依撒格和雅各伯所立的盟約。
25 God saw the Israelites and took notice.
天主遂眷顧了以色列子民，特別垂念她們。
