Exodus 2
1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a daughter of Levi,
It was around this time that a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman, also a Levite.
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.
She became pregnant and had a son. She saw he was a lovely baby, and she hid him for three months.
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.
But when she couldn't hide him anymore, she got a papyrus basket and covered it with tar and pitch. Then she put her baby in the basket and placed it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
4 And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
His sister waited some distance away, keeping an eye on him.
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.
Then Pharaoh's daughter arrived to bathe in the Nile. Her ladies-in-waiting were walking along the bank of the river. When she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it and bring it to her.
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.”
When she opened it she saw the baby boy. He was crying and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew boys,” she said.
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?”
His sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, “Would you like me to go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse him for you?”
8 “Go ahead,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.
“Yes, go and do that,” she replied. So the girl went and called the baby's mother to come.
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.
“Take this baby boy and nurse him for me,” she told his mother. “I will pay you myself.” So his mother took him home and nursed him.
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.”
When the boy was older she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. She called him Moses, because she said, “I pulled him out of the water.”
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.
Later, when Moses had grown up, he went to visit his people, the Hebrews. He saw them doing hard labor. He also saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
12 After looking this way and that and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
He looked all around to make sure no one was watching, and then he killed the Egyptian and buried his body in the sand.
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?”
The following day he went back and he saw two Hebrews fighting with each other. He said to the one at fault, “Why are you beating one of your own people?”
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.”
“Who put you in charge to judge us?” the man replied. “Are you going to kill me like you did the Egyptian?” Moses became frightened at this, and said to himself, “People know what I've done!”
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.
When Pharaoh found out, he tried to have Moses killed, but Moses ran away from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian. One day as he was sitting by a well,
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.
and the Midianite priest's seven daughters came to fetch water to fill up the troughs so their father's flock could drink.
17 And when some shepherds came along and drove them away, Moses rose up to help them and watered their flock.
Some shepherds arrived and chased them off, but Moses intervened and rescued them, and watered their flock.
18 When the daughters returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
When they got home, their father Reuel asked them, “How did you get back so quickly today?”
19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they replied. “He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
“An Egyptian rescued us from some shepherds who attacked us,” they replied. “Then he even fetched water for us so the flock could drink.”
20 “So where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.”
“So where is he?” Reuel asked his daughter. “You didn't just leave him there, did you? Go and invite him to eat with us!”
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
Moses agreed to stay with the man, who arranged for his daughter Zipporah to marry Moses.
22 And she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
She had a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he said, “I'm an exile living in a foreign country.”
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.
Years later, the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites were still groaning under their hard labor. Their cries for help because of their hardship reached God.
24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God heard their groans, and recalled his agreement with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 God saw the Israelites and took notice.
God also looked sympathetically on the Israelites, and was concerned for them.
