Exodus 2
1 After these things, a man from the house of Levi went out, and he took a wife from his own stock.
Now a man of the house of Levi took as his wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And she conceived and bore a son. And seeing him to be handsome, she hid him for three months.
And she became with child and gave birth to a Son; and when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she kept him secretly for three months.
3 And when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a small basket woven of bulrushes, and she smeared it with pitch as well as tar. And she placed the little infant inside, and she laid him in the sedges by the bank of the river.
And when she was no longer able to keep him secret, she made him a basket out of the stems of water-plants, pasting sticky earth over it to keep the water out; and placing the baby in it she put it among the plants by the edge of the Nile.
4 His sister was standing at a distance and was wondering what would happen.
And his sister took her place at a distance to see what would become of him.
5 Then, behold, the daughter of Pharaoh descended to wash in the river. And her maids walked along the edge of the cove. And when she had seen the small basket among the papyruses, she sent one of her servants for it. And when it was brought,
Now Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to take a bath, while her women were walking by the riverside; and she saw the basket among the river-plants, and sent her servant-girl to get it.
6 she opened it; and realizing that within it was a little one crying, she took pity on him, and she said: “This is one of the infants of the Hebrews.”
And opening it, she saw the child, and he was crying. And she had pity on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 And the sister of the boy said to her: “If you wish, I will go and call to you a Hebrew woman, who will be able nurse the infant.”
Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, May I go and get you one of the Hebrew women to give him the breast?
8 She responded, “Go.” The maid went directly and called her mother.
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and got the child's mother.
9 And the daughter of Pharaoh said to her: “Take this boy and nurse him for me. I will give you your wages.” The woman took and nursed the boy. And when he was mature, she delivered him to the daughter of Pharaoh.
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take the child away and give it milk for me, and I will give you payment. And the woman took the child and gave it milk at her breast.
10 And she adopted him in place of a son, and she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I took him from the water.”
And when the child was older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son, and she gave him the name Moses, Because, she said, I took him out of the water.
11 In those days, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers. And he saw their affliction and an Egyptian man striking a certain one of the Hebrews, his brothers.
Now when Moses had become a man, one day he went out to his people and saw how hard their work was; and he saw an Egyptian giving blows to a Hebrew, one of his people.
12 And when he had looked around this way and that, and had seen no one nearby, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
And turning this way and that, and seeing no one, he put the Egyptian to death, covering his body with sand.
13 And going out the next day, he spotted two Hebrews quarrelling violently. And he said to him who was causing the injury, “Why do you strike your neighbor?”
And he went out the day after and saw two of the Hebrews fighting: and he said to him who was in the wrong, Why are you fighting your brother?
14 But he responded: “Who appointed you as leader and judge over us? Do you want to kill me, just as yesterday you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid, and he said, “How has this word become known?”
And he said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? are you going to put me to death as you did the Egyptian? And Moses was in fear, and said, It is clear that the thing has come to light.
15 And Pharaoh heard this talk, and he sought to kill Moses. But fleeing from his sight, he stayed in the land of Midian, and he sat down next to a well.
Now when Pharaoh had news of this, he would have put Moses to death. But Moses went in flight from Pharaoh into the land of Midian: and he took his seat by a water-spring.
16 Now there was a priest of Midian with seven daughters, who came to draw water. And having filled the troughs, they desired to water their father’s flocks.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came to get water for their father's flock.
17 The shepherds overcame them and drove them away. And Moses rose up, and defending the girls, he watered their sheep.
And the keepers of the sheep came up and were driving them away; but Moses got up and came to their help, watering their flock for them.
18 And when they had returned to their father, Reuel, he said to them, “Why have you arrived sooner than usual?”
And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that you have come back so quickly today?
19 They responded: “A man of Egypt freed us from the hands of the shepherds. Moreover, he also drew water with us and gave the sheep to drink.”
And they said, An Egyptian came to our help against the keepers of sheep and got water for us and gave it to the flock.
20 But he said: “Where is he? Why have you dismissed the man? Call him, so that he may eat bread.”
And he said to his daughters, Where is he? why have you let the man go? make him come in and give him a meal.
21 Therefore, Moses swore that he would live with him. And he accepted his daughter Zipporah as a wife.
And Moses was happy to go on living with the man; and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
22 And she bore a son to him, whom he called Gershom, saying, “I have been a newcomer in a foreign land.” In truth, she bore another, whom he called Eliezer, saying, “For the God of my father, my helper, has rescued me from the hand of Pharaoh.”
And she gave birth to a son, to whom he gave the name Gershom: for he said, I have been living in a strange land.
23 In truth, after a long time, the king of Egypt was dead. And the sons of Israel, groaning, cried out because of the works. And their cry ascended to God from the works.
Now after a long time the king of Egypt came to his end: and the children of Israel were crying in their grief under the weight of their work, and their cry for help came to the ears of God.
24 And he heard their groaning, and he also remembered the covenant which he formed with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And at the sound of their weeping the agreement which God had made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob came to his mind.
25 And the Lord looked with favor on the sons of Israel, and he knew them.
And God's eyes were turned to the children of Israel and he gave them the knowledge of himself.
