< Exodus 2 >

1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife 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 the woman conceived, and bore a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him 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 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
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 afar off, to know what would be done to him.
孩子的姐姐遠遠的站著,想知道孩子究竟怎樣。
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch 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 And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold a boy that wept. And she had compassion on him, and said: 'This is one of the Hebrews' 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 said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter: 'Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?'
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 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her: 'Go.' And the maiden went and called the child'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 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her: 'Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.' And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
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 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said: 'Because 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 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
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 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him 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 And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together; and he said to him that did the wrong: 'Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?'
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 And he said: 'Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou didst kill the Egyptian?' And Moses feared, and said: 'Surely the thing is 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 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by 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 and drew water, and filled 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 the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped 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 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said: 'How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?'
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 And they said: 'An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he 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 And he said unto his daughters: 'And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.'
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 And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
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 bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said: 'I have been a stranger in a strange 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 And it came to pass in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died; and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
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 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with 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 And God saw the children of Israel, and God took cognizance of them.
天主遂眷顧了以色列子民,特別垂念她們。

< Exodus 2 >