Exodus 2
1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.
It was around this time that a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman, also a Levite.
2 The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
She became pregnant and had a son. She saw he was a lovely baby, and she hid him for three months.
3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus box for him and coated it with bitumen and with pitch. And she put the child in it and put it among the rushes by the bank of the river.
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 be done to him.
His sister waited some distance away, keeping an eye on him.
5 Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the box among the rushes, and sent her handmaid to get 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 She opened it, and saw the child, and look, the baby cried. And she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' 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, "Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may 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 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." The maiden went and called the child'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 away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." The woman took the child, and nursed it.
“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 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, "Because 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 It happened in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.
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 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him 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 He went out the second day, and look, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"
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 He said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" Moses was afraid, and said, "Surely this thing is 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 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by 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. They came and drew water, and filled 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 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and drew water for them, and watered their flock.
Some shepherds arrived and chased them off, but Moses intervened and rescued them, and watered their flock.
18 When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, "How is it that you have returned so early today?"
When they got home, their father Reuel asked them, “How did you get back so quickly today?”
19 They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he 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 He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."
“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 And Moses was content to dwell with the man. And he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter in marriage.
Moses agreed to stay with the man, who arranged for his daughter Zipporah to marry Moses.
22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as 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 It happened in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
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 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
God heard their groans, and recalled his agreement with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 God saw the children of Israel, and God took notice.
God also looked sympathetically on the Israelites, and was concerned for them.
