Exodus 2
1 (There was a man who/My father) was descended from [Jacob’s son] Levi. He married a woman who was [also] descended from Levi.
Aftir these thingis a man of `the hows of Leuy yede out, and took a wijf of his kyn,
2 She became pregnant and gave birth to (a baby boy/me). When she saw that he/I was a good-looking baby, she hid him/me for three months, [because she was not willing to do what the king commanded].
which conseyuede, and childide a sone. And sche seiy hym wel farynge, and hidde him bi thre monethis.
3 When she was unable to (hide him/me/keep it a secret) any longer, she got a basket made from tall reeds. She covered the basket with tar ([to make it waterproof/so water could not get in]). Then she put him/me in the basket and put the basket in [the water] in the middle of the tall grass at the edge of the Nile [River].
And whanne sche myyte not hele, thanne sche took a `leep of segge, and bawmede it with tar and pitch, and puttide the yong child with ynne, and puttide hym forth in a `place of spier of the brenke of the flood,
4 His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
the while his sistir stood afer, and bihelde the bifalling of the thing.
5 [Soon] the king’s daughter went down to the river to bathe. Her female servants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket amid the tall grass [in the river]. So she sent [one of] her servants to get it.
Lo! forsothe the douytir of Farao cam doun to be waischun in the flood, and hir damysels walkiden bi the brenke of the flood. And whanne sche hadde seyn a leep in the `place of spier, sche sente oon of hir seruauntessis,
6 When [the servant brought the basket to her], she opened it, and was surprised to see (a baby that was/me), crying. She felt sorry for him/me, and said, “This [must] be one of the Hebrews’ babies.”
and sche openyde the leep brouyt to hir, and seiy a litil child wepynge ther ynne. And sche hadde mercy on the child, and seide, It is of the yonge children of Ebrews.
7 Then (the baby’s/my) [older] sister [approached] the king’s daughter and said, “Do you want me to go and find someone from among the Hebrew women who will [be able to] nurse the baby for you?”
To whom the `sister of the child seide, Wolt thou that Y go, and clepe to thee an Ebrew womman, that may nurische the yong child?
8 The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
She answeride, Go thou. The damysel yede, and clepide the `modir of the child.
9 The king’s daughter said to her, “[Please] take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you [for doing that].” So (the woman/my mother) took him/me and nursed him/me.
To whom `the douytir of Farao spak, and seide, Take thou this child, and nurische to me; Y schal yyue to thee thi mede. The womman took, and nurischide the child, and bitook hym woxun to `the douytir of Farao,
10 ([A few years later]/when (the child/I) grew [older]), she brought him/me to the king’s daughter. She adopted him/me [as though I was] her own son. She named him/me Moses, [which sounds like the Hebrew words ‘pull out’], because she said “I pulled him out of the water.”
whom sche purchaside `in to the place of sone; and sche clepide his name Moises, and seide, For Y took hym fro the watir.
11 One day, after Moses/I had grown up, he/I went out [of the palace area] to see his/my people, [the Hebrews]. He/I saw how they were being [forced to work] very hard. He/I [also] saw an Egyptian [man] beating one of his/my Hebrew people.
In tho daies, aftir that Moises encreesside, he yede out to hise britheren, and seiy the turment of hem, and a man Egipcian smytynge `oon of Ebrews, hise britheren.
12 He/I looked around [to see if anyone was watching]. Seeing no one, he/I killed the Egyptian man and buried his [body] in the sand.
And whanne he hadde biholdun hidur and thidir, and hadde seyn, that no man was present, he killide the Egipcian, and hidde in soond.
13 The next day he/I returned [to the same place]. He/I was surprised to see two Hebrew men who were fighting [each other]. He/I said to the man who started the fight, “Why are you (you should not be) striking your fellow [Hebrew].”
And he yede out in another dai, and seiy tweyne Ebrews chidynge, and he seide to hym that dide wrong, Whi smytist thou thi brother?
14 The man replied, “(Who made you our ruler and judge?/No one made you our ruler and judge!) [RHQ] [You have no right to interfere with us] Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man [yesterday]?” Then Moses/I was afraid, [because] he/I thought, “[Since that man knows what I did], surely [other people] know, [too].”
Which answeride, Who ordeynede thee prince, ether iuge on vs? Whether thou wolt sle me, as thou killidist yisterdai the Egipcian? Moises dredde, and seide, Hou is this word maad opun?
15 [And that was correct]. The king heard about what he/I had done [to that Egyptian. So he ordered his soldiers to] execute/kill Moses/me. But he/I fled from the king [and left Egypt. He/I traveled east to] the Midian [region] and started to live there.
And Farao herde this word, and souyte to sle Moyses, which fledde fro his siyt, and dwellide in the lond of Madian, and sat bisidis a pit.
16 The man who was the (priest/one who offered the people’s gifts to God) for the Midian people, [whose name was Jethro], had seven daughters. [One day] as Moses/I sat down beside a well, those girls came [to the well] and got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father’s flock [of sheep].
Forsothe seuene douytris weren to the preest of Madian, that camen to drawe watir; and whanne the trouyis weren fillid, thei coueitiden to watere `the flockis of her fadir.
17 Some (shepherds/men who took care of other sheep) came and started to chase away the girls. But Moses/I helped/rescued the girls, and got water for their sheep.
Scheepherdis camen aboue, and dreuen hem awei; and Moises roos, and defendide the dameselis; and he watride `the scheep of hem.
18 When the girls returned to their father [Jethro], [whose other name is] Reuel, he asked them, “How is it that you were able to [give water to the sheep and] come home so quickly today?”
And whanne thei hadden turned ayen to Jetro, her fadir, he seide to hem, Whi camen ye swiftliere than ye weren wont?
19 They replied, “A man from Egypt kept [MTY] other shepherds from sending us away. He also got water for us [from the well] and gave water to the flock [of sheep].”
Thei answeriden, A man of Egipt delyuerede vs fro the hond of scheepherdis; ferthermore and he drow watir with vs, and yaf drynk to the scheep.
20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? (Why did you leave him [out there]?/You should not leave him [out there]!) [RHQ] Invite him [in], so he can have something to eat [MTY]!”
And he seide, Where is that man? whi leften ye the man? clepe ye hym, that he ete breed.
21 [So they did], and Moses/I [accepted and ate with them]. And Moses/I decided to live there. Later Jethro gave him/me his daughter Zipporah [to be his/my wife].
Therfor Moises swoor, that he wolde dwelle with Jetro; and he took a wijf, Sefora, `the douyter of Jetro.
22 Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses/I named him Gershom, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘foreigner’], because he/I said, “I am living as a foreigner in [this] land.”
And sche childide a sone to hym, whom he clepide Gersan, and seide, Y was a comelyng in an alyen lond. Forsothe sche childide an othir sone, whom he clepide Eliezer, and seide, For God of my fadir is myn helpere, and delyuerede me fro the hond of Farao.
23 Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israeli people [in Egypt] were still groaning because of the [hard work they had to do as] slaves. They called out for [someone to] help them, and God heard them call out [PRS].
Forsothe aftir myche tyme the kyng of Egipt diede, and the sones of Israel inwardli weiliden for werkis, and crieden, and the cry of hem for werkis stiede to God.
24 He heard them groaning. And he (thought about/did not forget) that he had solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [to bless their descendants].
And he herde the weilyng of hem, and he hadde mynde of the boond of pees, which he hadde maad with Abraham, Ysaac, and Jacob; and he bihelde the sones of Israel,
25 God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.
and knewe hem.
