Exodus 2
1 Egressus est post hæc vir de domo Levi: et accepit uxorem stirpis suæ.
(There was a man who/My father) was descended from [Jacob’s son] Levi. He married a woman who was [also] descended from Levi.
2 Quæ concepit, et peperit filium: et videns eum elegantem, abscondit tribus mensibus.
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].
3 Cumque iam celare non posset, sumpsit fiscellam scirpeam, et linivit eam bitumine ac pice: posuitque intus infantulum, et exposuit eum in carecto ripæ fluminis,
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].
4 stante procul sorore eius, et considerante eventum rei.
His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
5 Ecce autem descendebat filia Pharaonis ut lavaretur in flumine: et puellæ eius gradiebantur per crepidinem alvei. Quæ cum vidisset fiscellam in papyrione, misit unam e famulabus suis: et allatam
[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.
6 aperiens, cernensque in ea parvulum vagientem, miserta eius, ait: De infantibus Hebræorum est hic.
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.”
7 Cui soror pueri: Vis, inquit, ut vadam, et vocem tibi mulierem Hebræam, quæ nutrire possit infantulum?
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?”
8 Respondit: Vade. Perrexit puella et vocavit matrem suam.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
9 Ad quam locuta filia Pharaonis: Accipe, ait, puerum istum, et nutri mihi: ego dabo tibi mercedem tuam. Suscepit mulier, et nutrivit puerum: adultumque tradidit filiæ Pharaonis.
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.
10 Quem illa adoptavit in locum filii, vocavitque nomen eius Moyses, dicens: Quia de aqua tuli eum.
([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.”
11 In diebus illis postquam creverat Moyses, egressus est ad fratres suos: viditque afflictionem eorum, et virum Ægyptium percutientem quemdam de Hebræis fratribus suis.
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.
12 Cumque circumspexisset huc atque illuc, et nullum adesse vidisset, percussum Ægyptium abscondit sabulo.
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.
13 Et egressus die altero conspexit duos Hebræos rixantes: dixitque ei qui faciebat iniuriam: Quare percutis proximum tuum?
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].”
14 Qui respondit: Quis te constituit principem et iudicem super nos? num occidere me tu vis, sicut heri occidisti Ægyptium? Timuit Moyses, et ait: Quomodo palam factum est verbum istud?
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].”
15 Audivitque Pharao sermonem hunc, et quærebat occidere Moysen: qui fugiens de conspectu eius, moratus est in Terra Madian, et sedit iuxta puteum.
[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.
16 Erant autem sacerdoti Madian septem filiæ, quæ venerunt ad hauriendam aquam: et impletis canalibus adaquare cupiebant greges patris sui.
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].
17 Supervenere pastores, et eiecerunt eas: surrexitque Moyses, et defensis puellis, adaquavit oves earum.
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.
18 Quæ cum revertissent ad Raguel patrem suum, dixit ad eas: Cur velocius venistis solito?
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?”
19 Responderunt: Vir Ægyptius liberavit nos de manu pastorum: insuper et hausit aquam nobiscum, potumque dedit ovibus.
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].”
20 At ille: Ubi est? inquit, Quare dimisistis hominem? Vocate eum ut comedat panem.
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]!”
21 Iuravit ergo Moyses quod habitaret cum eo. Accepitque Sephoram filiam eius uxorem:
[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].
22 quæ peperit ei filium, quem vocavit Gersam, dicens: Advena fui in terra aliena. Alterum vero peperit, quem vocavit Eliezer, dicens: Deus enim patris mei adiutor meus eripuit me de manu Pharaonis.
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.”
23 Post multum vero tempore mortuus est rex Ægypti: et ingemiscentes filii Israel, propter opera vociferati sunt: ascenditque clamor eorum ad Deum ab operibus.
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].
24 Et audivit gemitum eorum, ac recordatus est fœderis quod pepigit cum Abraham, Isaac, et Iacob.
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].
25 Et respexit Dominus filios Israel et cognovit eos.
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.
