Exodus 2
1 egressus est post haec vir de domo Levi accepta uxore stirpis suae
(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 quae 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 ripae 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 puellae eius gradiebantur per crepidinem alvei quae cum vidisset fiscellam in papyrione misit unam e famulis suis et adlatam
[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 Hebraeorum est
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 hebraeam mulierem quae 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 eius
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 tibi dabo mercedem tuam suscepit mulier et nutrivit puerum adultumque tradidit filiae 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 Mosi 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 Moses egressus ad fratres suos vidit adflictionem eorum et virum aegyptium percutientem quendam de Hebraeis 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 Aegyptium 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 Hebraeos 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 constituit te principem et iudicem super nos num occidere me tu dicis sicut occidisti Aegyptium timuit Moses 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 quaerebat occidere Mosen 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 sacerdoti Madian septem filiae quae venerunt ad hauriendas aquas 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 Moses 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 quae cum revertissent ad Raguhel 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 aegyptius 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 Moses quod habitaret cum eo accepitque Sefforam filiam eius
[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 quae peperit filium quem vocavit Gersam dicens advena fui in terra aliena
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 temporis mortuus est rex Aegypti et ingemescentes filii Israhel 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 foederis quod pepigerat cum Abraham et 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 respexit filios Israhel et cognovit eos
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.
