Exodus 2

1  NOW [Amram] a man of the house of Levi [the priestly tribe] went and took as his wife [Jochebed] a daughter of Levi. 2  And the woman became pregnant and bore a son; and when she saw that he was [exceedingly] beautiful, she hid him three months. 3  And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark or basket made of bulrushes or papyrus [making it watertight by] daubing it with bitumen and pitch. Then she put the child in it and laid it among the rushes by the brink of the river [Nile].4  And his sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to learn what would be done to him.5  Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked along the bank; she saw the ark among the rushes and sent her maid to fetch it.6  When she opened it, she saw the child; and behold, the baby cried. And she took pity on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children!7  Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call a nurse of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?8  Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and called the child’s mother.9  Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed it.10  And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she called him Moses, for she said, Because I drew him out of the water.11  One day, after Moses was grown, it happened that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of [Moses’] brethren.12  He looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.13  He went out the second day and saw two Hebrew men quarreling and fighting; and he said to the unjust aggressor, Why are you striking your comrade?14  And the man said, Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, Surely this thing is known.15  When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh’s presence and took refuge in the land of Midian, where he sat down by a well.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.17  The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.18  And when they came to Reuel [Jethro] their father, he said, How is it that you have come so soon today?19  They said, An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds; also he drew water for us and watered the flock.20  He said to his daughters, Where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.21  And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.22  And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom [expulsion, or a stranger there]; for he said, I have been a stranger and a sojourner in a foreign land.23  However, after a long time [nearly forty years] the king of Egypt died; and the Israelites were sighing and groaning because of the bondage. They kept crying, and their cry because of slavery ascended to God.24  And God heard their sighing and groaning and [earnestly] remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25  God saw the Israelites and took knowledge of them and concerned Himself about them [knowing all, understanding, remembering all].

Exodus 2

The Birth of the Deliverer

1 s A man from the householdt of Levi marriedt a woman who was a descendant of Levi.ts2 The woman became pregnantt and gave birth to a son. Whent she saw thatt he was a healthyt child, she hid him for three months.3 But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus baskets for him and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile.s

4 His sister stationed herselft at a distance to find outt what wouldt happen to him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaohs came down to wash herselft by the Nile, while her attendants were walking alongside the river,s and she saw the basket among the reeds. She sent one of her attendants,t took it,t

6 opened it,t and saw the childt – a boy,t crying!t – and she felt compassiont for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and gets a nursing womant for you from the Hebrews, so that she may nursets the child for you?”8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes, do so.”t So the young girls went and gott the child’s mother.s

9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this childt and nurse him for me, and I will pay yourt wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

10 When the child grew oldert she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son.t She named him Moses, saying, “Because I drew him from the water.”s

The Presumption of the Deliverer

11 s In those days,s whent Moses had grown up, he went out to his peoplet and observedts their hard labor, and he saw an Egyptian man attackingt a Hebrew man, one of his own people.t12 He looked this way and thatt and saw that no one was there,t and then he attackeds the Egyptian and concealed the bodyt in the sand.

13 When he went outt the next day,t there weret two Hebrew men fighting. So he said to the one who was in the wrong,t “Why are you attackingt your fellow Hebrew?”s
14 The mant replied, “Who made you a rulert and a judge over us? Are you planningt to kill me like you killed thatt Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking,t “Surely what I didt has become known.”

15 When Pharaoh heardt about this event,t he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fledt from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian,s and he settledt by a certain well.t
16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and began to drawt watert and fillt the troughs in order to water their father’s flock.17 When somet shepherds came and drove them away,ts Moses came up and defended thems and then watered their flock.18 So when they came homet to their father Reuel,s he asked, “Why have you come home so earlyts today?”19 They said, “An Egyptian man rescued uss from the shepherds,t and he actuallyt drew water for us and watered the flock!”

20 He saidt to his daughters, “So where is he?t Why in the worldt did you leave the man? Call him, so that he may eatt a mealt with us.”
21 Moses agreedt to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.t

22 When she boret a son, Mosest named him Gershom, for he said, “I have become a resident foreigner in a foreign land.”s

The Call of the Deliverer

23 s Duringt that long period of timet the king of Egypt died, and the Israelitest groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cryt because of their slave labor went up to God.24 God heard their groaning,s God remembereds his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob,

25 God sawt the Israelites, and God understood….t