Exodus 2
1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
It was around this time that a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman, also a Levite.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly 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 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
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 afar off, to know what would be done to him.
His sister waited some distance away, keeping an eye on him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch 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 And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. 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 said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
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 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And 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 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And 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 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name 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 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
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 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote 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 And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy 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 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the 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 slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt 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: and 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 And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
Some shepherds arrived and chased them off, but Moses intervened and rescued them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?
When they got home, their father Reuel asked them, “How did you get back so quickly today?”
19 And 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 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye 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.
Moses agreed to stay with the man, who arranged for his daughter Zipporah to marry Moses.
22 And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner 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 And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason 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 And 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 And God saw the children of Israel, and God took knowledge [of them].
God also looked sympathetically on the Israelites, and was concerned for them.
