< 2 Mose 2 >

1 Da ging ein Mann aus Levis Haus hin und heiratete eine Tochter Levis.
(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 Und das Weib ward guter Hoffnung und gebar einen Sohn. Als sie sah, daß er kräftig ward, verbarg sie ihn drei Monate.
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 Länger aber konnte sie ihn nicht verborgen halten. So nahm sie für ihn ein Papyruskästchen, dichtete es mit Asphalt und Pech, legte den Knaben darein und setzte es in das Schilf am Nilufer.
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 Seine Schwester aber stellte sich von ferne auf, zu sehen, was mit ihm geschähe.
His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
5 Da stieg Pharaos Tochter herab, im Nil zu baden, währenddessen sich ihre Dienerinnen am Nilufer ergingen. Da sah sie das Kästchen mitten im Schilfe. Und sie schickte ihre Magd und ließ es holen.
[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 Sie öffnete es und sah es, das Kind. Ein weinender Knabe war es. Und er dauerte sie. Sie sprach: "Dies ist einer von den Knaben der Hebräer."
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 Da sprach seine Schwester zu der Tochter Pharaos: "Soll ich gehen? Dann hole ich dir ein stillendes Weib von den Hebräerinnen, daß sie dir den Knaben stille?"
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 Und Pharaos Tochter sprach zu ihr: "Geh!" Da ging das Mädchen und holte des Knaben Mutter.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
9 Und Pharaos Tochter sprach zu ihr: "Nimm diesen Knaben und stille ihn mir! Ich gebe dir einen Lohn dafür." Da nahm das Weib den Knaben und stillte ihn.
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 Der Knabe wuchs heran; da brachte sie ihn der Tochter Pharaos, und er galt ihr als Sohn. Sie nannte ihn Moses; sie sagte nämlich: "Ich habe ihn aus dem Wasser gezogen."
([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 jener Zeit, als Moses erwachsen war, ging er zu seinen Brüdern hinaus und sah sich ihre Fronarbeiten an. Da sah er, wie ein ägyptischer Mann einen hebräischen Mann, einen seiner Brüder, niederschlug.
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 Er wandte sich nun hierhin und dorthin, und als er sah, daß kein Mensch da war, erschlug er den Ägypter. Dann verscharrte er ihn im Sand.
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 Am andern Tage ging er wieder aus. Da rauften sich zwei Hebräer. Er sprach zu dem Schuldigen: "Warum schlägst du deinen Genossen?"
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 Da sprach er: "Wer hat dich zum Obmann und Richter über uns gesetzt? Denkst du daran, mich totzuschlagen, wie du den Ägypter totgeschlagen hast?" Da erschrak Moses und dachte: "So ist die Sache ruchbar geworden."
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 Auch Pharao erfuhr davon und trachtete, Moses umzubringen. Da floh Moses vor Pharao, kam in das Land Midian und setzte sich an den Brunnen.
[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 Der Priester Midians aber hatte sieben Töchter. Diese kamen und wollten Wasser schöpfen und die Tränkrinnen füllen, um ihres Vaters Schafe zu tränken.
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 Da kamen die Hirten und vertrieben sie. Moses aber stand auf, half ihnen und tränkte ihre Schafe.
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 Als sie zu ihrem Vater Raguel kamen, sprach er: "Warum kommt ihr heute so bald?"
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 Sie sprachen: "Ein ägyptischer Mann hat uns gegen die Hirten geholfen. Er hat fleißig für uns geschöpft. Dann tränkte er die Schafe."
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 Da sprach er zu seinen Töchtern: "Wo ist er? Warum habt ihr den Mann dort gelassen? Ladet ihn zum Mahle ein!"
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 Und Moses willigte ein, bei dem Manne zu bleiben. Und er gab seine Tochter Sippora dem Moses.
[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 Sie gebar einen Sohn, und er hieß ihn Gersom; denn er sprach: "Gast bin ich geworden in fremdem Lande."
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 Nach vielen Tagen starb der König von Ägypten. Die Israeliten aber seufzten unter der Fron und schrien auf. Und ihr Hilferuf stieg zu Gott von der Fron empor.
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 Und Gott hörte ihr Gestöhn. Gott aber gedachte seines Bundes mit Abraham, Isaak und Jakob.
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 Und Gott sah die Söhne Israels. Und Gott nahm sich ihrer an.
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.

< 2 Mose 2 >