1
Now a man of the house of Levi went and took for his wife a daughter of Levi.
2
And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
3
But when she could hide him no longer, she took a cradle of bulrushes for him, and coated it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's brink.
4
And his sister stood at a distance, to learn what would happen to him.
5
Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself in the river; and her young women walked along beside the river; and she saw the cradle among the reeds, and sent her handmaid to fetch it.
6
And she opened it, and saw the child; and the boy was crying. 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 for you from the Hebrews, to nurse the child for you?
8
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Yes, do so. So the girl went and fetched the child's mother.
9
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will pay you wages for it; and the woman took the child and nursed him.
10
And when the child had grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses,* and said, Because I drew* him from the water.
11
Now one day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and saw their labours. And he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.
12
So he looked this way and that; and seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13
And he went out the next day, and saw two Hebrews quarrelling; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, Why are you striking your companion?
14
And he said, Who set you up as a man to be a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid, and said, The thing must be known.
15
And when Pharaoh heard of this happening, he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh's presence, and settled in the land of Midian; and 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 so as to water their father's flock.
17
And shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18
And when they came to their father Reuel, he said, How is it that you have returned so early today?
19
And they said, A man, an Egyptian, rescued us from the hands of the shepherds, and even drew water for us, and watered the flock.
20
And he said to his daughters, Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, so that he may have some food.
21
And Moses was content to live with the man; and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
22
And she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom;* for he said, I have become a settler in a foreign land.
23
Now after many days the king of Egypt died; and the sons of Israel sighed because of their slavery, and they complained; and their cry over their slavery went up to God.
24
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;
25
and God saw the sons of Israel, and God knew their state.
