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The Birth of Moses

¹ Now a man from ^(C1)the house of Levi went and ^(F1)married a daughter of Levi.² The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw ^(F1)that he was ^(F2)(C1)beautiful, she hid him for three months.³ But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a ^(F1)(C1)wicker ^(F2)basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the ^(C2)reeds by the bank of the Nile.^4 (C1)His sister stood at a distance to ^(F1)find out what would ^(F2)happen to him.

⁵ The daughter of Pharaoh came down ^(C1)to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the ^(F1)basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her.⁶ When she opened it, she ^(F1)saw the child, and behold, the ^(F2)boy was crying. And she had 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 ^(F1)a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?"⁸ Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go ahead." So the girl went and called the child's mother.⁹ Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.¹⁰ The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and ^(C1)he became her son. And she named him ^(F1)Moses, and said, "Because I ^(F2)drew him out of the water."

¹¹ Now it came about in those days, ^(C1)when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their ^(F1)(C2)hard labors; and ^(C3)he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.¹² So he ^(F1)looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he ^(C1)struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.¹³ He went out ^(C1)the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were ^(F1)fighting with each other; and he said to the ^(F2)offender, "Why are you striking your companion?"¹⁴ But he said, "^(C1)Who made you a ^(F1)prince or a judge over us? Are you ^(F2)intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and said, "Surely the matter has become known."

Moses Escapes to Midian

¹⁶ Now ^(C1)the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and ^(C2)they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.¹⁷ Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but ^(C1)Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.¹⁸ When they came to ^(C1)Reuel their father, he said, "Why have you come back so soon today?"¹⁹ So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock."²⁰ He said to his daughters, "Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him ^(F1)to have something to eat."^21 (C1)Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter ^(C2)Zipporah to Moses.²² Then she gave birth to ^(C1)a son, and he named him ^(F1)Gershom, for he said, "I have been ^(C2)a ^(F2)sojourner in a foreign land."

²³ Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel ^(C1)sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and ^(C2)their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.²⁴ So ^(C1)God heard their groaning; and God remembered ^(C2)His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.^25 (C1)God saw the sons of Israel, and God ^(F1)took notice of them.