Exodus 2

The Birth of Moses

1Now a man from 1the house of Levi went and 2married a daughter of Levi. 2And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw 3that he was 45beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a 6papyrus 7basket and covered it with tar and pitch. Then she put the child in it and set it among the 8reeds by the bank of the Nile. 49And his sister stood at a distance to 10find out what would 11happen to him.

5Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down 12to bathe at the Nile, with her female attendants walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the 13basket among the reeds and sent her slave woman, and she brought it to her. 6When she opened it, she 14saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a woman for you who is nursing from the Hebrew women, so that she may nurse the child for you?” 8Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9Then 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. 10And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and 15he became her son. And she named him 16Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

11Now it came about in those days, 17when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his 18fellow Hebrews and looked at their 1920hard labors; and 21he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his 22fellow Hebrews. 12So he 23looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he 24struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid 25his body in the sand. 13Now he went out 26the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were 27fighting with each other; and he said to the 28offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14But he said, “29Who made you a 30ruler and a judge over us? Do you 31intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known!”

Moses Escapes to Midian

15When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But 32Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and 33settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down 34by a well.

16Now 35the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and 36they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but 37Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. 18When they came to their father 38Reuel, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” 19They said, “An Egyptian saved us from 39the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20So he said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him 40to have something to eat.” 21And 41Moses was willing to live with the man. And he gave his daughter 42Zipporah to Moses. 22Then she gave birth to 43a son, and he named him 44Gershom, for he said, “I have been 45a stranger in a foreign land.”

23Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel 46groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and 47their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God. 24So 48God heard their groaning; and God remembered 49His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25And 50God saw the sons of Israel, and God 51took notice of them.