Exodus 2
English Standard Version
The Birth of Moses
2 Now a (A)man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and (B)when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes[a] and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the (C)reeds by the river bank. 4 And (D)his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. 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 you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 And 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 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became (E)her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I (F)drew him out of the water.”[b]
Moses Flees to Midian
11 One day, (G)when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their (H)burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.[c] 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he (I)struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When (J)he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, (K)“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But (L)Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by (M)a well.
16 Now the (N)priest of Midian had seven daughters, and (O)they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and (P)watered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father (Q)Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and (R)watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may (S)eat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter (T)Zipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name (U)Gershom, for he said, “I have been a (V)sojourner[d] in a foreign land.”
God Hears Israel's Groaning
23 (W)During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel (X)groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. (Y)Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And (Z)God heard their groaning, and God (AA)remembered his covenant with (AB)Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God (AC)saw the people of Israel—and God (AD)knew.
Footnotes
- Exodus 2:3 Hebrew papyrus reeds
- Exodus 2:10 Moses sounds like the Hebrew for draw out
- Exodus 2:11 Hebrew brothers
- Exodus 2:22 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner
Shemot 2
Orthodox Jewish Bible
2 And there went an ish of the Bais Levi, and took to wife a bat Levi.
2 And the isha conceived, and bore a ben; and when she saw him that he was tov, she hid him three months.
3 And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him a tevah (ark) of papyrus, and daubed it with tar and with pitch, and put the yeled therein; and she set it in the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
4 And his achot stood afar off, to see what would be done to him.
5 And the Bat Pharaoh came down to bathe herself at the Nile; and her na’arot walked along by the Nile’s bank; and when she saw the tevah (ark) among the reeds, she sent her amah (maid servant) to fetch it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the yeled; and, hinei, the na’ar was crying. And she had compassion on him, and said, This one is of the yaldei HaIvrim (Hebrew children).
7 Then said his achot to Bat Pharaoh, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of HaIvriyyot, that she may nurse the yeled for thee?
8 And Bat Pharaoh said to her, Go. And haalmah [see Gn 24:43; Isa 7:14] went and called the em hayeled.
9 And Bat Pharaoh said unto her, Take this yeled away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the isha took the yeled, and nursed it.
10 And the yeled grew, and she brought him unto Bat Pharaoh, and he became her ben. And she called shmo Moshe: and she said, Because meshitihu (I drew him) out of the mayim.
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moshe was grown, that he went out unto his achim, and looked on their sivlot: and he spied an Egyptian striking an ish Ivri, one of his achim.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no ish, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the chol (sand).
13 And when he went out the second day, hinei, two anashim Ivrim were fighting; he said to him in the wrong, Why strike thou thy re’a?
14 And he said, Who made thee a sar and a shofet over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moshe feared, and thought, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moshe. But Moshe fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in Eretz Midyan; and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the kohen of Midyan had sheva banot; and they came and drew mayim, and filled the troughs to water the tzon of their av.
17 And the ro’im (shepherds) came and drove them away; but Moshe stood up and rescued them, and watered their tzon.
18 And when they came to Reuel their av, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the yad of the ro’im (shepherds), and also drew enough for us, and watered the tzon.
20 And he said unto his banot, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the ish? Call him, that he may eat lechem.
21 And Moshe was content to dwell with the ish; and he gave Moshe Tzipporah his bat.
22 And she bore him a ben, and he called shmo Gershom; for he said, I have been a ger in a foreign land.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that Melech Mitzrayim died; and the Bnei Yisroel groaned by reason of haAvodah (the Bondage), and they cried out, and their cry came up unto HaElohim by reason of haAvodah.
24 And Elohim heard their groaning, and Elohim remembered His brit (covenant) with Avraham, with Yitzchak, and with Ya’akov.
25 And Elohim looked upon the Bnei Yisroel, and Elohim had da’as of them.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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