Exodus 2
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Moses’s Birth and Adoption
2 Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman.(A) 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful,[a] she hid him for three months.(B) 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with bitumen and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 Then his sister(C) stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him.
5 Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, 6 opened it, and saw him, the child – and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrew boys.’
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who can breastfeed the boy for you? ’
8 ‘Go’, Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.’ So the woman took the boy and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,[b] ‘Because,’ she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’
Moses in Midian
11 Years later,[c] after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people[d] and observed their forced labour.(D) He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, ‘Why are you attacking your neighbour? ’[e]
14 ‘Who made you a commander and judge over us? ’ the man replied. ‘Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? ’
Then Moses became afraid and thought, ‘What I did is certainly known.’
15 When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian,(E) and sat down by a well.(F)
16 Now the priest of Midian(G) had seven daughters. They came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Then some shepherds arrived and drove them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18 When they returned to their father Reuel,[f](H) he asked, ‘Why have you come back so quickly today? ’
19 They answered, ‘An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.’
20 ‘So where is he? ’ he asked his daughters. ‘Why then did you leave the man behind? Invite him to eat dinner.’
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah(I) to Moses in marriage. 22 She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom,[g] for he said, ‘I have been a resident foreigner(J) in a foreign land.’
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labour, they cried out,(K) and their cry for help because of the difficult labour ascended to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered(L) his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.(M) 25 God saw the Israelites, and God knew.(N)
Exodus 2
New American Standard Bible
The Birth of Moses
2 Now a man from (A)the house of Levi went and [a]married a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw [b]that he was [c](B)beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got him a (C)papyrus [d]basket and covered it with tar and pitch. Then she put the child in it and set it among the (D)reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 (E)And his sister stood at a distance to [e]find out what would [f]happen to him.
5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down (F)to bathe at the Nile, with her female attendants walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the [g]basket among the reeds and sent her slave woman, and she brought it to her. 6 When she opened it, she [h]saw the child, and behold, the 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 a woman for you who is nursing from the Hebrew women, so 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 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and (G)he became her son. And she named him [i]Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
11 Now it came about in those days, (H)when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his [j]fellow Hebrews and looked at their [k](I)hard labors; and (J)he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his [l]fellow Hebrews. 12 So he [m]looked this way and that, and when he saw that there was no one around, he (K)struck and killed the Egyptian, and hid [n]his body in the sand. 13 Now he went out (L)the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were [o]fighting with each other; and he said to the [p]offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14 But he said, “(M)Who made you a [q]ruler and a judge over us? Do you [r]intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known!”
Moses Escapes to Midian
15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But (N)Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and [s]settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down (O)by a well.
16 Now (P)the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and (Q)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 (R)Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. 18 When they came to their father (S)Reuel, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian saved us from [t]the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 So he said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him [u]to have something to eat.” 21 And (T)Moses was willing to live with the man. And he gave his daughter (U)Zipporah to Moses. 22 Then she gave birth to (V)a son, and he named him [v]Gershom, for he said, “I have been (W)a stranger 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 (X)groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and (Y)their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God. 24 So (Z)God heard their groaning; and God remembered (AA)His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 And (AB)God saw the sons of Israel, and God [w]took notice of them.
Footnotes
- Exodus 2:1 Lit took
- Exodus 2:2 Lit him that
- Exodus 2:2 Lit good
- Exodus 2:3 Or chest
- Exodus 2:4 Lit know
- Exodus 2:4 Lit be done
- Exodus 2:5 Or chest
- Exodus 2:6 Heb saw it, the child
- Exodus 2:10 Heb Mosheh, from a verb meaning to draw out
- Exodus 2:11 Lit brothers
- Exodus 2:11 Lit burdens
- Exodus 2:11 Lit brothers
- Exodus 2:12 Lit turned
- Exodus 2:12 Lit him
- Exodus 2:13 Or quarreling
- Exodus 2:13 Or the guilty one
- Exodus 2:14 Lit man, a ruler
- Exodus 2:14 Lit say
- Exodus 2:15 Lit dwelt
- Exodus 2:19 Lit the hand of the
- Exodus 2:20 Lit that he may eat bread
- Exodus 2:22 Cf. Heb ger sham, a stranger there
- Exodus 2:25 Lit knew them
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