Exodus 2

Moses

2A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman.H3212H376H1004H3878H3947H1323H38782The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months.H802H2029H3205H1121H7200H2896H6845H7969H33913When she couldn't hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile.H3201H5750H6845H3947H8392H1573H2560H2564H2203H7760H3206H7760H5488H2975H81934The baby's older sister found herself a vantage point a little way off and watched to see what would happen to him.H269H3320H7350H3045H62135Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to bathe; her maidens strolled on the bank. She saw the basket-boat floating in the reeds and sent her maid to get it.H1323H6547H3381H7364H2975H5291H1980H2975H3027H7200H8392H8432H5488H7971H519H39476She opened it and saw the child—a baby crying! Her heart went out to him. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies."H6605H7200H3206H5288H1058H2550H559H5680H32067Then his sister was before her: "Do you want me to go and get a nursing mother from the Hebrews so she can nurse the baby for you?"H559H269H6547H1323H3212H7121H3243H5680H802H3243H32068Pharaoh's daughter said, "Yes. Go." The girl went and called the child's mother.H6547H1323H559H3212H5959H3212H7121H3206H5179Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me. I'll pay you." The woman took the child and nursed him.H6547H1323H559H3212H3206H3212H3243H5414H7939H802H3947H3206H513410After the child was weaned, she presented him to Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses (Pulled-Out), saying, "I pulled him out of the water."H3206H1431H935H6547H1323H1121H7121H8034H4872H559H4871H432511Time passed. Moses grew up. One day he went and saw his brothers, saw all that hard labor. Then he saw an Egyptian hit a Hebrew—one of his relatives!H3117H4872H1431H3318H251H7200H5450H7200H4713H376H5221H5680H25112He looked this way and then that; when he realized there was no one in sight, he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.H6437H3541H3541H7200H376H5221H4713H2934H234413The next day he went out there again. Two Hebrew men were fighting. He spoke to the man who started it: "Why are you hitting your neighbor?"H3318H8145H3117H8147H582H5680H5327H559H7563H5221H745314The man shot back: "Who do you think you are, telling us what to do? Are you going to kill me the way you killed that Egyptian?" Then Moses panicked: "Word's gotten out—people know about this."H559H7760H376H8269H8199H559H2026H2026H4713H4872H3372H559H403H1697H304515Pharaoh heard about it and tried to kill Moses, but Moses got away to the land of Midian. He sat down by a well.H6547H8085H1697H1245H2026H4872H4872H1272H6440H6547H3427H776H4080H3427H87516The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, filling the troughs and watering their father's sheep.H3548H4080H7651H1323H935H1802H4390H7298H8248H1H662917When some shepherds came and chased the girls off, Moses came to their rescue and helped them water their sheep.H7462H935H1644H4872H6965H3467H8248H662918When they got home to their father, Reuel, he said, "That didn't take long. Why are you back so soon?"H935H7467H1H559H4069H935H4116H311719"An Egyptian," they said, "rescued us from a bunch of shepherds. Why, he even drew water for us and watered the sheep."H559H4713H376H5337H3027H7462H1802H1802H8248H662920He said, "So where is he? Why did you leave him behind? Invite him so he can have something to eat with us."H559H1323H5800H376H7121H398H389921Moses agreed to settle down there with the man, who then gave his daughter Zipporah (Bird) to him for his wife.H4872H2974H3427H376H5414H4872H6855H132322She had a son, and Moses named him Gershom (Sojourner), saying, "I'm a sojourner in a foreign country."H3205H1121H7121H8034H1647H559H1616H5237H77623Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Their cries for relief from their hard labor ascended to God:H1992H7227H3117H4428H4714H4191H1121H3478H584H4480H5656H2199H7775H5927H430H565624God listened to their groanings. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.H430H8085H5009H430H2142H1285H85H3327H329025God saw what was going on with Israel. God understood.H430H7200H1121H3478H430H3045