Exodus Chapter 2
1 A man went from the house of Levi and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.
2 The woman conceived and gave birth to a son and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of papyrus and covered it with tar⁺ and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's edge.
4 His sister stood far off to see what would be done to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river and her maidens walked along by the riverside. When she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her slave girl to bring it.
6 She opened it and she saw the child, and behold, the boy wept. So she had pity on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 His sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call a woman, a nurse of the Hebrew women for you so that she may nurse the child for you?
8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. Then the girl departed and called the child's mother.
9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me and I will give you wages. So the woman took the child and nursed it.
10 The child grew and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses because she said, I took him out of the water.
11 Later, when Moses was grown, he went to his brothers and looked upon their burdens. Then he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.
12 He looked this way and that way and when he did not see anyone, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13 When he went out the second day, behold, two of the Hebrew men struggled together, and he said to the guilty one, Why do you strike your neighbor?
14 He said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me like you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and said, Surely this is known.
15 When Pharaoh heard this, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and lived in the land of Midian. While there, he sat down by a well.
16 The priest of Midian had seven daughters who came and drew and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 Some shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.
18 When they came to their father Reuel, he said, Why have you hurried to come today?
19 They said, An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds and also drew for us and watered the flock.
20 He said to his daughters, Where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him so that he may eat bread.
21 Then Moses was content to live with the man and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
22 Soon she bore a son and named him Gershom. For he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
23 After many days the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage. They cried out and their plea⁺ came up to God because of the bondage.
24 God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 God looked upon the children of Israel and He had respect⁺ for them.