Exodus 2
International Children’s Bible
Baby Moses
2 There was a man from the family of Levi. He married a woman who was also from the family of Levi. 2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw how wonderful the baby was, and she hid him for three months. 3 But after three months, she was not able to hide the baby any longer. So she got a basket made of reeds and covered it with tar so that it would float. She put the baby in the basket. Then she put the basket among the tall grass at the edge of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister stood a short distance away. She wanted to see what would happen to him.
5 Then the daughter of the king of Egypt came to the river. She was going to take a bath. Her servant girls were walking beside the river. She saw the basket in the tall grass. So she sent her slave girl to get it. 6 The king’s daughter opened the basket and saw the baby boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. She said, “This is one of the Hebrew babies.”
7 Then the baby’s sister asked the king’s daughter, “Would you like me to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”
8 The king’s daughter said, “Yes, please.” So the girl went and got the baby’s own mother.
9 The king’s daughter said to the woman, “Take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you.” So the woman took her baby and nursed him. 10 After the child had grown older, the woman took him to the king’s daughter. She adopted the baby as her own son. The king’s daughter named him Moses,[a] because she had pulled him out of the water.
Moses Helps His People
11 Moses grew and became a man. One day he visited his people, the Hebrews. He saw that they were forced to work very hard. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man, one of Moses’ own people. 12 Moses looked all around and saw that no one was watching. So he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The next day Moses returned and saw two Hebrew men fighting each other. He saw that one man was in the wrong. Moses said to that man, “Why are you hitting one of your own people?”
14 The man answered, “Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses was afraid. He thought, “Now everyone knows what I did.”
15 When the king heard about what Moses had done, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from the king and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down near a well.
Moses in Midian
16 There was a priest in Midian who had seven daughters. His daughters went to that well to get water for their father’s sheep. They were trying to fill the water troughs for their father’s sheep. 17 But some shepherds came and chased the girls away. Then Moses defended the girls and watered their sheep.
18 Then they went back to their father, Reuel, also called Jethro. He asked them, “Why have you come home early today?”
19 The girls answered, “The shepherds chased us away. But an Egyptian defended us. He got water for us and watered our sheep.”
20 He asked his daughters, “Where is this man? Why did you leave him? Invite him to eat with us.”
21 Moses agreed to stay with Jethro. And he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses to be his wife. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom.[b] Moses named him this because Moses was a stranger in a land that was not his own.
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The people of Israel groaned because they were forced to work very hard. They cried for help. And God heard them. 24 God heard their cries, and he remembered the agreement he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 25 God saw the troubles of the people of Israel, and he was concerned about them.
Exodus 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Moses’ 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 asphalt 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. Seeing the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave girl to get it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child—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 woman from the Hebrews to nurse 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, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”[b]
Moses in Midian
11 Years later,[c] after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people[d] and observed their forced labor.(D) He saw an Egyptian beating 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 neighbor?”[e]
14 “Who made you a leader 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, for he said, “I have been a foreigner(J) in a foreign land.”[g]
23 After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, and they cried out;(K) and their cry for help ascended to God because of the difficult labor. 24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered(L) His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.(M) 25 God saw the Israelites, and He took notice.(N)
Footnotes
- Exodus 2:2 Or healthy
- Exodus 2:10 The name Moses sounds like “drawing out” in Hb and “born” in Egyptian.
- Exodus 2:11 Lit And it was in those days
- Exodus 2:11 Lit his brothers
- Exodus 2:13 Or fellow Hebrew
- Exodus 2:18 Jethro’s clan or last name was Reuel; Ex 3:1.
- Exodus 2:22 In Hb the name Gershom sounds like the phrase “a stranger there.”
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