Moses Is Born^(A)

2 And ^(B)a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. ² So the woman conceived and bore a son. And ^(C)when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. ³ But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of ^(D)bulrushes for him, daubed it with ^(E)asphalt and ^(F)pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds ^(G)by the river’s bank. ^4 (H)And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

⁵ Then the ^(I)daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. ⁶ And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion 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 nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

⁸ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden 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 he became ^(J)her son. So she called his name ^[a]Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian^(K)

¹¹ Now it came to pass in those days, ^(L)when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. ¹² So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he ^(M)killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ And ^(N)when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men ^(O)were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

¹⁴ Then he said, ^(P)“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

So Moses ^(Q)feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But ^(R)Moses fled from ^[b]the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of ^(S)Midian; and he sat down by ^(T)a well.

^16 (U)Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. ^(V)And they came and drew water, and they filled the ^(W)troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Then the ^(X)shepherds came and ^(Y)drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and ^(Z)watered their flock.

¹⁸ When they came to ^(AA)Reuel^[c] their father, ^(AB)he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”

¹⁹ And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may ^(AC)eat bread.”

²¹ Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave ^(AD)Zipporah his daughter to Moses. ²² And she bore him a son. He called his name ^(AE)Gershom,^[d] for he said, “I have been ^(AF)a ^[e]stranger in a foreign land.”

²³ Now it happened ^(AG)in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel ^(AH)groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and ^(AI)their cry came up to God because of the bondage. ²⁴ So God ^(AJ)heard their groaning, and God ^(AK)remembered His ^(AL)covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God ^(AM)looked upon the children of Israel, and God ^(AN)acknowledged them.