²⁹ When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.^(A)

² After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,^(A) his father-in-law Jethro received her ³ and her two sons.^(B) One son was named Gershom,^[a] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;^{(C) 4} and the other was named Eliezer,^[b](D) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;^(E) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

¹⁹ Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill^(A) you are dead.^(B)” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons,^(C) put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff^(D) of God in his hand.

¹⁴ The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?^(A) Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill^(B) Moses, but Moses fled^(C) from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,^(D) where he sat down by a well. ¹⁶ Now a priest of Midian^(E) had seven daughters, and they came to draw water^(F) and fill the troughs^(G) to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue^(H) and watered their flock.^(I)

¹⁸ When the girls returned to Reuel^(J) their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

¹⁹ They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”^(K)

²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah^(L) to Moses in marriage. ²² Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,^[a](M) saying, “I have become a foreigner^(N) in a foreign land.”