Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ One day, ^(A)when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their ^(B)burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.^{[a] 12} He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he ^(C)struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ When ^(D)he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” ¹⁴ He answered, ^(E)“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But ^(F)Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by ^(G)a well.

¹⁶ Now the ^(H)priest of Midian had seven daughters, and ^(I)they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and ^(J)watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came home to their father ^(K)Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and ^(L)watered the flock.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may ^(M)eat bread.” ²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter ^(N)Zipporah. ²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name ^(O)Gershom, for he said, “I have been a ^(P)sojourner^[b] in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel's Groaning

^23 (Q)During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel ^(R)groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. ^(S)Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. ²⁴ And ^(T)God heard their groaning, and God ^(U)remembered his covenant with ^(V)Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God ^(W)saw the people of Israel—and God ^(X)knew.