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摩西誕生

有一個利未家的人去娶了一個利未女子為妻。 那女人懷孕,生了一個兒子;見他俊美,就把他藏了三個月。 直到她不能把他再藏了,就拿一個蒲草箱來,塗上瀝青和石漆;把孩子放在裡面,把箱子放在河邊的蘆葦叢中。 孩子的姊姊遠遠地站著,要知道孩子究竟怎樣。 那時,法老的女兒下到河邊去洗澡;她的使女們在河邊行走;她看見了在蘆葦中的箱子,就打發自己的使女去把箱子拿過來。

她打開了,就看見那孩子;看哪,孩子哭了,她就憐憫他,說:“這是希伯來人的一個孩子。” 孩子的姊姊對法老的女兒說:“我去從希伯來婦人中給你請一個奶媽來,為你乳養這個孩子可以嗎?” 法老的女兒回答:“你去吧。”童女就去把孩子的母親請了來。 法老的女兒對她說:“你把這孩子抱去,替我乳養他,我必給你工錢。”婦人就抱了孩子去乳養他。 10 孩子長大了,婦人把他帶到法老的女兒那裡,他就作了法老女兒的兒子。她給孩子起名叫摩西,說:“因為我把他從水裡拉出來。”

摩西逃往米甸

11 過了些日子,摩西長大了,有一次,他出去到他的同胞那裡去,看見他們的重擔,又看見一個埃及人打他的一個同胞希伯來人。 12 摩西左右觀望,見沒有人,就把那埃及人擊殺了,埋藏在沙土裡。 13 第二天他又出去,看見兩個希伯來人彼此爭鬥著,就對那欺負人的說:“你為甚麼打你同族的人呢?” 14 那人回答:“誰立了你作我們的領袖和審判官呢?難道你想殺我,好像殺那個埃及人一樣嗎?”摩西就懼怕起來,心裡想:“這事必定給人知道了!”

15 法老聽見這事,就設法要殺摩西;摩西躲避法老,就往米甸地去居住;有一天他坐在井旁。 16 米甸的祭司有七個女兒,她們來打水,打滿了水槽,要給父親的羊群喝。 17 有些牧人來了,把她們趕走;摩西卻起來,救了她們,也給她們的羊群喝水。 18 她們回到父親流珥那裡,父親問:“今天你們為甚麼趕著回來呢?” 19 她們說:“有一個埃及人救我們脫離了牧羊人的手,而且還為我們打水給羊群喝。” 20 父親對眾女兒說:“他在哪裡?你們為甚麼撇下那人呢?去請他來吃飯。” 21 摩西樂意和那人同住;那人把自己的女兒西坡拉給了摩西作妻子。 22 西坡拉生了一個兒子,摩西給他起名叫革舜,因為他說:“我在異地作了客旅。”

23 過了很久,埃及王死了。以色列人在捆鎖中歎息,他們就呼求,在捆鎖中的呼求達到 神那裡。 24  神聽見他們的呼聲,就記念他與亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各所立的約。 25  神看顧以色列人,也關注他們。

And there went an ish of the Bais Levi, and took to wife a bat Levi.

And the isha conceived, and bore a ben; and when she saw him that he was tov, she hid him three months.

And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him a tevah (ark) of papyrus, and daubed it with tar and with pitch, and put the yeled therein; and she set it in the reeds by the bank of the Nile.

And his achot stood afar off, to see what would be done to him.

And the Bat Pharaoh came down to bathe herself at the Nile; and her na’arot walked along by the Nile’s bank; and when she saw the tevah (ark) among the reeds, she sent her amah (maid servant) to fetch it.

And when she had opened it, she saw the yeled; and, hinei, the na’ar was crying. And she had compassion on him, and said, This one is of the yaldei HaIvrim (Hebrew children).

Then said his achot to Bat Pharaoh, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of HaIvriyyot, that she may nurse the yeled for thee?

And Bat Pharaoh said to her, Go. And haalmah [see Gn 24:43; Isa 7:14] went and called the em hayeled.

And Bat Pharaoh said unto her, Take this yeled away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the isha took the yeled, and nursed it.

10 And the yeled grew, and she brought him unto Bat Pharaoh, and he became her ben. And she called shmo Moshe: and she said, Because meshitihu (I drew him) out of the mayim.

11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moshe was grown, that he went out unto his achim, and looked on their sivlot: and he spied an Egyptian striking an ish Ivri, one of his achim.

12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no ish, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the chol (sand).

13 And when he went out the second day, hinei, two anashim Ivrim were fighting; he said to him in the wrong, Why strike thou thy re’a?

14 And he said, Who made thee a sar and a shofet over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moshe feared, and thought, Surely this thing is known.

15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moshe. But Moshe fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in Eretz Midyan; and he sat down by a well.

16 Now the kohen of Midyan had sheva banot; and they came and drew mayim, and filled the troughs to water the tzon of their av.

17 And the ro’im (shepherds) came and drove them away; but Moshe stood up and rescued them, and watered their tzon.

18 And when they came to Reuel their av, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the yad of the ro’im (shepherds), and also drew enough for us, and watered the tzon.

20 And he said unto his banot, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the ish? Call him, that he may eat lechem.

21 And Moshe was content to dwell with the ish; and he gave Moshe Tzipporah his bat.

22 And she bore him a ben, and he called shmo Gershom; for he said, I have been a ger in a foreign land.

23 And it came to pass in process of time, that Melech Mitzrayim died; and the Bnei Yisroel groaned by reason of haAvodah (the Bondage), and they cried out, and their cry came up unto HaElohim by reason of haAvodah.

24 And Elohim heard their groaning, and Elohim remembered His brit (covenant) with Avraham, with Yitzchak, and with Ya’akov.

25 And Elohim looked upon the Bnei Yisroel, and Elohim had da’as of them.

The Liberator Raised Up by God

Chapter 2

Moses Is Saved.[a] There was a certain man from the tribe of Levi who took a daughter of the tribe of Levi as his wife. The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was handsome and she hid him for three months. But, not being able to hide him any longer, she took a basket made of papyrus, caulked it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the baby in it and lay it among the reeds growing on the riverbank of the Nile. The baby’s sister[b] hid herself so that she could watch what would happen from a distance.

Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe while her attendants walked along the riverbank. They saw the basket among the reeds and sent a slave to fetch it. They opened it and saw the baby. It was a small baby boy who was crying. They had compassion on it and said, “This is a Hebrew baby.”

The sister of the baby said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go to call a wet nurse from among the Hebrew women to feed the child for you?”

“Go,” said Pharaoh’s daughter. The girl went and called the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby with you and feed it for me. I will pay you.” The woman took the baby and fed it. 10 When the baby was grown, she brought it to Pharaoh’s daughter. He became a son to her and she named him Moses, saying, “I have saved him from the water.”[c]

11 Moses Flees to Midian.[d] One day Moses, having grown up,[e] went out to his brethren and saw how they were oppressed. He noticed an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 Looking around, he did not see anyone, so he struck and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out again and, seeing two Hebrews fighting, said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why did you hit your brother?” 14 He answered, “Who has made you head and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me like you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid and thought, “Certainly this thing is known.” 15 Pharaoh heard about it and sought to put Moses to death. Moses fled from Pharaoh and traveled to the land of Midian[f] where he sat down by a well.

16 A priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water to fill the trough and give water to their father’s flocks. 17 But some shepherds arrived and chased them away. Moses got up and defended them and gave their animals something to drink. 18 They returned to their father Reuel[g] who said to them, “Why are you back so soon today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds. He drew water for us and gave water to the flock to drink.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave him there? Invite him to eat with us.” 21 Moses agreed to live with that man, who gave him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. 22 She bore him a son and he named his son Gershom for he said, “I am a stranger in a strange land.”[h]

23 God Does Not Forget the Covenant.[i] And it came to pass that the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their slavery, and they cried out. The cry of their bondage rose up to God. 24 God heard their cry and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God took note of the children of Israel and acknowledged their need.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 2:1 In an account filled with charm, the narrator is pleased to show that God toys with obstacles and makes them serve his plan of salvation. The education in letters that Moses receives from the Egyptian court will be a great help in his mission.
  2. Exodus 2:4 The baby’s sister: i.e., Miriam (see Ex 15:21).
  3. Exodus 2:10 Assonance links Mosheh, the Hebrew form of Moses, and the verb mashah, “to draw out.”
  4. Exodus 2:11 Endangered by his defense of the children of his race, Moses is fearful and flees to the wilderness east of the Gulf of Aqaba. This episode prepares him for the difficulties to come (see Ex 18).
  5. Exodus 2:11 Moses, having grown up: according to Acts 7:23, almost forty years had now passed (see Ex 7:7).
  6. Exodus 2:15 Midian, which was south of Edom and east of the Gulf of Aqaba or Gulf of Elana, was inhabited by nomadic tribes.
  7. Exodus 2:18 It was perhaps different traditions that gave Moses’ father-in-law different names: Reuel (here and in Num 10:29); Jethro (Ex 3:1; 4:18; 18:1). Hobab seems to be rather Moses’ brother-in-law (Num 10:29; Jdg 4:11). The Hebrew terms for degrees of kinship do not have a very precise meaning.
  8. Exodus 2:22 Some Greek and Latin MSS add here a passage apparently from Ex 18:4: “and the other [son] named Eliezer, for he had said, ‘The God of my father has come to my assistance and has freed me from the sword of Pharaoh.’ ”
  9. Exodus 2:23 God remembers his Covenant. Such will also be the case in all the moments when Israel will find itself in distress. Covenant with Abraham: see Gen 15:17-18; 17:7. With Isaac: see Gen 17:19; 26:24. With Jacob: see Gen 35:11-12.

The Birth of Moses

Now a man of the tribe of Levi(A) married a Levite woman,(B) and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine(C) child, she hid him for three months.(D) But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus(E) basket[a] for him and coated it with tar and pitch.(F) Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds(G) along the bank of the Nile. His sister(H) stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank.(I) She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named(J) him Moses,[b] saying, “I drew(K) him out of the water.”

Moses Flees to Midian

11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people(L) were and watched them at their hard labor.(M) He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian 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 hitting your fellow Hebrew?”(N)

14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?(O) 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(P) Moses, but Moses fled(Q) from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,(R) where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian(S) had seven daughters, and they came to draw water(T) and fill the troughs(U) to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue(V) and watered their flock.(W)

18 When the girls returned to Reuel(X) 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.”(Y)

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

23 During that long period,(AC) the king of Egypt died.(AD) The Israelites groaned in their slavery(AE) and cried out, and their cry(AF) for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered(AG) his covenant(AH) with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned(AI) about them.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 2:3 The Hebrew can also mean ark, as in Gen. 6:14.
  2. Exodus 2:10 Moses sounds like the Hebrew for draw out.
  3. Exodus 2:22 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.