Exodus 2
New Catholic Bible
The Liberator Raised Up by God
Chapter 2
Moses Is Saved.[a] 1 There was a certain man from the tribe of Levi who took a daughter of the tribe of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was handsome and she hid him for three months. 3 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. 4 The baby’s sister[b] hid herself so that she could watch what would happen from a distance.
5 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. 6 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.”
7 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?”
8 “Go,” said Pharaoh’s daughter. The girl went and called the baby’s mother. 9 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
- 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.
- Exodus 2:4 The baby’s sister: i.e., Miriam (see Ex 15:21).
- Exodus 2:10 Assonance links Mosheh, the Hebrew form of Moses, and the verb mashah, “to draw out.”
- 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).
- Exodus 2:11 Moses, having grown up: according to Acts 7:23, almost forty years had now passed (see Ex 7:7).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.’ ”
- 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.
Shemot 2
Orthodox Jewish Bible
2 And there went an ish of the Bais Levi, and took to wife a bat Levi.
2 And the isha conceived, and bore a ben; and when she saw him that he was tov, she hid him three months.
3 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.
4 And his achot stood afar off, to see what would be done to him.
5 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.
6 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).
7 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?
8 And Bat Pharaoh said to her, Go. And haalmah [see Gn 24:43; Isa 7:14] went and called the em hayeled.
9 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.
Exodus 2
King James Version
2 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
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