Exodus 2:11-25

Christian Standard Bible

Moses in Midian

¹¹ Years later,^[a] after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people^[b] and observed their forced labor.^(A) He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his people. ¹² Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead 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 attacking your neighbor?” ^[c]

¹⁴ “Who made you a commander and judge over us?” the man replied. “Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

Then Moses became afraid and thought, “What I did is certainly known.”

¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian,^(B) and sat down by a well.^(C)

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian^(D) had seven daughters. They came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Then some shepherds arrived and drove them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they returned to their father Reuel,^[d](E) he asked, “Why have you come back so quickly today?”

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

²⁰ “So where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why then did you leave the man behind? Invite him to eat dinner.”

²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah^(F) to Moses in marriage. ²² She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom,^[e] for he said, “I have been a resident alien^(G) in a foreign land.”

²³ After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, they cried out,^(H) and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning, and God remembered^(I) his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.^{(J) 25} God saw the Israelites, and God knew.^(K)