Exodus 2:11-25

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. ¹² He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together; and he said to the man that did the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow?” ¹⁴ He answered, “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 Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Mid′ian; and he sat down by a well. ¹⁶ Now the priest of Mid′ian had seven daughters; and 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 helped them, and watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came to their father Reu′el, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” ²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daugher Zippo′rah. ²² She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, “I have been a sojourner^[a] in a foreign land.”

²³ In the course of those many days the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned under their bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God. ²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ And God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their condition.