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,(A) and sat down by a well.(B)

16 Now the priest of Midian(C) 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[a](D) 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(E) to Moses in marriage. 22 She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a foreigner(F) in a foreign land.”[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 2:18 Jethro’s clan or last name was Reuel; Ex 3:1.
  2. Exodus 2:22 In Hb the name Gershom sounds like the phrase “a stranger there.”

Moses Flees to Midian

15 When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh, settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. 16 Meanwhile, the seven daughters of a certain Midianite priest would come to draw water in order to fill water troughs for their father’s sheep. 17 Some shepherds came to drive them away, but Moses got up, came to their rescue, and watered their sheep. 18 When they returned to their father Reuel,[a] he asked, “Why have you returned so quickly today?”

19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,”[b] they replied, “and he even drew water for us and watered the sheep!”

20 “Then where is he?” He asked his daughters. “Why did you leave the man behind? Go invite him to have something to eat.”[c]

21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.[d] 22 Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses[e] named him Gershom,[f] because he used to say, “I became an alien in a foreign land.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 2:18 I.e. another name for Jethro
  2. Exodus 2:19 Lit. the hand of the shepherds
  3. Exodus 2:20 Lit. to eat bread
  4. Exodus 2:21 The Heb. lacks in marriage
  5. Exodus 2:22 Lit. he
  6. Exodus 2:22 Gershom sounds like Heb. for alien