Beginning

1 These be the names of the sons of Israel, that entered into Egypt with Jacob; all entered with their house(hold)s;

² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,

³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,

⁴ Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

⁵ Therefore all the souls of them that went out of the hip of Jacob were seventy and five. Forsooth Joseph was in Egypt; (And so all the souls of those who went out of the hip of Jacob were seventy. And Joseph was already in Egypt;)

⁶ and when he was dead (and after he died), and all his brethren, and all his kindred,

⁷ the sons of Israel^[a] increased, and were multiplied as burgeoning, and they were made strong greatly, and filled the land. (the Israelites increased, and were multiplied like burgeonings, and they were made very strong, and filled the land.)

⁸ (But) A new king, that knew not Joseph, rose [up] in the meantime on Egypt,

⁹ and said to his people, Lo! the people of the sons of Israel is much, and stronger than we;

¹⁰ come ye, wisely oppress we it, lest peradventure it be multiplied; and lest, if battle riseth against us, it be added to our enemies, and go out of the land, when we be overcome. (so come ye, and let us wisely oppress them, lest they be multiplied; and lest, if battle riseth against us, they join our enemies, and when we be overcome, they leave here.)

¹¹ And so he made (the) masters of (the) works (to be the) sovereigns to them, that they should torment them with charges. And they made [the] cities of tabernacles, either of treasures, as it is in Hebrew, to Pharaoh, Pithom, and Raamses. (And so he set the taskmasters to be their rulers, and to torment them with burdens. And they made for Pharaoh the cities of treasures, that is, Pithom, and Raamses.)

¹² And by how much they oppressed them, by so much they were multiplied, and increased the more. (But the more that they oppressed them, the more they multiplied, and increased.)

¹³ And (so) the Egyptians hated the sons of Israel, and tormented, and scorned them;

¹⁴ and they brought their life to bitterness, by hard works of clay and of tilestone, and by all servage, by which they were oppressed in the works of [the] earth. (and they made their life bitter, by hard work with clay and bricks, and by all the servitude, or all the slavery, by which they were oppressed with their work in the land.)

¹⁵ Forsooth the king of Egypt said to the midwives of (the) Hebrews, of which one was called Shiphrah, [and] the tother Puah;

¹⁶ and he commanded to them, When ye shall do the office of midwives to [the] Hebrew women, and the time of child-bearing shall come, if it is a knave child, slay ye him; if it is a woman (child), keep ye it. (and he commanded to them, and said, When ye shall do midwifing for the Hebrew women, and the time of child-bearing shall come, if it is a male child, kill ye him; but if it is a female child, keep ye her.)

¹⁷ But the midwives dreaded God, and did not by the commandment of the king of Egypt, but kept the knave children. (But the midwives feared God, and did not comply with the king of Egypt’s command, but let the male children live.)

¹⁸ To the which (when) called to him, the king said, What is this thing that ye would do, that ye would keep the knave children? (To whom, when called to him, the king said, What is this thing that ye would do, that ye have let the male children live?)

¹⁹ The which answered, Hebrew women be not as the women of Egypt, for they have knowing of the craft of midwifing, and childed before that we come to them. (And they answered, Hebrew women be not like the Egyptian women, for they have knowledge of the craft of midwifing, and have given birth before that we come to them.)

²⁰ Therefore God did well to the midwives; and the people increased, and was comforted greatly (and were greatly strengthened).

²¹ And for the midwives dreaded God, God builded them houses. (And because the midwives feared God, God gave them their own households, or their own families.)

²² Therefore Pharaoh commanded (to) all his people, and said, Whatever thing of male kind is born to (the) Hebrews, cast ye into the flood (cast ye them into the River, that is, into the Nile); (but) whatever thing of women kind (is born), keep ye (them).

2 After these things a man of the house of Levi went out, and took a wife of his kin into fleshly coupling^[b], (And after these things, a man of the house of Levi went out, and knew his wife, who was of his own kin, or of his own tribe,)

² which conceived, and childed a son. And she saw him well-faring, and hid him three months. (who conceived, and bare a son. And she saw that he was a fine boy, and hid him for three months.)

³ And when she might not cover [him], then she took a basket of sedge, and balmed it with tar and pitch, and put the young child within, and put him forth in a place of spires of the brink of the flood, (And when she could no longer hide him, then she took a reed basket, and balmed it with tar and pitch, and put the young child in it, and put him out in a place of reeds by the bank of the Nile,)

⁴ the while his sister stood afar, and beheld the befalling of the thing.

⁵ Lo! forsooth the daughter of Pharaoh came down to be washed in the flood, and her damsels walked by the brink of the flood. And when she had seen a basket in the place of spires, she sent one of her servantesses, (Lo! then Pharaoh’s daughter came down to wash in the River, and her slave-girls walked by the river bank. And when she had seen a basket among the reeds, she sent one of her slave-girls,)

⁶ and she opened the basket (when it was) brought to her, and she saw a little child weeping therein. And she had mercy on the child, and said, It is (one) of the young children of (the) Hebrews.

⁷ To whom the child’s sister said, Wilt thou that I go, and call to thee an Hebrew woman, that may nourish the young child? (And the young child’s sister came over to her, and said, Wilt thou that I go, and call a Hebrew woman, so that she can nurse the young child for thee?)

⁸ She answered, Go thou. (And so) The damsel went, and called the child’s mother.

⁹ To whom Pharaoh’s daughter spake, and said, Take thou this child, and nourish it to me; and I shall give to thee thy meed. The woman took, and nourished the child, (And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Take thou this child, and nurse it for me; and I shall give thee thy payment, or thy reward. And so the woman took, and nursed the child,)

¹⁰ and she betook him, (when) waxen, to Pharaoh’s daughter, whom she (had) purchased into the place of a son; and she called his name Moses^[c], and said, For I took him from the water. (and when he was old enough, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son; and she called his name Moses, saying, For I took him out of the water.)

¹¹ In those days, after that Moses increased, he went out to his brethren, and saw the torment of them, and a man Egyptian smiting an Hebrew man, one of his brethren. (And later, when Moses had grown to be a man, he went to see his brothers, that is, his fellow Israelites; and he saw their torment, and he saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, one of his brothers, or one of his kinsmen.)

¹² And when he had beholden hither and thither, and had seen, that no man was present, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

¹³ And he went out in another day, and saw twain Hebrew men chiding, and he said to him that did [the] wrong, Why smitest thou thy brother? (And he went back the next day, and saw two Hebrew men fighting, and he said to the man who did the wrong, Why strikest thou thy brother?)

¹⁴ Which answered, Who ordained thee prince, or judge, on us? [Who ordained thee prince and doomsman upon us?] Whether thou wilt slay me, as thou killedest yesterday the Egyptian? Moses dreaded, and said, How is this word made open? (Who answered, Who ordained thee prince and judge over us? Shalt thou kill me, like yesterday thou killedest the Egyptian? Then Moses feared, and said, How is this made open?)

¹⁵ And Pharaoh heard this word, and sought to slay Moses, which fled from his face, and dwelled in the land of Midian; and he sat beside a well. (And when Pharaoh heard of this, he sought to kill Moses, and so Moses fled from him, and lived in the land of Midian.)

¹⁶ Forsooth seven daughters were to the priest of Midian, that came to draw water; and when the troughs were filled, they coveted to water their father’s flocks. (Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. One day, as Moses sat beside a well, they came to draw some water; and when the troughs were filled, they desired to water their father’s flocks.)

¹⁷ (But some) Shepherds came upon them, and drove them away; and Moses rose (up), and defended the damsels; and (then) he watered their sheep.

¹⁸ And when they had turned again to Jethro, their father, (the son of Reuel,) he said to them, Why came ye swifter than ye were wont (to do)?

¹⁹ They answered, A man of Egypt delivered us from the hand of the shepherds; furthermore and he drew water with us, and gave drink to the sheep. (And they answered, An Egyptian man saved us from the hands of the shepherds; and then he drew water for us, and gave it to the sheep to drink.)

²⁰ And he said, Where is that man? why left ye the man? call ye him, that he eat bread (call ye him, so that he can come and eat with us).

²¹ Therefore Moses swore, that he would dwell with Jethro (And so later, Moses agreed, that he would live with Jethro); and he took (for) a wife, Zipporah, Jethro’s daughter.

²² And she childed a son to him, whom he called Gershom^[d], and said, I was a comeling in an alien land (And she bare a son for him, whom he called Gershom, and said, For I am a newcomer in a foreign land). Forsooth she childed another son, whom he called Eliezer^[e], and said, For [the] God of my father is mine helper, and he delivered me from the hand of Pharaoh.

²³ Forsooth after much time the king of Egypt died, and the sons of Israel inwardly wailed for [the] works, and they cried [out], and the cry of them for their works went up to God. (And after much time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites wailed over all the hard work they were forced to do, yea, they cried loudly, and their cries over all their hard work went up to God.)

²⁴ And he heard the wailing of them, and he had mind of the bond of peace (and he remembered the covenant), which he had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;

²⁵ and he beheld the sons of Israel, and knew them, that is, showed love to them. (and he looked upon the Israelites, and he had concern for them, that is, he loved them.)

3 Forsooth Moses kept the sheep of Jethro, his wife’s father, priest of Midian; and when he had driven the flock to the inner parts of the desert, he came to Horeb, the hill of God. (And Moses kept the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and when he had driven the flock to the inner parts of the desert, he came to Mount Sinai, God’s mountain.)

² Forsooth the Lord appeared to him there in a flame of fire from the middle of a bush, and Moses saw that the bush burnt, and it was not burnt up (but it did not burn up).

³ Therefore Moses said, I shall go and see this great sight, (and) why the bush is not burnt (up).

⁴ Soothly the Lord saw that Moses went to see, and he called (to) him from the midst of the bush, and said, Moses! Moses! Which answered, I am present (Who answered, I am here).

⁵ And the Lord said, Nigh thou not hither, but (first) unbind thou the shoes of thy feet, for the place in which thou standest is holy land (for the place where thou standest is holy ground).

⁶ And the Lord said, I am (the) God of thy father(s), (the) God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob. Moses hid his face, for he durst not look against God (for he dared not look at God).

⁷ To whom the Lord said, I saw the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I heard the cry thereof, for the hardness of them that be sovereigns of the works (and I heard their cry, for the hardness of those who be their taskmasters). And I knew the sorrow of the people,

⁸ and I came down to deliver them from the hands of (the) Egyptians, and lead out of that land into a good land and broad (and to lead them out of that land into a good and broad land), into a land that floweth with milk and honey, to the places of Canaanites, and of Hittites, of Amorites, and of Perizzites, and of Hivites, and of Jebusites.

⁹ Therefore the cry of the sons of Israel came to me, and I saw the torment of them, by which they be oppressed of the Egyptians (And so the cry of the Israelites came to me, and I saw their torment, and how they were oppressed by the Egyptians.)

¹⁰ But come thou, I shall send thee to Pharaoh, that thou lead out my people, the sons of Israel, from Egypt. (But come thou, I shall send thee to Pharaoh, so that thou can lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.)

¹¹ And Moses said to him, Who am I, that I go to Pharaoh, and lead out the sons of Israel from Egypt? (And Moses said to him, Who am I, that I go to Pharaoh, and lead out the Israelites from Egypt?)

¹² And the Lord said to Moses, I shall be with thee, and thou shalt have this sign, that I have sent thee; when thou hast led out my people from Egypt, thou shalt offer to God on this hill (when thou hast led my people out of Egypt, thou shalt worship God here on this mountain).

¹³ Moses said to God, Lo! I shall go to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, [The] God of your fathers sent me to you; (and) if they shall say to me, What is his name, what shall I say to them?

¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, I am that I am. (And) The Lord said, Thus thou shalt say to the sons of Israel, He that is, sent me to you.

¹⁵ And again God said to Moses, Thou shalt say these things to the sons of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, sent me to you; this name is to me without end, and this is my memorial in generation and into generation. (And then God said to Moses, Thou shalt say this to the Israelites, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you; this is my name forever, and this is my title for all generations.)

¹⁶ Go thou, gather thou the elder men, that is, (the) judges, of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, The Lord God of your fathers appeared to me, (the) God of Abraham, and God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, and he said, I visiting have visited you, and I have seen all things that befelled to you in Egypt;

¹⁷ and I said, that I should lead out you from the affliction of Egypt (and I have decided that I will lead you out of your afflictions in Egypt), into the land of Canaanites, and of Hittites, and of Amorites, and of Perizzites, and of Hivites, and of Jebusites, to the land flowing with milk and honey.

¹⁸ And they shall hear thy voice; and thou shalt enter, and the elder men of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of Hebrews hath called us; we shall go the way of three days into wilderness, that we offer to our Lord God. (And they shall hear thy voice; and then thou, and the elders of Israel, shall go to the king of Egypt, and thou shalt say to him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath called us; let us make journey for three days into the wilderness, so that we can offer our sacrifices to the Lord our God.)

¹⁹ But I know, that the king of Egypt shall not deliver you that ye go, but by strong hand; (But I know, that the king of Egypt shall not let you go, unless compelled by a strong hand;)

²⁰ for I shall hold forth mine hand, and I shall smite Egypt in all my marvels which I shall do in the midst of them; after these things he shall deliver you. (and so I shall stretch forth my hand, and I shall strike Egypt with all the miracles which I shall do in their midst; and then after these things he shall let you go.)

²¹ And I shall give grace to this people before [the] Egyptians, and when ye shall go out, ye shall not go out void;

²² but a woman shall ask of her neighbouress, and of her that she is harboured with, silveren vessels, and golden, and clothes, and ye shall put those upon your sons and daughters, and ye shall make naked Egypt. (but a woman shall go to her neighbour, and to her whom she is harboured with, and shall ask for gold and silver jewelry, and for clothes, and ye shall put those things on your sons and your daughters, and so ye shall plunder Egypt.)