Exodus 2
1NOW there was a certain man of the tribe of Levi who had married one of the daughters of Levi
2and she conceived and bore a son. And when they saw that he was a beautiful child they hid him three months.
3But when they could not conceal him any longer, his mother provided for him a wicker basket and plastered it with bitumenous pitch and put the child into it and placed it in the stagnant water by the side of the river.
4And his sister watched it at a distance to see what would become of it.
5And the daughter of Pharao came to bathe herself at the river and her maids were walking with her along the bank. And seeing the basket in the stagnant water she sent her maid and had it brought to her.
6And upon opening it she saw in the basket a child weeping. And the daughter of Pharao had compassion on it and said, This is one of the Hebrew children.
7Whereupon his sister said to Pharao’s daughter, Shall I call for thee a nurse from among the Hebrews to suckle the child for thee?
8And the daughter of Pharao said, Go. Upon which the girl went and called the child’s mother.
9And the daughter of Pharao said to her, Take care of this child for me and suckle it for me; and I will pay thee the wages. So the woman took the child and suckled it;
10and when the boy was grown up she brought him to Pharao’s daughter and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, saying, I drew him out of the water.
11And after a course of many years, when Moses was become great he went out to his brethren the children of Israel. And as he was observing their distress, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, who was one of his brethren the children of Israel.
12Whereupon looking about on every side and seeing nobody he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13And going out the next day he saw two Hebrew men quarrelling and said to him who was in the wrong, Why dost thou beat thy neighbour?
14To which he replied, Who made thee a ruler or a judge over us? Dost thou mean to kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? Thereupon Moses was alarmed and said, Is the thing become so public?
15Now when Pharao heard of this deed he sought to slay Moses, but he withdrew from the presence of Pharao and took up his abode in the land of Madiam. When he came to the land of Madiam he sat down by a well.
16Now the priest of Madiam had seven daughters who tended the flocks of their father Jothor. And they having come to the well began to draw water to fill the troughs that they might water the flocks of their father Jothor,
17and the shepherds came and drove them away. Upon which Moses arose and protected them and drew water for them and watered their flocks.
18And when they came to their father Raguel, he said to them, Why have you come so soon to-day?
19To which they replied, An Egyptian protected us from the shepherds and drew for us and watered our flocks.
20And he said to his daughters, And where is he? Why did you leave the man behind? Therefore call him that he may eat bread.
21So Moses dwelt with the man; and he gave him his daughter Sepphora to be his wife.
22And his wife conceived and bore him a son; and Moses called his name Gersam, saying, Because I am a sojourner in a strange land.
23And after those many years the king of Egypt died and the Israelites groaned under their labours and raised a loud outcry; and their cry on account of their labours ascended up to God.
24And God heard their groans. And God remembered His covenant which He had made with Abraham, Isaak and Jacob.
25And God looked upon the Israelites and was made known to them.