1. Now a man belonging to the clan of Levi married a woman of his own tribe.

2. She gave birth to a boy and, seeing that he was a beautiful child, she kept him hidden for three months.

3. As she could not conceal him any longer, she made a basket out of papyrus leaves and coated it with tar and pitch. She then laid the child in the basket and placed it among the reeds near the bank of the Nile;

4. but the sister of the child kept at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile; her attendants meanwhile walked along the bank. When she saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maidservant to fetch it.

6. She opened the basket and saw the child - a boy, and he was crying! She felt sorry for him, for she thought: "This is one of the Hebrew children."

7. Then the sister of the child said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

8. Pharaoh's daughter agreed, and the girl went to call the mother of the child.

9. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take the child and nurse him for me and I will pay you." So the woman took the child and nursed him

10. and, when the child had grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her son. And she named him Moses to recall that she had drawn him out of the water.

11. After a fairly long time, Moses, by now a grown man, wanted to meet his fellow Hebrews. He noticed how heavily they were burdened and he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people.

12. He looked around and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

13. When he went out the next day he saw two Hebrews quarreling. Moses said to the man in the wrong, "Why are you striking a fellow countryman?"

14. But he answered, "Who has set you prince and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must be known."

15. When Pharaoh heard about it he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. There he sat down by a well.

16. A priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's sheep.

17. Some shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses went to their help and watered the sheep.

18. When the girls returned to their father Reuel, he asked them, "Why have you come back so early today?"

19. They said, "An Egyptian protected us from the shepherds, and even drew water for us and watered the sheep."

20. The man said, "Where is he? Why did you leave him there? Call him and offer him a meal."

21. Moses agreed to stay with the man and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage.

22. She had a child and Moses named him Gershom, to recall that he had been a guest in a strange land.

23. It happened during that long period of time that the king of Egypt died. The sons of Israel groaned under their slavery; they cried to God for help and from their bondage their cry ascended to God.

24. God heard their sigh and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

25. God looked upon the sons of Israel and revealed himself to them.





“Ele e ouvir a Sua voz por meio das Suas inspirações e iluminações interiores.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina