Exodus, 2

1. And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took [to wife] a daughter of Levi.

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

2. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he [was a] goodly [child], she hid him three months.

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

3. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid [it] in the flags by the river's brink.

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. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.

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

5. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash [herself] at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

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. And when she had opened [it], she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This [is one] of the Hebrews' children.

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 said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

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. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.

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

9. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give [thee] thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.

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 the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

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. And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

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. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that [there was] no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

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

13. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?

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. And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.

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. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.

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. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew [water], and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

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

17. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

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

18. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How [is it that] ye are come so soon to day?

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

19. And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew [water] enough for us, and watered the flock.

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

20. And he said unto his daughters, And where [is] he? why [is] it [that] ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

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

21. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

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

22. And she bare [him] a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

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

23. And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

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. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

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

25. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto [them].

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