Exodus 2
2
Moses’ birth
1Now a man from Levi’s household married a Levite woman. 2The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that the baby was healthy and beautiful, so she hid him for three months. 3When she couldn’t hide him any longer, she took a reed basket and sealed it up with black tar. She put the child in the basket and set the basket among the reeds at the riverbank. 4The baby’s older sister stood watch nearby to see what would happen to him.
5Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, while her women servants walked along beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds, and she sent one of her servants to bring it to her. 6When she opened it, she saw the child. The boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. She said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7Then the baby’s sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?”
8Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, “Yes, do that.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I’ll pay you for your work.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10After the child had grown up, she brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I pulled him out#2.10 Heb mashah sounds like Moses (moshe). of the water.”
Moses runs away to Midian
11One day after Moses had become an adult, he went out among his people and he saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12He looked around to make sure no one else was there. Then he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13When Moses went out the next day, he saw two Hebrew men fighting with each other. Moses said to the one who had started the fight, “Why are you abusing your fellow Hebrew?”
14He replied, “Who made you a boss or judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses was afraid when he realized: They obviously know what I did. 15When Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses.
But Moses ran away from Pharaoh and settled down in the land of Midian. One day Moses was sitting by a well. 16Now there was a Midianite priest who had seven daughters. The daughters came to draw water and fill the troughs so that their father’s flock could drink. 17But some shepherds came along and rudely chased them away. Moses got up, rescued the women, and gave their flock water to drink.
18When they went back home to their father Reuel,#2.18 Also called Jethro he asked, “How were you able to come back home so soon today?”
19They replied, “An Egyptian man rescued us from a bunch of shepherds. Afterward, he even helped us draw water to let the flock drink.”
20Reuel said to his daughters, “So where is he? Why did you leave this man? Invite him to eat a meal with us.”
21Moses agreed to come and live with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses as his wife. 22She gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, “because,” he said, “I’ve been an immigrant#2.22 Heb ger sounds like Gershom. living in a foreign land.”
23A long time passed, and the Egyptian king died. The Israelites were still groaning because of their hard work. They cried out, and their cry to be rescued from the hard work rose up to God. 24God heard their cry of grief, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25God looked at the Israelites, and God understood.
Currently Selected:
Exodus 2: CEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Exodus 2
2
Moses’s Birth and Adoption
1Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman.#Ex 6:20; Nm 26:59; 1Ch 23:14 2The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful,#2:2 Or healthy she hid him for three months.#Ac 7:20; Heb 11:23 3But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4Then his sister#Ex 15:20; Nm 26:59 stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him.
5Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, 6opened it, and saw him, the child — and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.”
7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you?”
8“Go,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. 9Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. 10When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,#2:10 The name Moses sounds like “drawing out” in Hb and “born” in Egyptian. “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
Moses in Midian
11Years later,#2:11 Lit And it was in those days after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people#2:11 Lit his brothers and observed their forced labor.#Ex 1:11; Ac 7:23; Heb 11:24–26 He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his people. 12Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand. 13The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your neighbor?” #2:13 Or fellow Hebrew
14“Who made you a commander and judge over us?” the man replied. “Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
Then Moses became afraid and thought, “What I did is certainly known.”
15When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian,#Ac 7:29; Heb 11:27 and sat down by a well.#Gn 24:11; 29:2
16Now the priest of Midian#Ex 3:1; 1Sm 9:11 had seven daughters. They came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17Then some shepherds arrived and drove them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18When they returned to their father Reuel,#2:18 Jethro’s clan or last name was Reuel; Ex 3:1.#Ex 3:1; 4:18; Nm 10:29 he asked, “Why have you come back so quickly today?”
19They 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.”
21Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah#Ex 4:25; 18:2 to Moses in marriage. 22She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom,#2:22 In Hb the name Gershom sounds like the phrase “a stranger there.” for he said, “I have been a resident alien#Ex 18:3–4; Ac 7:29; Heb 11:13 in a foreign land.”
23After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, they cried out,#Ex 3:7,9; Dt 26:7; Jms 5:4 and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. 24God heard their groaning, and God remembered#Gn 9:15; Ex 6:5; 1Ch 16:15; Ps 105:8; 106:45; 111:4 his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.#Ps 22:23; Lk 1:33,55 25God saw the Israelites, and God knew.#Ex 3:7; 4:31; Lk 1:25
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers