The Birth of Moses
1 vNow a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and wwhen she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 xWhen she could hide him no longer, she took for him a ybasket made of bulrushes1 and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 4 And his zsister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”2
Moses Flees to Midian
11 aOne day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their bburdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.3 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 cWhen he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, d“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 15 eWhen Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses ffled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down gby a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and hdrew water and filled the troughs to water itheir father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away, jbut Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” 21 And Moses kwas content to dwell with the man, and lhe gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, m“I have been a nsojourner4 in a foreign land.”
God Hears Israel’s Groaning
23 During those many days othe king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. pTheir cry for rescue from slavery qcame up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and rGod remembered his covenant swith Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God tsaw the people of Israel—and God knew.
Moses Given Powerful Signs
1 eThen Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A fstaff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”1 And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, gbehold, his hand was leprous2 like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was hrestored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile iwill become blood on the dry ground.”
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, jI am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and kI will be lwith your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. mBehold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 nYou shall speak to him and oput the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand pthis staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for qall the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and rhis sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the smiracles that I have put in your power. But tI will harden his heart, so that uhe will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, vIsrael is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, w“Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, xI will kill your firstborn son.’”
24 yAt a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a zflint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’3 feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at athe mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and bgathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people cbelieved; and when they heard that the Lord had dvisited the people of Israel and that he had eseen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
