1 Muuan Leevin sukuun kuuluva mies otti vaimokseen tytön, joka myös oli Leevin jälkeläisiä.

2 Vaimo tuli raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan. Kun hän näki, kuinka kaunis lapsi oli, hän piilotteli sitä kolme kuukautta.

3 Mutta kun hän ei enää voinut piilotella sitä, hän otti kaislakorin, tiivisti sen asfalttipiellä ja tervalla, pani pojan siihen ja laski korin Niilin rantakaislikkoon.

4 Pojan sisar jäi jonkin matkan päähän nähdäkseen, mitä lapselle tapahtuisi.

5 Faraon tytär tuli Niilin rantaan peseytymään, ja hänen hovinaisensa jäivät virran rannalle kävelemään. Silloin hän näki kaislikon keskellä korin ja lähetti orjattarensa hakemaan sen.

11 Kun Mooses oli varttunut aikuiseksi, hän meni kerran käymään heimoveljiensä luona ja sai nähdä heidän raadantansa. Hän näki egyptiläisen miehen lyövän heprealaista miestä, hänen heimolaistaan.

12 Silloin Mooses katsahti ympärilleen, ja nähtyään, ettei ketään ollut lähettyvillä, hän löi egyptiläisen hengiltä ja kätki ruumiin hiekkaan.

15 Kun farao sai kuulla asiasta, hän aikoi surmauttaa Mooseksen, mutta Mooses lähti faraota pakoon. Pakomatkallaan hän Midianin maassa pysähtyi erään kaivon luo.

16 Midianissa oli pappi, jolla oli seitsemän tytärtä. Nämä tulivat kaivolle nostamaan vettä juottoruuhiin juottaakseen isänsä lampaat ja vuohet.

17 Mutta sinne tuli paimenia, jotka alkoivat ajaa pois heidän karjaansa. Silloin Mooses meni tyttöjen avuksi ja juotti heidän eläimensä.

21 Mooses katsoi parhaaksi jäädä asumaan papin luo, ja tämä antoi Moosekselle vaimoksi tyttärensä Sipporan.

23 Vuodet kuluivat, ja Egyptin kuningas kuoli, mutta israelilaiset huokailivat yhä orjuudessa. He huusivat hädässään, ja heidän avunhuutonsa kohosi Jumalan luo.

24 Jumala kuuli heidän vaikerruksensa ja muisti Abrahamille, Iisakille ja Jaakobille antamansa lupauksen.

25 Hän katsoi israelilaisten puoleen ja näki heidän hätänsä.

1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi.

2 And the woman conceived, and bore a son. And she saw him that he was fair, and hid him three months.

3 And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of reeds, and plastered it with resin and with pitch, and put the child in it, and laid {it} in the sedge on the bank of the river.

4 And his sister stood afar off to see what would happen to him.

5 And the daughter of Pharaoh went down to bathe in the river; and her maids went along by the river's side. And she saw the ark in the midst of the sedge, and sent her handmaid and fetched it.

6 And she opened {it}, and saw the child, and behold, the boy wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is {one} of the Hebrews' children.

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

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

9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to 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.

10 And when the child was grown, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

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

12 And he turned this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

13 And he went out on the second day, and behold, two Hebrew men were quarrelling; and he said to him that was in the wrong, Why art thou smiting thy neighbour?

14 And he said, Who made thee ruler and judge over us? dost thou intend to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? Then Moses feared, and said, Surely the matter is known.

15 And Pharaoh heard of this matter, and sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian. And he sat by the well.

16 And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew {water}, and filled the troughs, to water their father's flock.

17 And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses rose and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, Why are ye come so soon to-day?

19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew {water} abundantly for us, and watered the flock.

20 And he said to his daughters, And where is he? why then have ye left the man behind? Call him, that he may eat bread.

21 And Moses consented to remain with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

22 And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.

23 And it came to pass during those many days, that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and cried; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage;

24 and God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;

25 and God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged {them}.