1 Foi-se um homem da casa de Levi e casou com uma filha de Levi.
2 A mulher concebeu e deu à luz um filho; e, vendo que ele era formoso, escondeu-o três meses.
3 Não podendo escondê-lo por mais tempo, tomou para ele uma arca de juncos, e betumou-a com betume e pez; e metendo na arca o menino, pô-la à beira do rio num carriçal.
4 Sua irmã ficou de longe para ver o que lhe havia de acontecer.
5 Desceu a filha de Faraó para se banhar no rio, e as suas criadas andavam passeando à beira do rio; vendo ela no carriçal a arca, mandou a sua criada buscá-la.
6 Quando ela a abriu, viu a criança; e eis que o menino chorava. Tendo compaixão dele, disse: Este é um dos filhos dos hebreus.
7 Então perguntou a irmã do menino à filha de Faraó: Queres que eu te vá chamar uma ama das hebréias, para que crie o menino para ti?
8 Respondeu-lhe a filha de Faraó: Vai. Foi-se, pois, a moça, e chamou a mãe do menino.
9 Então lhe disse a filha de Faraó: Toma este menino, e cria-mo, e eu te darei o teu salário. A mulher tomou o menino e o criou.
10 Sendo o menino já grande, ela o trouxe à filha de Faraó, a qual o adotou por filho, e lhe chamou Moisés, dizendo: Porque das águas o tirei.
11 Por aqueles dias, sendo Moisés já homem, saiu a ter com seus irmãos, e para as suas cargas atentou; e viu um egípcio ferindo a um de seus irmãos hebreus.
12 Olhou para uma e outra parte e, vendo que não havia ali ninguém, matou o egípcio e escondeu-o na areia.
13 Saiu no dia seguinte, e eis que dois hebreus estavam brigando; e perguntou ao que fazia a injúria: Por que feres ao teu próximo?
14 Respondeu ele: Quem te constituiu a ti príncipe e juiz sobre nós? pensas tu matar-me como mataste o egípcio? Temeu, pois, Moisés e disse: Sem dúvida já está isso conhecido.
15 Ora, depois que Faraó soube disso, procurava matar a Moisés. Porém Moisés fugiu da presença de Faraó, e deteve-se na terra de Midiã; e sentou-se junto dum poço.
16 O sacerdote de Midiã tinha sete filhas; vieram estas tirar água e encheram os tanques para dar de beber ao rebanho de seu pai.
17 Então vieram os pastores, e as enxotaram; Moisés, porém, levantou-se, defendeu-as, e deu de beber ao rebanho delas.
18 Tendo voltado à casa de seu pai Reuel, perguntou ele: Como é que voltastes tão cedo hoje?
19 Responderam elas: Um egípcio livrou-nos das mãos dos pastores, e além disto tirou água e deu de beber ao rebanho.
20 Replicou a suas filhas: Onde está ele? Por que é que deixastes lá o homem? Chamai-o para que coma pão.
21 Moisés consentiu em morar com o homem; e ele deu a Moisés sua filha Zípora.
22 Ela deu à luz um filho, a quem ele chamou Gérson, porque disse: Peregrino tenho sido numa terra estrangeira.
23 No decorrer de muitos dias morreu o rei do Egito; os filhos de Israel gemiam sob a escravidão, e por causa dela clamaram, e subiu a Deus o seu clamor.
24 Ouviu-lhes Deus os gemidos, e lembrou-se da sua aliança com Abraão, com Isaque e com Jacó.
25 Viu Deus os filhos de Israel, e os conheceu.
1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him. 5 Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her servant to get it. 6 She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews’ children."
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, "Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"
8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, "Go."
The young woman went and called the child’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages."
The woman took the child, and nursed it. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water."
11 In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. 12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?"
14 He said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?"
Moses was afraid, and said, "Surely this thing is known." 15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, "How is it that you have returned so early today?"
19 They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock."
20 He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."
21 Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter. 22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land."
23 In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the children of Israel, and God understood.