Exodus 2:11–25

¹¹And it cometh to pass, in those days, that Moses is grown, and he goeth out unto his brethren, and looketh on their burdens, and seeth a man, an Egyptian, smiting a man, a Hebrew, one of his brethren, ¹²and he turneth hither and thither, and seeth that there is no man, and smiteth the Egyptian, and hideth him in the sand. ¹³And he goeth out on the second day, and lo, two men, Hebrews, striving! and he saith to the wrong-doer, ‘Why dost thou smite thy neighbour?’ ¹⁴and he saith, ‘Who set thee for a head and a judge over us? to slay me art thou saying it, as thou hast slain the Egyptian?’ and Moses feareth, and saith, ‘Surely the thing hath been known.’ ¹⁵And Pharaoh heareth of this thing, and seeketh to slay Moses, and Moses fleeth from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelleth in the land of Midian, and dwelleth by the well.

¹⁶And to a priest of Midian are seven daughters, and they come and draw, and fill the troughs, to water the flock of their father, ¹⁷and the shepherds come and drive them away, and Moses ariseth, and saveth them, and watereth their flock. ¹⁸And they come in to Reuel their father, and he saith, ‘Wherefore have ye hastened to come in to-day?’ ¹⁹and they say, ‘A man, an Egyptian, hath delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also hath diligently drawn for us, and watereth the flock;’ ²⁰and he saith unto his daughters, ‘And where is he? why is this?—ye left the man! call for him, and he doth eat bread.’ ²¹And Moses is willing to dwell with the man, and he giveth Zipporah his daughter to Moses, ²²and she beareth a son, and he calleth his name Gershom, for he said, ‘A sojourner I have been in a strange land.’

²³And it cometh to pass during these many days, that the king of Egypt dieth, and the sons of Israel sigh because of the service, and cry, and their cry goeth up unto God, because of the service; ²⁴and God heareth their groaning, and God remembereth His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob; ²⁵and God seeth the sons of Israel, and God knoweth.

Chapter 3