Exodus 2

Moses in the Basket Exodus 2:3–4

³Verse 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. ⁴Verse 4. His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.

Pharaoh's Daughter Finds Moses Exodus 2:5–10

⁵Verse 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. ⁶Verse 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.” ⁷Verse 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?” ⁸Verse 8. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” The young woman went and called the child’s mother. ⁹Verse 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.

¹⁰Verse 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.”

Moses' First Act of Justice Exodus 2:11–15

¹¹Verse 11. In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers, and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. ¹²Verse 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. ¹³Verse 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?” ¹⁴Verse 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.”

¹⁵Verse 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.

Moses in Midian Exodus 2:16–22

¹⁶Verse 16. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷Verse 17. The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. ¹⁸Verse 18. When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, “How is it that you have returned so early today?” ¹⁹Verse 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.” ²⁰Verse 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.”

²¹Verse 21. Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter. ²²Verse 22. She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel's Cry Exodus 2:23–25

²³Verse 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. ²⁴Verse 24. God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵Verse 25. God saw the children of Israel, and God was concerned about them.