| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. | 1About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. |
| 2The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. | 2The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. |
| 3When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. | 3But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. |
| 4And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. | 4The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. |
| 5Now 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. | 5Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. |
| 6When 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.” | 6When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said. |
| 7Then 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?” | 7Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. |
| 8And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. | 8“Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother. |
| 9And 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. | 9“Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. |
| 10When 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.” | 10Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.” Moses Escapes to Midian |
| 11One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. | 11Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. |
| 12He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. | 12After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. |
| 13When 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?” | 13The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight. |
| 14He answered, “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.” | 14The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” |
| 15When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. | 15And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well. |
| 16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. | 16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks. |
| 17The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. | 17But some other shepherds came and chased them away. So Moses jumped up and rescued the girls from the shepherds. Then he drew water for their flocks. |
| 18When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” | 18When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked, “Why are you back so soon today?” |
| 19They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” | 19“An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered. “And then he drew water for us and watered our flocks.” |
| 20He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” | 20“Then where is he?” their father asked. “Why did you leave him there? Invite him to come and eat with us.” |
| 21And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. | 21Moses accepted the invitation, and he settled there with him. In time, Reuel gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. |
| 22She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.” | 22Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, for he explained, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” |
| 23During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. | 23Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. |
| 24And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. | 24God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. |
| 25God saw the people of Israel—and God knew. | 25He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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