1 Så var det en mann av Levis hus som gikk bort og tok en Levis datter til ekte.
2 Og kvinnen blev fruktsommelig og fødte en sønn; og da hun så at det var et vakkert barn, skjulte hun ham i tre måneder.
3 Men da hun ikke lenger kunne skjule ham, tok hun en kiste til ham av rør og smurte den over med jordbek og tjære, og hun la gutten i den og satte den i sivet ved elvebredden.
4 Men hans søster stod et stykke fra for å få vite hvorledes det gikk ham.
5 Da kom Faraos datter ned til elven for å bade sig, mens hennes jomfruer gikk frem og tilbake på elvebredden; hun fikk se kisten midt i sivet og sendte sin pike avsted og lot den hente.
6 Da hun åpnet den, så hun barnet, og se, det var en gutt som lå der og gråt; da ynkedes hun over ham og sa: Det er en av hebreernes guttebarn.
7 Da sa hans søster til Faraos datter: Skal jeg gå og hente en amme til dig blandt de hebraiske kvinner, så hun kan fostre op barnet for dig?
8 Faraos datter svarte henne: Ja, gå! Og piken gikk og hentet guttens mor.
9 Da sa Faraos datter til henne: Ta denne gutt og fostre ham op for mig; jeg vil gi dig lønn for det. Og konen tok gutten og fostret ham op.
10 Da gutten blev voksen, gikk hun med ham til Faraos datter, og han blev som en sønn for henne; hun kalte ham Moses*, for - sa hun - av vannet har jeg dradd ham op. / {* den som er dradd op av vannet.}
11 Og det hendte på den tid da Moses var blitt voksen, at han gikk ut til sine brødre og så på deres slit og slep, og han fikk se en egyptisk mann som slo en hebraisk mann, en av hans brødre.
12 Da vendte han sig hit og dit og så at det ikke var nogen der, og så slo han egypteren ihjel og skjulte ham i sanden.
13 Den andre dag gikk han atter ut og så to hebraiske menn som holdt på å slåss; da sa han til ham som hadde urett: Hvorfor slår du din landsmann?
14 Han svarte: Hvem har satt dig til høvding og dommer over oss? Tenker du å slå mig ihjel, likesom du slo egypteren ihjel? Da blev Moses redd og sa: Sannelig, saken er blitt kjent.
15 Da Farao fikk høre det, søkte han å slå Moses ihjel; men Moses flyktet for Farao, og han tok bolig i landet Midian og bodde ved en brønn.
16 Presten i Midian hadde syv døtre; de kom og øste op vann og fylte vannrennene for å vanne sin fars småfe.
17 Så kom det nogen gjætere og drev dem bort; men Moses stod op og hjalp dem og vannet deres småfe.
18 Da de så kom hjem til Re'uel, sin far, sa han: Hvorfor kommer I så snart idag?
19 De svarte: En egyptisk mann hjalp oss mot gjæterne, og han øste også vann for oss og vannet småfeet.
20 Da sa han til sine døtre: Hvor er han da? Hvorfor lot I mannen bli igjen der? Be ham inn, så han kan ete med oss!
21 Og Moses samtykket i å bli hos mannen; og han lot Moses få sin datter Sippora til hustru.
22 Hun fikk en sønn, og han kalte ham Gersom*; for han sa: Jeg er blitt en gjest i et fremmed land. / {* utlending der.}
23 Da lang tid var gått, døde kongen i Egypten, og Israels barn sukket over sin trældom og klaget; og deres rop over trældommen steg op til Gud.
24 Og Gud hørte deres sukk, og Gud kom i hu sin pakt med Abraham, Isak og Jakob.
25 Og Gud så til Israels barn, og Gud kjentes ved dem.
1 Now a man of the house of Levi took as his wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And she became with child and gave birth to a Son; and when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she kept him secretly for three months.
3 And when she was no longer able to keep him secret, she made him a basket out of the stems of water-plants, pasting sticky earth over it to keep the water out; and placing the baby in it she put it among the plants by the edge of the Nile.
4 And his sister took her place at a distance to see what would become of him.
5 Now Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to take a bath, while her women were walking by the riverside; and she saw the basket among the river-plants, and sent her servant-girl to get it.
6 And opening it, she saw the child, and he was crying. And she had pity on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, May I go and get you one of the Hebrew women to give him the breast?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and got the child's mother.
9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take the child away and give it milk for me, and I will give you payment. And the woman took the child and gave it milk at her breast.
10 And when the child was older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son, and she gave him the name Moses, Because, she said, I took him out of the water.
11 Now when Moses had become a man, one day he went out to his people and saw how hard their work was; and he saw an Egyptian giving blows to a Hebrew, one of his people.
12 And turning this way and that, and seeing no one, he put the Egyptian to death, covering his body with sand.
13 And he went out the day after and saw two of the Hebrews fighting: and he said to him who was in the wrong, Why are you fighting your brother?
14 And he said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? are you going to put me to death as you did the Egyptian? And Moses was in fear, and said, It is clear that the thing has come to light.
15 Now when Pharaoh had news of this, he would have put Moses to death. But Moses went in flight from Pharaoh into the land of Midian: and he took his seat by a water-spring.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came to get water for their father's flock.
17 And the keepers of the sheep came up and were driving them away; but Moses got up and came to their help, watering their flock for them.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that you have come back so quickly today?
19 And they said, An Egyptian came to our help against the keepers of sheep and got water for us and gave it to the flock.
20 And he said to his daughters, Where is he? why have you let the man go? make him come in and give him a meal.
21 And Moses was happy to go on living with the man; and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
22 And she gave birth to a son, to whom he gave the name Gershom: for he said, I have been living in a strange land.
23 Now after a long time the king of Egypt came to his end: and the children of Israel were crying in their grief under the weight of their work, and their cry for help came to the ears of God.
24 And at the sound of their weeping the agreement which God had made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob came to his mind.
25 And God's eyes were turned to the children of Israel and he gave them the knowledge of himself.