1Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a woman of Levi.

2The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a healthy boy, she hid him for three months.

3But when she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket and sealed it with bitumen and pitch. Then she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds in the water along the side of the river.

4His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

5Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe at the river while her attendants walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her attendant to get it.

6When she opened it, she saw the child. Behold, the baby was crying. She had compassion on him and said, “This is certainly one of the Hebrews' children.”

7Then the baby's sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Should I go and find you a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for you?”

8Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the young girl went and got the child's mother.

9Pharaoh's daughter said to the baby's mother, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay you wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.

10When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses and said, “Because I drew him from the water.”

11When Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and observed their hard work. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his own people.

12He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one there, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.

13He went out the next day, and, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your companion?”

14But the man said, “Who made you a leader and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed that Egyptian?” Then Moses became afraid and said, “What I did has certainly become known to others.”

15Now when Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. There he sat down by a well.

16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came, drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17The shepherds came and tried to drive them away, but Moses went and helped them. Then he watered their flock.

18When the girls went to Reuel their father, he said, “Why are you home so early today?”

19They said, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

20He said to his daughters, “So where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so he can eat a meal with us.”

21Moses agreed to stay with the man, who also gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage.

22She bore a son, and Moses called his name Gershom; he said, “I have been a resident in a foreign land.”

23A long time later, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out for help, and their pleas went up to God because of their bondage.

24When God heard their groaning, God called to mind his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25God saw the Israelites, and he understood their situation.