Exodus 2

The Birth of Moses

1 Now a t man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and u when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes 1 and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the v reeds by the river bank. 4 And w his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now 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. 6 When 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." 7 Then 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?" 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 And 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. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became x her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I y drew him out of the water." 2

Moses Flees to Midian

11 One day, z when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their a burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 3 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he b struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When c 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?" 14 He answered, d "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." 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But e Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by f a well.

16 Now the g priest of Midian had seven daughters, and h they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and i watered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father j Reuel, he said, "How is it that you have come home so soon today?" 19 They said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and i watered the flock." 20 He said to his daughters, "Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may k eat bread." 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter l Zipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name m Gershom, for he said, "I have been a n sojourner 4 in a foreign land."

God Hears Israel's Groaning

23 o During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel p groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. q Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And r God heard their groaning, and God s remembered his covenant with t Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God u saw the people of Israel - and God v knew.

  1. Cross References
    Exodus 6:20
    Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years.
    Numbers 26:59
    The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.
    1 Chronicles 23:14
    But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi.
  2. Cross References
    Acts 7:20
    At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house.
    Hebrews 11:23
    By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 2:5
    Now 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.
    Isaiah 19:6
    And its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.
  4. Cross References
    Exodus 15:20
    Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing.
    Numbers 26:59
    The name of Amram's wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt. And she bore to Amram Aaron and Moses and Miriam their sister.
  5. Cross References
    Acts 7:21
    And when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son.
    Hebrews 11:24
    By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
  6. Cross References
    2 Samuel 22:17
    He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
    Psalms 18:16
    He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
  7. Cross References
    Acts 7:23
    When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
    Hebrews 11:24 - 26
    By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
  8. Cross References
    Exodus 1:11
    Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses.
  9. Cross References
    Acts 7:24
    And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.
  10. Cross References
    Acts 7:23 - 28
    When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
  11. Cross References
    Luke 12:14
    But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?
  12. Cross References
    Acts 7:29
    At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
    Hebrews 11:27
    By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
  13. Cross References
    Genesis 24:11
    And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
    Genesis 29:2
    As he looked, he saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying beside it, for out of that well the flocks were watered. The stone on the well's mouth was large.
  14. Cross References
    Exodus 3:1
    Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
  15. Cross References
    Genesis 24:11
    And he made the camels kneel down outside the city by the well of water at the time of evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
    Genesis 29:10
    Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
    1 Samuel 9:11
    As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, "Is the seer here?
  16. Cross References
    Genesis 29:10
    Now as soon as Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.
  17. Cross References
    Numbers 10:29
    And Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Mi...
    Exodus 3:1
    Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-i...
    Exodus 4:18
    Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and...
    Exodus 18:1
    Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-...
    Exodus 18:5
    Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his son...
    Exodus 18:9
    And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the L...
    Exodus 18:12
    And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a bur...
  18. Cross References
    Exodus 2:17
    The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock.
  19. Cross References
    Genesis 31:54
    And Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.
    Genesis 43:25
    They prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.
  20. Cross References
    Exodus 4:25
    Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!
    Exodus 18:2
    Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home.
  21. Cross References
    Exodus 18:3
    Along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom ( for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land").
  22. Cross References
    Acts 7:29
    At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
    Hebrews 11:13 - 14
    These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
  23. Cross References
    Exodus 7:7
    Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
    Acts 7:23
    When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
    Acts 7:30
    Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
  24. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 26:7
    Then we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 3:9
    And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
    Genesis 18:20 - 21
    Then the Lord said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave.
    James 5:4
    Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
  26. Cross References
    Exodus 6:5
    Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.
  27. Cross References
    Psalms 105:8
    He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.
    Psalms 105:42
    For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
    Psalms 106:45
    For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
  28. Cross References
    Genesis 15:14
    But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
    Genesis 46:4
    I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.
  29. Cross References
    Exodus 3:7
    Then the Lord said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings.
    Exodus 4:31
    And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
    Luke 1:25
    "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."
  30. Cross References
    Exodus 3:16
    Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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