Baby Moses
2 1 There was a man from the family of Levi who decided to marry a woman from the tribe of Levi.a 2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. The mother saw how beautiful the baby was and hid him for three months. 3 She hid him for as long as she could. After three months she made a basket and covered it with tarb so that it would float. Then she put the baby in the basket and put the basket in the river in the tall grass. 4 The baby’s sister stayed and watched to see what would happen to the baby.
5 Just then, Pharaoh’s daughter went to the river to bathe. She saw the basket in the tall grass. Her servants were walking beside the river, so she told one of them to go get the basket. 6 The king’s daughter opened the basket and saw a baby boy. The baby was crying and she felt sorry for it. Then she noticed that it was one of the Hebrewc babies.
7 The baby’s sister was still hiding. She stood and asked the king’s daughter, “Do you want me to go find a Hebrew woman who can nurse the baby and help you care for it?”
8The king’s daughter said, “Yes, please.”
So the girl went and brought the baby’s own mother.
9The king’s daughter said to the mother, “Take this baby and feed him for me. I’ll pay you to take care of him.”
So the woman took her baby and cared for him. 10 The baby grew, and after some time, the woman gave the baby to the king’s daughter. The king’s daughter accepted the baby as her own son. She named him Mosesd because she had pulled him from the water.
a 2:1 woman … Levi Literally, “the daughter of Levi.” See Ex. 6:20; Num. 26:59.
b tar Or “pitch,” a thick oil that must be heated to become liquid and that is used to seal the boards with which ships are built.
c 2:6 Hebrew Or “Israelite.” Also in verses 7, 11, 13.
d 2:10 Moses This name is like a Hebrew word meaning “to pull or draw out.”