| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1A man of the family of Levi married the daughter of a descendant of Levi. | 1Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. |
| 2Later, the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a beautiful child, and hid him for three months. | 2The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. |
| 3But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus container, coated it with asphalt and pitch, placed the child in it, and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. | 3But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. |
| 4Then his sister positioned herself some distance away in order to find out what would happen to him. | 4Then his sister stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him. |
| 5Then Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile River to bathe while her maids walked along the river bank. She saw the container among the reeds and sent a servant girl to get it. | 5Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. Seeing the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave girl to get it. |
| 6When she opened it and saw the child, the little boy suddenly began crying. Filled with compassion for him, she exclaimed, "This is one of the Hebrew children!" | 6When she opened it, she saw the child--a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, "This is one of the Hebrew boys." |
| 7Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call one of the nursing Hebrew women so she can nurse the child for you?" | 7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Should I go and call a woman from the Hebrews to nurse the boy for you?"" |
| 8Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Go," so the young girl went and called the child's mother. | 8Go," Pharaoh's daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy's mother. |
| 9Pharaoh's daughter instructed her, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I'll pay you a salary." So the woman took the child and nursed him. | 9Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages." So the woman took the boy and nursed him. |
| 10After the child had grown 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." | 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." |
| 11Years later, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people, and took notice of their heavy burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, one of his own people. | 11Years later, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. |
| 12Looking around and seeing no one else, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. | 12Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand. |
| 13Going out the next day, Moses noticed two Hebrew men fighting right in front of him. He told the one who was at fault, "Why did you strike your companion?" | 13The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you attacking your neighbor?"" |
| 14The man replied, "Who appointed you to be an official judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses became terrified and told himself, "Certainly this event has become known!" | 14Who made you a leader and judge over us?" the man replied. "Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses became afraid and thought: What I did is certainly known. |
| 15When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh, settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. | 15When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well. |
| 16Meanwhile, the seven daughters of a certain Midianite priest would come to draw water in order to fill water troughs for their father's sheep. | 16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. |
| 17Some shepherds came to drive them away, but Moses got up, came to their rescue, and watered their sheep. | 17Then some shepherds arrived and drove them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their flock. |
| 18When they returned to their father Reuel, he asked, "Why have you returned so quickly today?" | 18When they returned to their father Reuel he asked, "Why have you come back so quickly today?" |
| 19"An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds," they replied, "and he even drew water for us and watered the sheep!" | 19They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."" |
| 20"Then where is he?" He asked his daughters. "Why did you leave the man behind? Go invite him to have something to eat." | 20So where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why then did you leave the man behind? Invite him to eat dinner." |
| 21Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. | 21Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. |
| 22Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, because he used to say, "I became an alien in a foreign land." | 22She gave birth to a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, "I have been a foreigner in a foreign land." |
| 23The king of Egypt eventually died, and the Israelis groaned because of the bondage. They cried out, and their cry for deliverance from slavery ascended to God. | 23After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, and they cried out; and their cry for help ascended to God because of the difficult labor. |
| 24God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. | 24So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. |
| 25God watched the Israelis and took notice of them. | 25God saw the Israelites, and He took notice. |
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