Exodus 2

vayyelekh ish mibbet levi vayyiqqakh et-bat-levi

A certain member of the house of Levi went and took to wife a woman of Levi.

vattahar ha'isha vatteled ben vattere oto ki-tov hu vattitspenehu sheloshah yerakhim

The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw how beautiful he was, she hid him for three months.

velo-yakhelah od hatsefino vattiqqakh-lo tevat gome vattakhmerah vakhemar uvazzafet vattasem bah et-hayyeled vattasem bassuf al-sefat haye'or

When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.

vattetatsav akhoto merakhoq lede'ah mah-yye'aseh lo

And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to learn what would befall him.

vattered bat-paroh lirkhots al-haye'or vena'aroteha holekhot al-yad haye'or vattere et-hattevah betokh hassuf vattishlakh et-amatah vattiqqakheha

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She spied the basket among the reeds and sent her handmaid to fetch it.

vattiftakh vattirehu et-hayyeled vehinneh-na'ar bokheh vattakhmol alayw vattomer miyyalde ha'ivrim zeh

When she opened it, she saw that it was a child, a boy crying. She took pity on it and said, “This must be a Hebrew child.”

vattomer akhoto el-bat-paroh ha'elekh veqarati lakh isha meneqet min ha'ivriyyot veteniq lakh et-hayyaled

Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a Hebrew nurse to suckle the child for you?”

vattomer-lah bat-paroh lekhi vattelekh ha'almah vattiqra et-em hayyaled

And Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother.

vattomer lah bat-paroh helikhi et-hayyeled hazzeh veheniqihu li va'ani etten et-sekharekh vattiqqakh ha'isha hayyeled vatteniqehu

And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it.

vayyigdal hayyeled vattevi'ehu levat-paroh vayehi-lah leven vattiqra shemo mosheh vattomer ki min-hammayim meshitihu

When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses, explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”

vayehi bayyamim hahem vayyigdal mosheh vayyetse el-ekhayw vayyar besivlotam vayyar ish mitsri makkeh ish-ivri me'ekhayw

Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.

vayyifen koh vakhoh vayyar ki en ish vayyakh et-hammitsri vayyitmenehu bakhol

He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

vayyetse bayyom hasheni vehinneh shene-anashim ivrim nitsim vayyomer larasha lammah takkeh re'ekha

When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?”

vayyomer mi samekha le'ish sar veshofet alenu halehorgeni attah omer ka'asher haragta et-hammitsri vayyira mosheh vayyomar akhen noda haddavar

He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known!

vayyishma paroh et-haddavar hazzeh vayevaqqesh laharog et-mosheh vayyivrakh mosheh mippene faroh vayyeshev be'erets-midyan vayyeshev al-habbe'er

When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well.

ulekhohen midyan sheva banot vattavonah vattidlenah vattemallenah et-harehatim lehashqot tson avihen

Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock;

vayyavo'u haro'im vayegareshum vayyaqom mosheh vayyoshi'an vayyashq et-tsonam

but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock.

vattavonah el-re'u'el avihen vayyomer maddua miharten bo hayyom

When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?”

vattomarna ish mitsri hitsilanu miyyad haro'im vegam-daloh dalah lanu vayyashq et-hatson

They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

vayyomer el-benotayw ve'ayyo lammah zeh azavten et-ha'ish qiren lo veyokhal lakhem

He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why did you leave the man? Ask him in to break bread.”

vayyo'el mosheh lashevet et-ha'ish vayyitten et-tsipporah vitto lemosheh

Moses consented to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah as wife.

vatteled ben vayyiqra et-shemo gereshom ki amar ger hayiti be'erets nokhriyyah

She bore a son whom he named Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”

vayehi vayyamim harabbim hahem vayyamot melekh mitsrayim vayye'anekhu vene-yisra'el min-ha'avodah vayyizaqu vatta'al shavatam el-ha'elohim min-ha'avodah

A long time after that, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were groaning under the bondage and cried out; and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God.

vayyishma elohim et-na'aqatam vayyizkor elohim et-berito et-avraham et-yitskhaq ve'et-ya'aqov

God heard their moaning, and God remembered the covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

vayyar elohim et-bene yisra'el vayyeda elohim

God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.