The Boyhood And Training Of Mose


After the death of Joseph and his brothers, the Israelites increased so

rapidly and became so many and powerful that the land was filled with

them. But a new king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt. He said

to his people, "See, the Israelites are becoming too many and powerful

for us. Come, let us deal wisely with them, for fear that they become so

many that, if war is begun against us, they will join our enemies and
/> fight against us and leave the land."



So the Egyptians set taskmasters over them to put burdens upon them. And

they built for Pharaoh the store-cities, Pithom and Rameses. But the

more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more numerous they became and the

more they spread everywhere, so that the Egyptians dreaded what they

might do. And the Egyptians were cruel and made slaves of them, making

their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and brick, and by all kinds

of hard work in the field.



Pharaoh also gave this command to all his people, "You shall throw into

the river every son that is born to the Hebrews, but every daughter you

shall save alive."



Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a woman of the same tribe, and

she had a son. When she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him

for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took a

basket made of papyrus reeds, daubed it with mortar and pitch, and put

the child in it. Then she placed it in the reeds by the bank of the

river Nile, while his sister stayed near by to see what would happen to

him.



The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, and while her

maids were walking along the river's bank, she saw the basket among the

reeds and sent her waiting-maid to bring it. When she opened it and saw

the child, the boy was crying; and she felt sorry for him and said,

"This is one of the Hebrew children."



Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call one of

the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?" Pharaoh's daughter said to

her, "Go." So the maiden went and called the child's mother, and

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse it for

me, and I will pay you your wages." Then the woman took the child and

nursed it. When the child had grown up, she brought him to Pharaoh's

daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said,

"I drew him out of the water."



One time, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people; and

as he was watching them at their hard labor, he saw an Egyptian beating

a Hebrew, one of his own race. He looked around and seeing that there

was no one in sight, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.



On the next day Moses went out, and saw two Hebrews struggling together;

and he said to the one who was in the wrong, "Why do you strike your

fellow workman?" The man replied, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over

us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was

afraid and said, "What I have done is known!" When Pharaoh heard what

had taken place, he tried to put Moses to death; but Moses left the

country and made his home in the land of Midian.



As he was sitting by a well, the seven daughters of the priest of Midian

came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's

flock, but the shepherds came and drove them away. Then Moses stood up

and protected the women and watered their flock.



When they came to their father, he said, "How is it that you have come

back so early to-day?" They replied, "An Egyptian protected us from the

shepherds, and besides, he drew water for us and watered the flock."

Then he said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why have you left the man?

Ask him to eat with us." So Moses made his home with the man; and he

gave Moses his daughter Zipporah to be his wife. She had a son, and

Moses named him Gershom.

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