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Common English Bible CEB
1 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman,
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Now a man from Levi's household married a Levite woman.
2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
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The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that the baby was healthy and beautiful, so she hid him for three months.
3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
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When she couldn't hide him any longer, she took a reed basket and sealed it up with black tar. She put the child in the basket and set the basket among the reeds at the riverbank.
4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
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The baby's older sister stood watch nearby to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.
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Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe in the river, while her women servants walked along beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds, and she sent one of her servants to bring it to her.
6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
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When she opened it, she saw the child. The boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children."
7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
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Then the baby's sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Would you like me to go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
8 “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother.
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Pharaoh's daughter agreed, "Yes, do that." So the girl went and called the child's mother.
9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
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Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I'll pay you for your work." So the woman took the child and nursed it.
10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
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After the child had grown up, she brought him back to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I pulled him out of the water."
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
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One day after Moses had become an adult, he went out among his people and he saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
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He looked around to make sure no one else was there. Then he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
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When Moses went out the next day, he saw two Hebrew men fighting with each other. Moses said to the one who had started the fight, "Why are you abusing your fellow Hebrew?"
14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
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He replied, "Who made you a boss or judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid when he realized: They obviously know what I did.
15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
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When Pharaoh heard about it, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses ran away from Pharaoh and settled down in the land of Midian. One day Moses was sitting by a well.
16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.
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Now there was a Midianite priest who had seven daughters. The daughters came to draw water and fill the troughs so that their father's flock could drink.
17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
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But some shepherds came along and rudely chased them away. Moses got up, rescued the women, and gave their flock water to drink.
18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”
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When they went back home to their father Reuel, he asked, "How were you able to come back home so soon today?"
19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
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They replied, "An Egyptian man rescued us from a bunch of shepherds. Afterward, he even helped us draw water to let the flock drink."
20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”
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Reuel said to his daughters, "So where is he? Why did you leave this man? Invite him to eat a meal with us."
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
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Moses agreed to come and live with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses as his wife.
22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
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She gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, "because," he said, "I've been an immigrant living in a foreign land."
23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.
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A long time passed, and the Egyptian king died. The Israelites were still groaning because of their hard work. They cried out, and their cry to be rescued from the hard work rose up to God.
24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
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God heard their cry of grief, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
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God looked at the Israelites, and God understood.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible