New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.
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Now a man of the house of Levi took as his wife a daughter of Levi.
2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.
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And she became with child and gave birth to a Son; and when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she kept him secretly for three months.
3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.
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And when she was no longer able to keep him secret, she made him a basket out of the stems of water-plants, pasting sticky earth over it to keep the water out; and placing the baby in it she put it among the plants by the edge of the Nile.
4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
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And his sister took her place at a distance to see what would become of him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.
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Now Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to take a bath, while her women were walking by the riverside; and she saw the basket among the river-plants, and sent her servant-girl to get it.
6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said.
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And opening it, she saw the child, and he was crying. And she had pity on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
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Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, May I go and get you one of the Hebrew women to give him the breast?
8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother.
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And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and got the child's mother.
9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it.
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And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take the child away and give it milk for me, and I will give you payment. And the woman took the child and gave it milk at her breast.
10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."
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And when the child was older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son, and she gave him the name Moses, Because, she said, I took him out of the water.
11 One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and saw their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk.
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Now when Moses had become a man, one day he went out to his people and saw how hard their work was; and he saw an Egyptian giving blows to a Hebrew, one of his people.
12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
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And turning this way and that, and seeing no one, he put the Egyptian to death, covering his body with sand.
13 When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?"
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And he went out the day after and saw two of the Hebrews fighting: and he said to him who was in the wrong, Why are you fighting your brother?
14 He answered, "Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "Surely the thing is known."
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And he said, Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? are you going to put me to death as you did the Egyptian? And Moses was in fear, and said, It is clear that the thing has come to light.
15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.
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Now when Pharaoh had news of this, he would have put Moses to death. But Moses went in flight from Pharaoh into the land of Midian: and he took his seat by a water-spring.
16 The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
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Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came to get water for their father's flock.
17 But some shepherds came and drove them away. Moses got up and came to their defense and watered their flock.
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And the keepers of the sheep came up and were driving them away; but Moses got up and came to their help, watering their flock for them.
18 When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, "How is it that you have come back so soon today?"
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And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that you have come back so quickly today?
19 They said, "An Egyptian helped us against the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock."
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And they said, An Egyptian came to our help against the keepers of sheep and got water for us and gave it to the flock.
20 He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Invite him to break bread."
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And he said to his daughters, Where is he? why have you let the man go? make him come in and give him a meal.
21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage.
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And Moses was happy to go on living with the man; and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom; for he said, "I have been an alien residing in a foreign land."
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And she gave birth to a son, to whom he gave the name Gershom: for he said, I have been living in a strange land.
23 After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God.
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Now after a long time the king of Egypt came to his end: and the children of Israel were crying in their grief under the weight of their work, and their cry for help came to the ears of God.
24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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And at the sound of their weeping the agreement which God had made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob came to his mind.
25 God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.
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And God's eyes were turned to the children of Israel and he gave them the knowledge of himself.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.