Shemot 2-4

Orthodox Jewish Bible

2 And there went an ish of the Bais Levi, and took to wife a bat Levi.

² And the isha conceived, and bore a ben; and when she saw him that he was tov, she hid him three months.

³ And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him a tevah (ark) of papyrus, and daubed it with tar and with pitch, and put the yeled therein; and she set it in the reeds by the bank of the Nile.

⁴ And his achot stood afar off, to see what would be done to him.

⁵ And the Bat Pharaoh came down to bathe herself at the Nile; and her na’arot walked along by the Nile’s bank; and when she saw the tevah (ark) among the reeds, she sent her amah (maid servant) to fetch it.

⁶ And when she had opened it, she saw the yeled; and, hinei, the na’ar was crying. And she had compassion on him, and said, This one is of the yaldei HaIvrim (Hebrew children).

⁷ Then said his achot to Bat Pharaoh, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of HaIvriyyot, that she may nurse the yeled for thee?

⁸ And Bat Pharaoh said to her, Go. And haalmah [see Gn 24:43; Isa 7:14] went and called the em hayeled.

⁹ And Bat Pharaoh said unto her, Take this yeled away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the isha took the yeled, and nursed it.

¹⁰ And the yeled grew, and she brought him unto Bat Pharaoh, and he became her ben. And she called shmo Moshe: and she said, Because meshitihu (I drew him) out of the mayim.

¹¹ And it came to pass in those days, when Moshe was grown, that he went out unto his achim, and looked on their sivlot: and he spied an Egyptian striking an ish Ivri, one of his achim.

¹² And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no ish, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the chol (sand).

¹³ And when he went out the second day, hinei, two anashim Ivrim were fighting; he said to him in the wrong, Why strike thou thy re’a?

¹⁴ And he said, Who made thee a sar and a shofet over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moshe feared, and thought, Surely this thing is known.

¹⁵ Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moshe. But Moshe fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in Eretz Midyan; and he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ Now the kohen of Midyan had sheva banot; and they came and drew mayim, and filled the troughs to water the tzon of their av.

¹⁷ And the ro’im (shepherds) came and drove them away; but Moshe stood up and rescued them, and watered their tzon.

¹⁸ And when they came to Reuel their av, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today?

¹⁹ And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the yad of the ro’im (shepherds), and also drew enough for us, and watered the tzon.

²⁰ And he said unto his banot, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the ish? Call him, that he may eat lechem.

²¹ And Moshe was content to dwell with the ish; and he gave Moshe Tzipporah his bat.

²² And she bore him a ben, and he called shmo Gershom; for he said, I have been a ger in a foreign land.

²³ And it came to pass in process of time, that Melech Mitzrayim died; and the Bnei Yisroel groaned by reason of haAvodah (the Bondage), and they cried out, and their cry came up unto HaElohim by reason of haAvodah.

²⁴ And Elohim heard their groaning, and Elohim remembered His brit (covenant) with Avraham, with Yitzchak, and with Ya’akov.

²⁵ And Elohim looked upon the Bnei Yisroel, and Elohim had da’as of them.

3 Now Moshe was ro’eh (shepherding) the tzon of Yitro his khoten (fatherin- law), the kohen Midyan; and he led the tzon to the backside of the midbar, and came to the Har HaElohim, even to Chorev.

² And the Malach Hashem appeared unto him in a flame of eish out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, hinei, the bush burned with eish, and the bush was not consumed.

³ And Moshe thought, I will now turn aside, and see this mareh hagadol, why the bush is not burned up.

⁴ And when Hashem saw that he turned aside to see, Elohim called out unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moshe, Moshe. And he said, Hineni.

⁵ And He said, Draw not nearer here; put off thy na’alayim (sandals) from off thy raglayim, for hamakom whereon thou standest is admat kodesh.

⁶ Moreover He said, I am Elohei Avicha, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, and Elohei Ya’akov. And Moshe hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon HaElohim.

⁷ And Hashem said, I have surely seen the oni ami (affliction of My people) which are in Mitzrayim, and have heard their cry by reason of their nogesim (taskmasters); for I know their makhovim (sufferings);

⁸ And I am come down to deliver them out of the yad Mitzrayim, and to bring them up out of that land unto an eretz tovah, a spacious eretz zavat cholov udevash; unto the place of the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Emori, and the Perizzi, and the Chivi, and the Yevusi.

⁹ Now therefore, hinei, the cry of the Bnei Yisroel is come unto Me; and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

¹⁰ Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the Bnei Yisroel out of Mitzrayim.

¹¹ And Moshe said unto HaElohim, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the Bnei Yisroel out of Mitzrayim?

¹² And He said, Certainly Eh-heh-yeh (I will be [see verse below]) with thee; and this shall be haOt (the Sign) unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth HaAm out of Mitzrayim, ye shall serve HaElohim upon this Har.

¹³ And Moshe said unto HaElohim, Hinei, when I come unto the Bnei Yisroel, and shall say unto them, Elohei Avoteichem hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is Shmo? what shall I say unto them?

¹⁴ And Elohim said unto Moshe, Eh-heh-yeh ashair Ehheh- yeh (I AM WHO I AM); and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the Bnei Yisroel, EHHEH-YEH (I AM) hath sent me unto you.

¹⁵ And Elohim said moreover unto Moshe, Thus shalt thou say unto Bnei Yisroel: Hashem, Elohei Avoteichem, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, and Elohei Ya’akov, hath sent me unto you: this is Shemi l’olam, and this is My remembrance unto all generations.

¹⁶ Go, and gather the Ziknei Yisroel together, and say unto them, Hashem Elohei Avoteichem, Elohei Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’akov, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Mitzrayim;

¹⁷ And I have said, I will bring you up out of the Oni Mitzrayim unto the eretz Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Emori, and the Perizzi, and the Chivi, and the Yevusi unto eretz zavat cholov udevash.

¹⁸ And they shall pay heed to thy voice; and thou shalt go, thou and the Ziknei Yisroel, unto Melech Mitzrayim, and ye shall say unto him, Hashem Elohei HaIvriyim hath met with us; and let us go, now, derech shloshet yamim into the midbar, that we may sacrifice to Hashem Eloheinu.

¹⁹ And I have da’as that Melech Mitzrayim will not let you go, no, except by a yad chazakah.

²⁰ And I will stretch out My yad, and strike Mitzrayim with all My nifle’ot which I will do in the midst thereof; and after that he will let you go.

²¹ And I will give this people chen in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty-handed.

²² But every isha shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her bais, jewels of kesef, and jewels of zahav, and clothing; and ye shall put them upon your banim, and upon your banot; so ye shall plunder the Egyptians.

4 And Moshe answered and said, But, what if they will not believe me, nor pay heed unto my voice but will say, Hashem hath not appeared unto thee.

² And Hashem said unto him, What is that in thine yad? And he said, A matteh (a rod, staff).

³ And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a nachash; and Moshe fled from before it.

⁴ And Hashem said unto Moshe, Put forth thine yad, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his yad, and caught it, and it became a matteh in his yad;

⁵ That they may believe that Hashem Elohei Avotam, Elohei Avraham, Elohei Yitzchak, and Elohei Ya’akov, hath appeared unto thee.

⁶ And Hashem said furthermore unto him, Put now thine yad into thy kheyk. And he put his yad into his kheyk; and when he took it out, hinei, his yad was leprous as snow.

⁷ And He said, Put thine yad into thy kheyk again. And he put his yad into his kheyk again; and plucked it out of his kheyk, and, hinei, it was turned again as his other basar.

⁸ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither pay heed to the voice of haOt Harishon, that they will believe the voice of haOt haAcharon.

⁹ And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two otot, neither pay heed unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the mayim of the Nile, and pour it upon the yabashah (dry land); and the mayim which thou takest out of the Nile shall become dahm upon the yabashah.

¹⁰ And Moshe said unto Hashem, O Adonoi, I am not an ish devarim, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy eved; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow lashon.

¹¹ And Hashem said unto him, Who hath made man’s peh (mouth)? Or who maketh dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Hashem?

¹² Now therefore go, and Eh-heh-yeh (I will be) with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

¹³ And he said, O Adonoi, send, now, by the yad of him whom Thou wilt send.

¹⁴ And the Af Hashem was kindled against Moshe, and He said, Is there not Aharon thy ach the Levi? I know that he can speak well. And also, hinei, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his lev.

¹⁵ And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth; and Eh-heh-yeh (I will be) with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

¹⁶ And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of Elohim.

¹⁷ And thou shalt take this matteh in thine yad, wherewith thou shalt do haOtot.

¹⁸ And Moshe went and returned to Yitro his khoten (father-in-law), and said unto him, Let me go, now, and return unto my achim which are in Mitzrayim, and see whether they be yet alive. And Yitro said to Moshe, Lech l’shalom (go in peace).

¹⁹ And Hashem said unto Moshe in Midyan, Go, shuv (return) into Mitzrayim; for all the anashim are dead which sought thy life.

²⁰ And Moshe took his isha and his banim, and set them upon a donkey, and he returned to Eretz Mitzrayim; and matteh HaElohim in his yad.

²¹ And Hashem said unto Moshe, When thou goest to return into Mitzrayim, see that thou do all those mofetim before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine yad: but I will harden his lev, that he shall not let HaAm go.

²² And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Hashem, Yisroel is beni (My son), even My bechor (first-born):

²³ And I say unto thee, Let beni (My son) go, that he may serve Me: and if thou refuse to let him go, hinei, I will slay thy ben, even thy bechor.

²⁴ And it came to pass on the derech at the malon, that Hashem met him, and sought to kill him.

²⁵ Then Tzipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the arlat ben (foreskin of son) of her, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a choson damim (a bridegroom of blood) art thou to me.

²⁶ So He let him go; then she said, A choson damim thou art, because of the circumcision (i.e., [bris] milah).

²⁷ And Hashem said to Aharon, Go into the midbar to meet Moshe. And he went, and met him in the Har HaElohim, and kissed him.

²⁸ And Moshe told Aharon kol divrei Hashem who had sent him, and all haOtot He had commanded him.

²⁹ And Moshe and Aharon went and assembled together kol Ziknei Bnei Yisroel;

³⁰ And Aharon spoke all hadevarim which Hashem had spoken unto Moshe; and he did haOtot before the eyes of HaAm.

³¹ And HaAm believed; and when they heard that Hashem had visited the Bnei Yisroel, and that He had looked upon their oni, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.