The Birth of Moses
1 During this time a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman of his own tribe, 2 and she bore him a son. When she saw what a fine baby he was, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could not hide him any longer, she took a basket made of reeds and covered it with tar to make it watertight. She put the baby in it and then placed it in the tall grass at the edge of the river. 4 The baby's sister stood some distance away to see what would happen to him.
5 The king's daughter came down to the river to bathe, while her servants walked along the bank. Suddenly she noticed the basket in the tall grass and sent a slave woman to get it. 6 The princess opened it and saw a baby boy. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7 Then his sister asked her, “Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?”
8 “Please do,” she answered. So the girl went and brought the baby's own mother. 9 The princess told the woman, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So she took the baby and nursed him. 10 Later, when the child was old enough, she took him to the king's daughter, who adopted him as her own son. She said to herself, “I pulled him out of the water, and so I name him Moses.”
Moses Escapes to Midian
11 When Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his people, the Hebrews, and he saw how they were forced to do hard labor. He even saw an Egyptian kill a Hebrew, one of Moses' own people. 12 Moses looked all around, and when he saw that no one was watching, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13 The next day he went back and saw two Hebrew men fighting. He said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why are you beating up a fellow Hebrew?”
14 The man answered, “Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just as you killed that Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said to himself, “People have found out what I have done.” 15-16 When the king heard about what had happened, he tried to have Moses killed, but Moses fled and went to live in the land of Midian.
One day, when Moses was sitting by a well, seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came to draw water and fill the troughs for their father's sheep and goats. 17 But some shepherds drove Jethro's daughters away. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them. 18 When they returned to their father, he asked, “Why have you come back so early today?”
19 “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds,” they answered, “and he even drew water for us and watered our animals.”
20 “Where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why did you leave the man out there? Go and invite him to eat with us.”
21 So Moses decided to live there, and Jethro gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage, 22 who bore him a son. Moses said to himself, “I am a foreigner in this land, and so I name him Gershom.”
23 Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God, 24 who heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 He saw the slavery of the Israelites and was concerned for them.
Ongwatero ya Moses
1 Pa ri omurumendu wotjiwaṋa tja Levi, ngwa kakupa omusuko Omulevi. 2 Omusuko ngwi wa rira otjingundi na panduka okanatje okazandu. Nu ina tja muna kutja omuatje we omuwa, arire tje mu horeke oure womieze vitatu. 3 Nungwari eye tjinga e ha sorere okumuhoreka orure rukwao, we mu pahera otjimbamba tji tja ungurwa potuu, ne tji rombo nawa nomunoko nondombo kutja amu ha hiti omeva. Korusenina okanatje ke we ke rareka motjimbamba ne tji twa mokati kotuu komukuro wonḓonḓu Nil. 4 Nomuṱena wako wa kakurama kokure kaṱiṱi kutja a tarere tji matji tjitwa ku ko.
5 Omusuko wa Farao wa punda konḓonḓu Nil okukerikoha; nu imba ovakarere mbe mu ṱika aave wondjo meṋe yonḓonḓu ndjo. Nu tjimanga eye wa muna okambamba nga mokati kotuu na hindi omukazona omumuungurire a kaete okambamba ngo. 6 Omusuko wombara tja paturura okambamba arire tja munu okandu okazandu ku ma ke riri. Narire tja ṱondjenda na ko ne ripura nai: “Make sokurira kemwe kounatje wOvaheberi.”
7 Omuṱena wako opa tjera nai komusuko wa Farao: “Hi kekuisanene omukazendu Omuheberi ngwa panduka nambano kutja e ku nyamisisire okanatje?”
8 Nomusuko wa Farao we mu zira a tja: “Ii, osemba! Twende!” Omukazona wa ya na kaisana ina yokanatje. 9 Nomusuko wa Farao wa raera ingwi ina a tja: “Kambura okanatje nga, u kendjinyamisisire nami me ku sutu.” Omukazendu wa kambura okanatje na kanyamisisa. 10 Kombunda okanatje tji ke kura, eye we ke twara komusuko wa Farao; ingwi omusuko wombara we ke yakura ne ke kurisa otja omuatje we omuini, ne ke ruku ena Moses. Orondu eye wa tja: “Ami mbe mu nana momeva.”
Moses ma taurire kOmidian
11 Moses tje kura, otjikando tjimwe otja ya kovandu ve omuini, narire tja munu kutja owo ve ungurisiwa oviungura vyondatumisire. Wina wa muna Omuengipte ama tono umwe womuhoko we, Omuheberi omukwao. 12 Eye wa yevayeva munda na munda na ha munu ko omundu, otja tona Omuengipte ngwi nga tja zepa, ne mu sire meheke. 13 Nu mependukirwa Moses wa ya rukwao, na munu ovarumendu vevari Ovaheberi amave ru, na pura ku ingwi ngwa uta okutona omukwao na tja: “Omukweṋu Omuheberi mo mu tonene tjike?”
14 Neye wa tja: “Owaṋi ngwe ku pa ouhona noupangure kombanda yetu? Mo vanga kutja u ndji zepe wina tjimuna tji wa zepa Omuengipte are?” Nu Moses wa uruma ne ripura nai: “Tjiri, otjiṋa hi tja tjiukwa!”
15 Farao tja zuva otjiṋa hi otja vanga okuzepa Moses. Nungwari Moses wa hena, a i kOmidian na katura ngo. Neye tja kavaza, wa kahaama pondjombo.
16 Pondjombo ndjo pe ya ovasuko hambombari wOmupristeri wa Midian okuteka omeva nokuurisa omatemba nokuhira ozonyanda zaihe. 17 Nu ovarise tjiva ve ya mbo nave ve ramba, Moses wa sekama okuvevatera nokuvehirira ozonyanda zawo. 18 Nowo tji va kotoka ku ihe yawo Reuel, eye wa pura ku wo a tja: “Okutjavi ndino tji mwa kotoka rukuru?”
19 Nowo va zira nai: “Omuengipte worive we tu yama kovarise vozonyanda. Kombanda yanao we tu vatere okututekera omeva nokutuhirira ovinamuinyo vyetu.”
20 Neye wa pura kovasuko ve a tja: “Eye u ri pi? Mwe mu esire tjike mbo? Kemuṋangeye e ye okurya puna eṱe.”
21 Nu Moses wa ri nombango okutura pomurumendu ngo, nu kombunda Jetro we mu pa omusuko we Sipora a rire omukazendu we. 22 Kombunda omukazendu we wa panduka okazandu, nu Moses we ke ruka Gersom, orondu tja tja: “Owami owozonganda mehi rozonganda.”
23 Kombunda yoruveze orure ombara ya Engipte ya koka, nungwari imba Ovaisrael aave tjemisiwa i oviungura vyondatumisire nu amave paha ombatero, nowo va kwa ombatero ku Ndjambi. 24 Nu Ndjambi tja zuva ondjuriro yawo, arire tja zemburuka omerikutiropamwe we nooAbraham na Isak na Jakob. 25 Ndjambi wa tara kOvaisrael nu e rikendere wo.
