Exodus 2 Young's Literal Translation

About YLT

Individual translator
OT: Masoretic Hebrew
NT: Textus Receptus
Protestant (66 books)
Very literal
1898
Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

YLT Young's Literal Translation

WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)

1 And there goeth a man of the house of Levi, and he taketh the daughter of Levi,

1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife.

2 and the woman conceiveth, and beareth a son, and she seeth him that he [is] fair, and she hideth him three months,

2 The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.

3 and she hath not been able any more to hide him, and she taketh for him an ark of rushes, and daubeth it with bitumen and with pitch, and putteth the lad in it, and putteth [it] in the weeds by the edge of the River;

3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.

4 and his sister stationeth herself afar off, to know what is done to him.

4 His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him.

5 And a daughter of Pharaoh cometh down to bathe at the River, and her damsels are walking by the side of the River, and she seeth the ark in the midst of the weeds, and sendeth her handmaid, and she taketh it,

5 Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her servant to get it.

6 and openeth, and seeth him — the lad, and lo, a child weeping! and she hath pity on him, and saith, 'This is [one] of the Hebrews' children.'

6 She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

7 And his sister saith unto the daughter of Pharaoh, 'Do I go? when I have called for thee a suckling woman of the Hebrews, then she doth suckle the lad for thee;'

7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

8 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, 'Go;' and the virgin goeth, and calleth the mother of the lad,

8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” The young woman went and called the child’s mother.

9 and the daughter of Pharaoh saith to her, 'Take this lad away, and suckle him for me, and I — I give thy hire;' and the woman taketh the lad, and suckleth him.

9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” The woman took the child, and nursed him.

10 And the lad groweth, and she bringeth him in to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he is to her for a son, and she calleth his name Moses, and saith, 'Because — from the water I have drawn him.'

10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

11 And it cometh to pass, in those days, that Moses is grown, and he goeth out unto his brethren, and looketh on their burdens, and seeth a man, an Egyptian, smiting a man, a Hebrew, [one] of his brethren,

11 In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.

12 and he turneth hither and thither, and seeth that there is no man, and smiteth the Egyptian, and hideth him in the sand.

12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.

13 And he goeth out on the second day, and lo, two men, Hebrews, striving! and he saith to the wrong-doer, 'Why dost thou smite thy neighbour?'

13 He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow?”

14 and he saith, 'Who set thee for a head and a judge over us? to slay me art thou saying [it], as thou hast slain the Egyptian?' and Moses feareth, and saith, 'Surely the thing hath been known.'

14 He said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid, and said, “Surely this thing is known.”

15 And Pharaoh heareth of this thing, and seeketh to slay Moses, and Moses fleeth from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelleth in the land of Midian, and dwelleth by the well.

15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

16 And to a priest of Midian [are] seven daughters, and they come and draw, and fill the troughs, to water the flock of their father,

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.

17 and the shepherds come and drive them away, and Moses ariseth, and saveth them, and watereth their flock.

17 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.

18 And they come in to Reuel their father, and he saith, 'Wherefore have ye hastened to come in to-day?'

18 When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, “How is it that you have returned so early today?”

19 and they say, 'A man, an Egyptian, hath delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also hath diligently drawn for us, and watereth the flock;'

19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.”

20 and he saith unto his daughters, 'And where [is] he? why [is] this? — ye left the man! call for him, and he doth eat bread.'

20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”

21 And Moses is willing to dwell with the man, and he giveth Zipporah his daughter to Moses,

21 Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter.

22 and she beareth a son, and he calleth his name Gershom, for he said, 'A sojourner I have been in a strange land.'

22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land.”

23 And it cometh to pass during these many days, that the king of Egypt dieth, and the sons of Israel sigh because of the service, and cry, and their cry goeth up unto God, because of the service;

23 In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

24 and God heareth their groaning, and God remembereth His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob;

24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 and God seeth the sons of Israel, and God knoweth.

25 God saw the children of Israel, and God understood.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

Gershom
Moses' firstborn
Moses' firstborn son, born during his years of exile in the land of Midian.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2:22; Exodus 18:3
See in the family tree
Moses
Deliverer and lawgiver
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
See in the family tree
Zipporah
Wife of Moses
The Midianite daughter of Jethro who became Moses' wife in the wilderness.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2:16-22; Exodus 4:24-26; Exodus 18
See in the family tree

Cross references (24)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

Quotes verse 2:10 Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament (Sermon I)
… saith: "The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife." Moses too, who was born of a Hebrew mother and was exposed, was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter. There were not then indeed the same forms of law as now, but the choice …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 6 (1888)
Quotes verse 2:24 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily XXVI)
For with respect to the patriarch it is said, "I remembered my covenant with Abraham;" but here He saith not "the covenant," but how?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Quotes verse 2:12–15 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm XCIX)
That perhaps the early life of Moses was sinful; for he fled from Egypt, after slaying a man. The early life of Aaron also was such as would displease God; for he allowed a maddened and infatuated people to make an idol to worship; and an idol was made for God's people to worship.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)

Old Testament

New Testament

People & places in this chapter

People

What the Fathers said