摩西的出生　
　　有一个利未族的人和他同族的一个女子结婚，生了一个儿子。她看见这婴儿那么俊美，就把他藏了三个月。到她实在隐藏不了这孩子，就拿蒲草编了一个篮子，涂上防水的沥青和柏油，把孩子放在篮子里，然后把篮子藏在河边芦苇丛里。这孩子的姊姊远远地站着，要看看会有什么结果。
　　国王的女儿到河边来洗澡；她的宫女们在河边散步。突然她看见芦苇丛中有一个篮子，就叫伺候的宫女去拿来。公主打开篮子，看见一个男婴在哭，就心生爱怜，说∶“这一定是希伯来人的婴儿。”
　　那时候，婴儿的姊姊走出来，对公主说∶“请问，要不要我去找一个希伯来女人来作他的奶妈？”
　　公主说∶“好啊！”那女孩子就去叫婴儿的母亲来。公主对那女人说∶“把这婴儿带去，替我养他，我会给你工钱。”于是那女人把婴儿接回去抚养。这孩子长大后，母亲把他带到公主面前，公主正式收养他作自己的儿子。她说∶“我从水里把这孩子拉上来，就叫他摩西吧！”[注解]　
　　摩西流亡米甸　
　　摩西长大了，常常出去探望希伯来同胞；他看见他们被迫服苦役。有一次，他看见一个埃及人杀了一个希伯来同胞。摩西左右观看，以为没有人注意，就下手杀了那埃及人，把尸首埋在沙里。第二天，摩西又到那里去，看见两个希伯来人在打架，就对那个理亏的说∶“你为什么欺负自己的同胞呢？”
　　那人回答∶“谁派你来作我们的首领，作我们的法官？你杀了那个埃及人，也要杀我吗？”摩西一听见这话，心里害怕，想∶“大家一定已经知道我所做的事了。”国王听到了这事，要杀摩西，摩西就逃到米甸去，住在那里。
　　有一天，摩西坐在井边；米甸祭司叶特罗的七个女儿出来打水，装满水槽，要给父亲的羊喝。有一些牧羊人来，把她们赶走。摩西起来保护她们，又帮助她们打水给羊喝。当她们回到父亲那里，父亲问∶“今天怎么这么早就回来？”
　　她们回答∶“有一个埃及人帮我们的忙，把欺负我们的牧羊人赶走了，还帮我们打水给羊喝。”
　　父亲问女儿∶“他在哪里？为什么把他留在外边？去请他来跟我们一起吃饭。”
　　后来摩西同意住在那里；叶特罗把他女儿西坡拉许配给摩西；西坡拉生了一个儿子。摩西说∶“我是寄居异乡的陌生人，就给这孩子取名革舜吧！”[注解]　
　　过了一段时期，埃及王死了，以色列人仍旧过着奴隶的生活。他们向上帝求救，呼求他帮助他们脱离苦役。上帝听见了他们的呻吟，记起他曾与他们的祖宗亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各立约。他看见以色列人被奴役的境况，非常关心他们。

　　The Birth of Moses　
　　During this time a man from the tribe of Levi married a woman of his own tribe, and she bore him a son. When she saw what a fine baby he was, she hid him for three months. [注解]　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. The baby's sister stood some distance away to see what would happen to him.
　　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. 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.
　　Then his sister asked her, "Shall I go and call a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?"
　　"Please do," she answered. So the girl went and brought the baby's own mother. 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. 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."[注解]　
　　Moses Escapes to Midian　
　　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. [注解]　Moses looked all around, and when he saw that no one was watching, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 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?"
　　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." 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. [注解]　
　　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. [注解]　But some shepherds drove Jethro's daughters away. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them. When they returned to their father, he asked, "Why have you come back so early today?"
　　"An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds," they answered, "and he even drew water for us and watered our animals."
　　"Where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave the man out there? Go and invite him to eat with us."
　　So Moses decided to live there, and Jethro gave him his daughter Zipporah in marriage, who bore him a son. Moses said to himself, "I am a foreigner in this land, and so I name him Gershom."[注解]　
　　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, who heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [注解]　He saw the slavery of the Israelites and was concerned for them.[注解]