The Early Life of Moses

Optional titles:The Lord did not allow the King to kill Moses.Moses’s first years.

[Long ago] the nation called Egypt was ruled by a cruel [evil] King. [Egyptian people called their king Pharaoh.] Jacob’s [or Israel’s] family [descendants] had come to live in Egypt. Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites, counted 12 tribes.

Egypt’s King forced [caused / made] all the Israelites [adults] to work for him as slaves. He put in command task masters [bosses] over them. These task masters beat the slaves and forced them to work very hard.

The Egyptian people called the Israelites Hebrews. When the Hebrews had become many people, Pharaoh feared that they might [would] join with Egypt’s enemies.

So Pharaoh commanded [gave a law to] the Egyptian people, saying, “When you find newborn Hebrew boys, throw them into the big river so that they die!”

Now [Well], there were a Hebrew man and his wife who had [birthed] a new baby boy. This baby was their third child.

Because the man and his wife wanted their baby boy to live, they hid him from the Egyptians. But after three months, the mother could no longer hide the boy.

So the mother made [wove / built] a strong basket in the shape of a little boat. She covered it with tar [sticky stuff like tree pitch] so that it would float on water [at the edge of a river].

The mother hid [laid] her baby boy in the little boat [basket], and then she put the basket [little boat] to float on [the river] water among the reeds [tall grass].

The baby boy had an older sister named Miriam. Miriam stayed near the water, watching over the little boat [basket] to see what would happen.

That day [soon] one of the King’s daughters came with some girl servants to the river to bathe. There she saw the little boat [basket] among the reeds, and sent a girl servant to fetch [get / pick] it.

When she opened the basket, she saw the baby crying. She took pity [felt sorry] on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

So Miram came near to the King’s daughter and said, “Shall I find [get / bring] a Hebrew women to nurse [feed and care for] the child for you?”

Pharaoh’s daughter replied, “Yes, Go do so!” So Miriam ran home and brought the child’s own mother.

The King’s daughter paid the mother money to nurse the child in the mother’s home. Thus [In this way], they kept the child safe.

When the boy was old enough, his mother took him to the King’s daughter, and he [the child] stayed in her big house.

The King’s daughter named the boy Moses. She said, “I lifted him out of water.” In fact, the name Moses means “lift out.”

From that day, Moses became the King’s daughter’s son. But many people reminded him that he was a Hebrew [Israelite], not an Egyptian.

Moses grew up. One day he went to see where the Hebrews stayed [lived]. He saw Egyptian bosses force his Hebrew people to work very hard [as slaves].

When Moses saw an Egyptian boss beat a Hebrew man, Moses felt anger.

When Moses saw that no one else was watching, he killed the Egyptian boss and buried his body in the sand [the ground].

Next day, Moses went again to see the Hebrews. He saw a Hebrew man beating [fighting with] another Hebrew man.

When Moses asked, “Why are you beating [fighting with] this man?” That Hebrew replied, “Who made you our boss? [You should not think that God made you to be our boss / judge / ruler!] Will you try to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?”

Then Moses became frightened, because others now knew that he had killed an Egyptian. Therefore [so], Moses ran away [fled / left] from Egypt.

When the King learned [heard] that Moses had killed an Egyptian, he ordered soldiers to go find and kill Moses. But they did not find him.

Moses fled [traveled] to a country called Midian, where there was a priest named Jethro. One day, as Moses sat near a [water] well, Jethro’s daughters led their herds [sheep and goats / animals] to the well to get water for them.

While the young women were drawing [getting] water [for their animals], men shepherds came and chased them away.

When Moses saw this, he caused the men to cease [their abuse]. He then helped the women to give water to their herds [sheep and goats / animals]. The young women thought Moses was an Egyptian.

The young women came home early and told their father how an Egyptian man had rescued them from some [abusive / rude / bad] men shepherds. They also told him how the man had helped them give water to their herds [sheep and goats / animals].

Jethro sent his daughters back to tell Moses to come eat at his house. So, Moses came to stay with Jethro in the country [land] of Midian.

Later, Moses married [Zipporah] one of Jethro’s daughters. Moses and she had two sons together.

Years later, the King over Egypt died. A new King also treated the Israelites harshly [cruelly / badly]. When the Israelites began to cry out to God for his help, God heard their cries.

When God saw how much the Israelites were suffering in Egypt, he remembered the covenant [promises] that he had given to Abraham and to his sons [descendants] Isaac and Jacob.