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The History of Moses
The finding of Moses.
Exodus ii. 1.
Moses was the son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, and was born in Egypt. In consequence of the decree of Pharaoh for putting the male children of the Hebrews to death, his mother seeing that he was a goodly child, hid him three months. At length when she could no longer hide him, she made for him with her own hands a little cradle of bulrushes, which she daubed with slime and pitch to keep out the water, and having put the child into it, she laid it among the flags by the edge of the river Nile. She then left his sister at a little distance from the spot to watch the cradle. A short time after Jochebed had left her child, the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe herself in the river, and when she saw the little ark, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold the child wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrew’s children.” And the sister of the child, who had seen all that had passed, came to the princess, and said to her, “Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go:” and the maid went and called the child’s mother. And the woman took the child and nursed it. And we read that the child grew under the tender care of his mother, and that she took him when he was old enough unto Pharaoh’s daughter, who brought him up as her own son. And she called his name Moses, which, in the Egyptian tongue, means one saved out of the water.
As the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses was educated in a magnificent and princely manner, yet Moses did not forget his own people, or his father’s house. In his visits to his own people, Moses saw and pitied the miseries which they had to bear from the cruelty of King Pharaoh. He saw their sufferings, and could no longer be happy in the court of Egypt, among the enemies of his people and of their religion. His faith made him more proud of the name of Israelite then he had ever been of being called the adopted son of King Pharaoh’s daughter. Once more among his own people, he found it very difficult to see with patience all that they had to bear; and on one occasion we read that he saved a Hebrew from the hand of an Egyptian who was smiting him, and slew the Egyptian. When Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. And Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian, and lived several years with Jethro, who gave him one of his daughters for his wife.