Exodus 2

2 ¹Now one man wey come from di house of Levi go marry one daughter of Levi. ²Di woman come get belle, she come born one boy pikin; wen she see say di pikin healthy well-well, she hide am for three months. ³Wen she no fit hide am again, she come get one basket wey dem make with papyrus, she rub tar and pitch for body am, put di pikin inside, come drop am among di reeds for di edge of River Nile. ⁴Di pikin sister come stand for far, dey watch to see wetin go happen to am. ⁵Pharaoh im daughter come go down go bath for River Nile, and im maids dey waka for di side of di Nile. She come see di basket among di reeds, she send im maid make she go carry am come. ⁶She come open am, she see di pikin—na small boy pikin, wey dey cry. Im belle come dey pain am for di pikin, she come talk say, “Na one of di Hebrew children be dis.”

⁷Di pikin sister come ask Pharaoh im daughter, “Make I go call one Hebrew woman make she nurse di pikin give you?”

⁸“Yes, go,” na so Pharaoh im daughter answer. So di girl come go call di pikin im mama.

⁹Pharaoh im daughter come tell am, “Take dis pikin go nurse am for me; I go pay you your wages.” Di woman come take di pikin go nurse am.

¹⁰Di boy come grow; she come bring am go give Pharaoh im daughter, wey adopt am, she come name am Moses: “Bikos na from di water I draw am comot.” ^a a v10 Di name Moses sound like di word for “to draw comot” — dem name am for di moment wey dem lift am comot from di water.

Moses for Middle of Im Own People

¹¹For dose days Moses come grow up, e go out go meet im people, e see di heavy work wey dey pain dem, and e see one Egyptian dey beat one Hebrew, one of im own people. ¹²E come look here and there, and wen e see say nobody dey, e kill di Egyptian come hide am for inside di sand.

¹³Di next day e come go out, e see two Hebrew people dey fight, e come ask di one wey do bad, “Why you dey beat your companion?”

¹⁴Di man come talk say, “Who make you ruler and judge over us? You wan kill me as you kill di Egyptian?” Fear come catch Moses, e come think say, “True-true, di matter don comot.”

¹⁵Pharaoh come hear am, e come dey find way to kill Moses; Moses come run comot from Pharaoh, e go settle for di land of Midian, e come sidon for one well.

¹⁶Di priest of Midian get seven daughters; dem come dey draw water dey fill di troughs to give im papa im flock water. ¹⁷Wen di shepherds come drive dem comot, Moses come stand up, e rescue dem, come give dem flock water. ¹⁸Wen dem go back go meet dem papa Reuel, e come ask, “Why una come back early like dis today?”

¹⁹Dem come talk say, “One Egyptian save us from di shepherds, e even draw water give us come give di flock water.”

²⁰“Where e dey?” na so e ask im daughters. “Why una leave di man? Go call am make e come chop.”

²¹Moses come gree to stay with di man, wey come give im daughter Zipporah to Moses for marriage. ²²She come born one boy pikin; Moses come name am Gershom, e talk say, “I don be stranger for land wey no be my own.” ^b b v22 Di name Gershom sound like di Hebrew word for “stranger for there” — Moses name im pikin for im own life as stranger wey dey far from home.

²³Afta long time, di king of Egypt come die. Israel im children come dey groan bikos of slavery, dem cry out; dem cry come rise go reach our Papa from di slavery. ²⁴Our Papa come hear dem groaning, and e remember im Covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵Our Papa come look di Israelites, and e understand.