¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill^(A) Moses, but Moses fled^(B) from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian,^(C) where he sat down by a well. ¹⁶ Now a priest of Midian^(D) had seven daughters, and they came to draw water^(E) and fill the troughs^(F) to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue^(G) and watered their flock.^(H)

¹⁸ When the girls returned to Reuel^(I) their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?”

¹⁹ They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

²⁰ “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”^(J)

²¹ Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah^(K) to Moses in marriage. ²² Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,^[a](L) saying, “I have become a foreigner^(M) in a foreign land.”

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro^(A) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,^(B) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,^(C) the mountain^(D) of God.

Moses Returns to Egypt

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

²⁹ Now Moses said to Hobab^(A) son of Reuel^(B) the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,^(C) “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’^(D) Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”