¹ Aftir these thingis a man of `the hows of Leuy yede out, and took a wijf ¹ of his kyn,

1. took a wiyf into fleisly coupling: for sche was his wiyf bifore, and hadde childid Aaron and Marie his sister.

² which conseyuede, and childide a sone. And sche seiy hym wel farynge, and hidde him bi thre monethis.

³ And whanne sche myyte not hele, thanne sche took a `leep of segge, and bawmede it with tar and pitch, and puttide the yong child with ynne, and puttide hym forth in a `place of spier of the brenke of the flood,

⁴ the while his sistir stood afer, and bihelde the bifalling of the thing.

⁵ Lo! forsothe the douytir of Farao cam doun to be waischun in the flood, and hir damysels walkiden bi the brenke of the flood. And whanne sche hadde seyn a leep in the `place of spier, sche sente oon of hir seruauntessis,

⁶ and sche openyde the leep brouyt to hir, and seiy a litil child wepynge ther ynne. And sche hadde mercy on the child, and seide, It is of the yonge children of Ebrews.

⁷ To whom the `sister of the child seide, Wolt thou that Y go, and clepe to thee an Ebrew womman, that may nurische the yong child?

⁸ She answeride, Go thou. The damysel yede, and clepide the `modir of the child.

⁹ To whom `the douytir of Farao spak, and seide, Take thou this child, and nurische to me; Y schal yyue to thee thi mede. The womman took, and nurischide the child, and bitook hym woxun to `the douytir of Farao,

¹⁰ whom sche purchaside `in to the place of sone; and sche clepide his name Moises, and seide, For Y took hym fro the watir.

¹¹ In tho daies, aftir that Moises encreesside, he yede out to hise britheren, and seiy the turment of hem, and a man Egipcian smytynge `oon of Ebrews, hise britheren.

¹² And whanne he hadde biholdun hidur and thidir, and hadde seyn, that no man was present, he killide the Egipcian, and hidde in soond.

¹³ And he yede out in another dai, and seiy tweyne Ebrews chidynge, and he seide to hym that dide wrong, Whi smytist thou thi brother?

¹⁴ Which answeride, Who ordeynede thee prince, ether iuge on vs? Whether thou wolt sle me, as thou killidist yisterdai the Egipcian? Moises dredde, and seide, Hou is this word maad opun?

¹⁵ And Farao herde this word, and souyte to sle Moyses, which fledde fro his siyt, and dwellide in the lond of Madian, and sat bisidis a pit.

¹⁶ Forsothe seuene douytris weren to the preest of Madian, that camen to drawe watir; and whanne the trouyis weren fillid, thei coueitiden to watere `the flockis of her fadir.

¹⁷ Scheepherdis camen aboue, and dreuen hem awei; and Moises roos, and defendide the dameselis; and he watride `the scheep of hem.

¹⁸ And whanne thei hadden turned ayen to Jetro, her fadir, he seide to hem, Whi camen ye swiftliere than ye weren wont?

¹⁹ Thei answeriden, A man of Egipt delyuerede vs fro the hond of scheepherdis; ferthermore and he drow watir with vs, and yaf drynk to the scheep.

²⁰ And he seide, Where is that man? whi leften ye the man? clepe ye hym, that he ete breed.

²¹ Therfor Moises swoor, that he wolde dwelle with Jetro; and he took a wijf, Sefora, `the douyter of Jetro.

²² And sche childide a sone to hym, whom he clepide Gersan, and seide, Y was a comelyng in an alyen lond. Forsothe sche childide an othir sone, whom he clepide Eliezer, and seide, For God of my fadir is myn helpere, and delyuerede me fro the hond of Farao.

²³ Forsothe aftir myche tyme the kyng of Egipt diede, and the sones of Israel inwardli weiliden for werkis, and crieden, and the cry of hem for werkis stiede to God.

²⁴ And he herde the weilyng of hem, and he hadde mynde of the boond of pees, which he hadde maad with Abraham, Ysaac, and Jacob; and he bihelde the sones of Israel,

²⁵ and knewe hem.