(5) The daughter of Paroh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to fetch it. (6) When she opened it, she saw that it was a child, a boy crying. She took pity on it and said, “This must be a Hebrew child.”

(10) When the child grew up, she brought him to Paroh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moshe, explaining, “I drew him out of the water.” (11) Sometime after that, when Moshe had grown up, he went out to his brothers and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brothers. (12) He turned this way and that and, seeing no one about, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (13) When he went out the next day, he found two Hebrews fighting; so he said to the offender, “Why do you strike your fellow?” (14) He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moshe was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known! (15) When Paroh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moshe; but Moshe fled from Paroh. He arrived in the land of Midyan, and sat down beside a well. (16) Now the priest of Midyan had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock; (17) but shepherds came and drove them off. Moshe rose to their defense, and he watered their flock.

He saw their burdens — he set his eyes and mind to share in their distress.

Perhaps God caused it to come about that Moshe would grow up in the royal palace, that his soul might be habituated to be on the highest level, not lowly and accustomed to being in a house of slaves. For do we not see that he kills the Egyptian for performing an act of unjust violence? And he saves the Midianite daughters from the shepherds, for they (the shepherds) perform unjust violence in watering their flocks from the water drawn by them (the daughters of Re’uel).