וַיִּקְרָ֤א מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֔ת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לָהֶ֔ן מַדּ֥וּעַ עֲשִׂיתֶ֖ן הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַתְּחַיֶּ֖יןָ אֶת־הַיְלָדִֽים׃

The king of Egypt summoned the midwives, and he said to them: Why did you do this thing, and you kept the children alive? As I have not received reports of large-scale infant fatalities among the Hebrews, it is clear to me that you have not carried out my instructions.

וַתֹּאמַ֤רְןָ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹת֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה כִּ֣י לֹ֧א כַנָּשִׁ֛ים הַמִּצְרִיֹּ֖ת הָֽעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת כִּֽי־חָי֣וֹת הֵ֔נָּה בְּטֶ֨רֶם תָּב֧וֹא אֲלֵהֶ֛ן הַמְיַלֶּ֖דֶת וְיָלָֽדוּ׃

The midwives were unable to make the argument to Pharaoh that his instructions were immoral or illegal. They therefore offered an excuse: The midwives said to Pharaoh: We were unable to carry out your instructions because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women with whom you are familiar, as they are vigorous and remain alert throughout the birthing process, as opposed to the pampered and weak Egyptian women, who would frequently tire and enter a semiconscious state during childbirth. As such, before the midwife comes to them, they have already given birth, and the midwife is therefore unable to interfere. The newborns are given to the midwives only after their mothers have already seen them.

וַיֵּ֥יטֶב אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֑ת וַיִּ֧רֶב הָעָ֛ם וַיַּֽעַצְמ֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃

In ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh was far more than just a king. He was viewed as a deity or demigod, even while still alive. Accordingly, disobeying the king was an exceptional act. As a reward for their extraordinary courage, God favored the midwives and the people increased and became very mighty. The population of Israel was not suppressed; on the contrary, it continued to grow.

וַיְהִ֕י כִּֽי־יָֽרְא֥וּ הַֽמְיַלְּדֹ֖ת אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיַּ֥עַשׂ לָהֶ֖ם בָּתִּֽים׃

It was, because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. Their families grew and became honored and distinguished.

וַיְצַ֣ו פַּרְעֹ֔ה לְכָל־עַמּ֖וֹ לֵאמֹ֑ר כָּל־הַבֵּ֣ן הַיִּלּ֗וֹד הַיְאֹ֙רָה֙ תַּשְׁלִיכֻ֔הוּ וְכָל־הַבַּ֖ת תְּחַיּֽוּן׃ (ס)

Since he was unable to carry out his intentions through the midwives, Pharaoh commanded all his people directly, saying: Every son who is born to the Hebrews, into the Nile you shall cast him, but every daughter you shall keep alive. Whether this order became official Egyptian policy to be enforced by the government, or it was a command directed at any Egyptian citizen who found a Hebrew child, every newborn Hebrew boy was sentenced to be drowned in the river.

וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִ֖ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־בַּת־לֵוִֽי׃

A man from the house, the tribe, of Levi went and took a daughter of the head of the tribe of Levi.

וַתַּ֥הַר הָאִשָּׁ֖ה וַתֵּ֣לֶד בֵּ֑ן וַתֵּ֤רֶא אֹתוֹ֙ כִּי־ט֣וֹב ה֔וּא וַֽתִּצְפְּנֵ֖הוּ שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה יְרָחִֽים׃

The woman conceived and bore a son; she saw him that he was good; it was immediately apparent that he was special, and she concealed him for three months because of the murderous decree upon all newborn Hebrew boys.

וְלֹא־יָכְלָ֣ה עוֹד֮ הַצְּפִינוֹ֒ וַתִּֽקַּֽח־לוֹ֙ תֵּ֣בַת גֹּ֔מֶא וַתַּחְמְרָ֥ה בַחֵמָ֖ר וּבַזָּ֑פֶת וַתָּ֤שֶׂם בָּהּ֙ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וַתָּ֥שֶׂם בַּסּ֖וּף עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיְאֹֽר׃

After some time passed, she could no longer conceal him because his voice became stronger as he grew, leading to the possibility that he would be discovered by the king’s agents or other informants. The woman refused to capitulate to the king’s decree, so she took drastic action, and she took a wicker basket for him and coated it with clay on the inside and with pitch on the outside, to make it waterproof; she placed the child in it and placed it among the reeds growing on the bank of the Nile.

וַתֵּתַצַּ֥ב אֲחֹת֖וֹ מֵרָחֹ֑ק לְדֵעָ֕ה מַה־יֵּעָשֶׂ֖ה לֽוֹ׃

His older sister, Miriam (see 15:20), who was herself quite young, stationed herself at a distance, to know what would be done to him. Although she could not protect him from the decree, she watched from a distance to see what would be his fate. Perhaps because the child was noticeably special, they expected great things to come from him; she therefore wanted to see if these expectations would be fulfilled.

וַתֵּ֤רֶד בַּת־פַּרְעֹה֙ לִרְחֹ֣ץ עַל־הַיְאֹ֔ר וְנַעֲרֹתֶ֥יהָ הֹלְכֹ֖ת עַל־יַ֣ד הַיְאֹ֑ר וַתֵּ֤רֶא אֶת־הַתֵּבָה֙ בְּת֣וֹךְ הַסּ֔וּף וַתִּשְׁלַ֥ח אֶת־אֲמָתָ֖הּ וַתִּקָּחֶֽהָ

At that moment, Pharaoh’s daughter went down from her palace to bathe in the Nile, and her maidens, her servants, walked alongside the Nile to bathe as well, or to accompany and serve the princess. She, the princess, saw the basket among the reeds, and since it seemed unusual, she sent her maidservant and she took it .

וַתִּפְתַּח֙ וַתִּרְאֵ֣הוּ אֶת־הַיֶּ֔לֶד וְהִנֵּה־נַ֖עַר בֹּכֶ֑ה וַתַּחְמֹ֣ל עָלָ֔יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִיַּלְדֵ֥י הָֽעִבְרִ֖ים זֶֽה׃

She opened it and she saw the child, and behold, a boy was crying. She had compassion for him, and she said: This is from the children of the Hebrews. Perhaps she concluded that an Egyptian woman would not have abandoned a child in such a manner, or perhaps she was able to identify him as a Hebrew due to his skin color or facial features.

וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ֮ אֶל־בַּת־פַּרְעֹה֒ הַאֵלֵ֗ךְ וְקָרָ֤אתִי לָךְ֙ אִשָּׁ֣ה מֵינֶ֔קֶת מִ֖ן הָעִבְרִיֹּ֑ת וְתֵינִ֥ק לָ֖ךְ אֶת־הַיָּֽלֶד׃

Presumably, the discovery of the child caused a stir. Miriam, who until now was standing at a distance, noticed the gathering of maidens around the baby and approached them: His sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter: Shall I go and call a wet nurse for you from the Hebrews, and she will nurse the child for you? It would seem that Pharaoh’s daughter picked up the crying child, but was unable to calm him. The child was too young to eat food, and she could not nurse him; if she wanted to keep the child, she needed a wet nurse. Miriam suggested a Hebrew wet nurse, not necessarily because the child was himself a Hebrew, but because Hebrew women were a source of cheap labor, especially in light of the fact that many of their babies were murdered by the Egyptians. These women would certainly be delighted to receive such employment.

וַתֹּֽאמֶר־לָ֥הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֖ה לֵ֑כִי וַתֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הָֽעַלְמָ֔ה וַתִּקְרָ֖א אֶת־אֵ֥ם הַיָּֽלֶד׃

Pharaoh’s daughter was indifferent regarding the ethnicity of the wet nurse: Pharaoh’s daughter said to her: Go. The girl went, and summoned the child’s mother. This was obviously the preferable scenario, as the mother could now nurse her own child, and Pharaoh’s daughter would be unaware that the wet nurse was in fact his biological mother.

וַתֹּ֧אמֶר לָ֣הּ בַּת־פַּרְעֹ֗ה הֵילִ֜יכִי אֶת־הַיֶּ֤לֶד הַזֶּה֙ וְהֵינִקִ֣הוּ לִ֔י וַאֲנִ֖י אֶתֵּ֣ן אֶת־שְׂכָרֵ֑ךְ וַתִּקַּ֧ח הָאִשָּׁ֛ה הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַתְּנִיקֵֽהוּ׃

Pharaoh’s daughter said to her: Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages. Since Pharaoh’s daughter took an interest in the well-being of the child, he could safely be reunited with his mother. Now, the child’s mother would care for him just as before, and would even receive payment for nursing him. The woman took the child and nursed him.

וַיִגְדַּ֣ל הַיֶּ֗לֶד וַתְּבִאֵ֙הוּ֙ לְבַת־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַֽיְהִי־לָ֖הּ לְבֵ֑ן וַתִּקְרָ֤א שְׁמוֹ֙ מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַתֹּ֕אמֶר כִּ֥י מִן־הַמַּ֖יִם מְשִׁיתִֽהוּ׃

The child grew, and once he was weaned, he could be cared for by a woman who was not a wet nurse. So she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was a son to her. Pharaoh’s daughter adopted the child, and she called his name Moses [ Moshe ], and she said: I named him thus because I drew him from the water [ meshitihu ].