Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/170

 overseers over them,  to  oppress  them  with  labour. But the  more they were  oppressed,  the  more  numerous  they  became. The king, seeing this,  issued  a decree  that  all  the  male  children  born  of Hebrew  parents  should  be  cast  into  the  river ;  hoping,  by  this means, either  to  destroy  the  Hebrew  people,  or  at  least  to  prevent their increasing  in  number.

Now it  came  to  pass  that  a Hebrew  mother  bore  a son, and, seeing  that  he  was  very  beautiful,  she  hid  him  for  three months. At the  end  of  that  time,  not  being  able  to  keep  him any longer,  she  laid  the  babe  in  a basket  of  reeds  and  placed  it in  the  sedges by  the  river’s  bank. The sister  of  the  child  stood a little way  off,  to  see  what  would  happen.



And behold,  at  that  time  the  daughter  of  Pharao  went  down to bathe  in  the  Nile. Seeing the  basket  amongst  the  bulrushes by  the  river-bank,  the  princess  sent  one  of  her  maids  to  bring  it to  her. On opening  it,  they  saw  within  it  a lovely  infant,  crying piteously. She had  compassion  on  it,  and  said:  “This  is  one  of the  babes  of  the  Hebrews.”  The  child’s  sister  then,  taking courage, drew  near  and  asked: “Shall  I go  and  call  to  thee  a Hebrew  woman  to  nurse  the  babe?”  She  answered:  “Go!”  The maid went  and  called  her  mother.