Exodus 2 recounts the story of Moses’s birth and early years. Born during Pharaoh’s edict to kill Hebrew boys, Moses is hidden by his mother and placed in a basket in the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and raises him as her own son, while his mother acts as his nurse.

As an adult, Moses kills an Egyptian for beating a Hebrew and then flees to Midian. There, he marries Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, and begins a new life as a shepherd.

The chapter concludes with Israel crying out under slavery, and God hearing their cry, remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Exodus opens by listing the descendants of Jacob who came to Egypt. Over time, the Israelites multiply and become a mighty people. Joseph and those of his generation pass, and a new Pharaoh rises who does not remember Joseph and enslaves Israel, fearing their strength. Yet the more they are oppressed, the more they grow. Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill all baby boys, but they fear God and refuse. God blesses their faithfulness with families of their own, and Israel continues to flourish—setting the stage for divine deliverance.