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and of Jacob, Levi, and Jacob was born to Isaac, and Isaac descended from Abraham. When the child was three years old, both his stature for his age and the grace of his form were distinguished by a more divine grace, and his understanding grew far beyond his age. Thermuthis, therefore, being without legitimate offspring, adopts him and brings him to her father. And he, having embraced the child, out of affection places the diadem upon him. And the child, supposedly out of childishness, throws it to the ground and stepped on it with his feet. When the sacred scribe saw this, who had foretold that someone would be born from the Hebrews who would humble the rule of the Egyptians, crying out, said, "This is that child, whom if you kill, you will remove the fear from the Egyptians," but Thermuthis snatched him away first, and God made Pharaoh slow to the murder. And Moses, having come of age from such a beginning, the sort of man he was in virtue became manifest to the Egyptians. Ethiopians, being neighbors to Egypt, were ravaging their country, and the Egyptians marched against them; and they were defeated. And the Ethiopians, despising them, wore down all of Egypt. And according to a divine oracle, Pharaoh asks his daughter for Moses, who was already a man, to be his general against the Ethiopians. And she gives him, having made her father swear an oath to do him no harm. And Moses, being entrusted with the war, not by the usual road leads the army against the enemy, but through a pathless region because of the multitude of venomous1.43 serpents; here he also demonstrated his intelligence. For having made baskets and having filled these with ibises (and Egypt raises many of these, and they are tame), he carried them along that road; and the ibises are enemies to these venomous creatures; and with these going before the army, he used them as champions against the venomous creatures. And he falls upon the Ethiopians, who suspected nothing, and he conquers them and captures not a few of their cities. And they, having been driven together into Saba, a royal city of Ethiopia, which Cambyses later named Meroe after his sister of the same name, were besieged; and the city was difficult to besiege. But Tharbis, the daughter of the ruler of the Ethiopians, fell in love with Moses and sends to him about marriage. And he agreed, if she would surrender the city to him. The deed precedes the words, and Moses celebrated the marriage, and led the Egyptians back to their own land. But they hated him, even though they were saved, and they provoked Pharaoh against him. And he, being persuaded by the sacred scribes and because of the killing of the Egyptian who was flogging the Hebrew, as is contained in the book of Genesis, even if Josephus passed this over, undertook the killing of Moses. But he, although the roads were being guarded, secretly withdraws through the desert, and goes away to the city of Midian, and is received as a guest by the priest of the city, who, having two names, was called Raguel and Jethro. And he gives his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage and makes him shepherd of his flocks. And while Moses was pasturing on Mount Sinai, he is granted the vision concerning the bush, which fire was burning, 1.44 yet it was not consumed. Then he also hears a voice from there, which commanded him not to advance, since the place was divine, and it foretold the things that would be, and it ordered him to go to Egypt, to deliver his kinsmen from the affliction there and to lead them out of Egypt, and he was commanded to make sacrifices in that place. These things from the fire Moses hears from God. But he was at a loss how he might persuade his own people or compel Pharaoh to permit the exodus. And God promised him that He would make these things very easy, and for a sign he is ordered to throw his staff to the ground; and when he threw it, it became a serpent; then when he took hold of it, it was a staff again. And being commanded to put his right hand into his bosom, he brought it out white as lime in color, then it was restored to its former appearance. And being ordered to take some of the nearby water and to pour it on the ground, he sees what was poured become like blood. He was therefore exhorted to be of good courage at these things and to delay no longer. Therefore, taking his wife and the children from her, Gershom, which means

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καὶ τοῦ ̓Ιακὼβ ὁ Λευί, ̓Ιακὼβ δὲ ἐτέχθη τῷ ̓Ισαάκ, ̓Ισαὰκ δ' ἐξέφυτῷ ̓Αβραάμ. τριετεῖ δὲ τῷ παιδὶ γεγονότι καὶ τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀνάστημα καὶ τὸ τῆς μορφῆς ἀστεῖον ἐκ θειοτέρας ἐπέπρεπε χάριτος, ἡ δὲ σύνεσις πολὺ κρείττων τῆς ἡλικίας ἐφύετο. ἡ Θέρμουθις ουν γνησίας ἀμοιροῦσα γονῆς υἱοθετεῖται αὐτὸν καὶ κομίζει πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ὁ δὲ τὸν παῖδα προστερνισάμενος ἐπιτίθησιν αὐτῷ κατὰ φιλοφρόνησιν τὸ διάδημα. καὶ ὁ παῖς αὐτὸ κατὰ νηπιότητα δῆθεν ῥιπτεῖ κατὰ γῆς καὶ ἐπέβαινε τοῖς ποσίν. οπερ ὁ ἱερογραμματεὺς θεασάμενος, ος ἐκ τῶν ̔Εβραίων γενέσθαι τινὰ τὸν τὴν Αἰγυπτίων ἀρχὴν ταπεινώσοντα προεῖπεν, ἀνακραγών "ουτος" ειπεν "ἐκεῖνος ὁ παῖς, ον ἀνελὼν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις τὸ δέος περίελε," εφθη δ' αὐτὸν ἡ Θέρμουθις ἐξαρπάσασα, καὶ τὸν Φαραὼ δὲ νωθρὸν πρὸς τὸν φόνον διέθηκεν ὁ θεός. Παρελθὼν δὲ εἰς ἡλικίαν ὁ Μωυσῆς ἐκ τοιαύτης λαβῆς οιος τὴν ἀρετὴν ην φανερὸς τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἐγένετο. πρόσοικοι οντες τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ Αἰθίοπες ἐσίνοντο τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν, οἱ δ' Αἰγύπτιοι στρατεύουσιν ἐπ' αὐτούς· καὶ ἡττήθησαν, Αἰθίοπες δὲ καταφρονήσαντες αὐτῶν τὴν απασαν κατέτρυχον Αιγυπτον. κατὰ δὲ θεῖον χρησμὸν αἰτεῖ τὴν θυγατέρα τὸν Μωυσῆν Φαραὼ ηδη ἀνδρωθέντα, κατὰ τῶν Αἰθιόπων στρατηγὸν αὐτῷ γενησόμενον. ἡ δὲ δίδωσιν, ὁρκώσασα τὸν πατέρα μηδὲν αὐτὸν διαθεῖναι κακόν. Μωυσῆς δὲ τὸν πόλεμον πιστευθεὶς οὐ διὰ συνήθους ὁδοῦ αγει ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους τὴν στρατιάν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἀστιβήτου ἐκ πλήθους ἑρπετῶν ἰοβό1.43 λων· ενθα καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ ἐπεδείξατο. πλέγματα γὰρ ποιήσας καὶ ταῦτα πληρώσας ιβεων, πολλὰς δὲ ταύτας τρέφει καὶ χειροήθεις ἡ Αιγυπτος, κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκείνην ἐκόμιζεν· αἱ δὲ ιβεις τοῖς ἰοβόλοις τούτοις πολέμιοι· καὶ ταύταις προηγουμέναις τῆς στρατιᾶς προμάχοις κατὰ τῶν ἰοβόλων ἐχρήσατο. καὶ μηδὲν προγνοῦσιν επεισι τοῖς Αἰθίοψι, καὶ τούτους νικᾷ καὶ πόλεις αὐτῶν αἱρεῖ οὐκ ὀλίγας. οἱ δὲ συνελαθέντες εἰς Σαβὰν πόλιν βασίλειον ουσαν Αἰθιοπίας, ην υστερον Καμβύσης Μερόην ὠνόμασε διὰ τὴν ὁμώνυμον ἀδελφήν, ἐπολιορκοῦντο· ην δὲ ἡ πόλις δυσπολιόρκητος. Θάρβις δὲ τοῦ Αἰθιόπων κρατοῦντος θυγάτηρ εἰς ερωτα ωλισθε Μωυσέως καὶ διαπέμπεται πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ γάμου, ὁ δὲ κατένευεν, εἰ παραδοίη τὴν πόλιν αὐτῷ. φθάνει τὸ εργον τοὺς λόγους, καὶ Μωυσῆς ἐτέλει τοὺς γάμους, καὶ τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἀπήγαγεν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν. οἱ δ' ἐμίσουν αὐτὸν καὶ σωζόμενοι, καὶ ἠρέθιζον τὸν Φαραὼ κατ' αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἱερογραμματεῦσι πειθόμενος καὶ διὰ τὸν φόνον τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου τοῦ τὸν ̔Εβραῖον μαστίζοντος, ὡς τῇ βίβλῳ περιείληπται τῆς Γενέσεως, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο παρέδραμεν ὁ ̓Ιώσηπος, ἐπέθετο τῇ ἀναιρέσει τοῦ Μωυσέως. ὁ δὲ καὶ τῶν ὁδῶν φυλαττομένων λαθὼν ὑπέξεισι διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου, καὶ εἰς πόλιν απεισι Μαδιάμ, καὶ ξενίζεται παρὰ τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἱερεῖ, ος καὶ διώνυμος ων ̔Ραγουὴλ ἐκαλεῖτο καὶ ̓Ιοθόρ. ὁ δὲ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ Σεπφώραν τῷ Μωυσῇ πρὸς γάμον ἐκδίδωσιν καὶ ποιμένα ποιεῖται τῶν ἑαυτοῦ θρεμμάτων. Νέμων δ' ἐπὶ τὸ Σίναιον ορος ὁ Μωυσῆς τοῦ περὶ τὴν βάτον ἀξιοῦται ὁράματος, ην εφλεγε πῦρ, 1.44 οὐ μέντοι κατέκαιεν. ειτα καὶ φωνῆς ἐκεῖθεν ἀκούει, η μὴ προβαίνειν ἐπέταττεν, ατε θείου τοῦ τόπου τυγχάνοντος, καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα προηγόρευε, καὶ ἀπιέναι αὐτῷ εἰς Αιγυπτον ἐκέλευε, τοὺς ὁμογενεῖς τῆς ἐκεῖ κακώσεως ἀπαλλάξοντι καὶ ἐξάξοντι αὐτοὺς τῆς Αἰγύπτου, θυσίας τε εἰς ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον ποιεῖν ἐνετέλλετο. ταῦτα ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς θεοκλυτεῖται ὁ Μωυσῆς. ὁ δ' ἠπόρει πῶς η τοὺς οἰκείους πείσειεν η βιάσαιτο Φαραὼ ἐπιτρέψαι τὴν εξοδον. καὶ ὁ θεὸς ῥᾷστα ταῦτα θήσειν αὐτῷ ἐπηγγέλλετο, καὶ εἰς πίστιν τὴν βακτηρίαν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀφεῖναι κελεύεται, καὶ ἀφέντος δράκων ἐγένετο, ειτ' ἐπιλαβομένου πάλιν βάκτρον ην. καὶ καθεῖναι τὴν δεξιὰν εἰς τὸν κόλπον προσταχθείς, λευκὴν ὁμοίαν τιτάνῳ τὴν χρόαν ἐξήνεγκεν, ειτα καὶ εἰς τὸ πρότερον ειδος ἀποκατέστη. καὶ τοῦ πλησίον υδατος λαβεῖν κελευσθεὶς καὶ καταχέαι τῆς γῆς, ὁρᾷ τὸ χεθὲν αἱματῶδες. θαρρεῖν ουν ἐπὶ τούτοις παρεκελεύετο καὶ μηκέτι μέλλειν. παραλαβὼν ουν τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς, Γηρσών, ο σημαίνει