20. Mūlamuṭĕyon Ekan (Baby Moses Taken from the Water)

The opening lines of a song with a lullaby-like tune, telling the Biblical story of how Baby Moses was saved by two women. First his mother hid him in a floating box and then the Pharaoh's daughter took him from the water and raised him as her son. Each line is repeated.

Text

God Who is the First Cause,                           He came just in time
And He made a decree                                    about little Moshe Rabban.

Going down to the stream,                            his mother carried it safely.
In the backwater stream it went floating -- that good square box.

The box was closed very well,                       so that it wouldn't come open.
As the royal maids were bathing,                 refreshing themselves in the river,

The box came straight to them,                    on the bank in front of the palace.
When it arrived at their feet,                           together they opened the box.

***

Then she took up the son,                               and they went to the palace.
When she nurtured him there--                     rocking, caressing, and feeding --

He got the power of discernment,                and he became very wise.
The Strong God Nayan                                      made in him great changes.

The Strong God Nayan                                      made Moshe wise and strong.
The most powerful person                               to be born upon the earth,

He was even stronger                                         than the men of the wilderness.
No one but God could equal                           the strength of Moshe.