1526 BC, Goshen

Hannah was extremely suspicious. Jochabed should have given birth 3 months ago! Her baby bump had disappeared. Yet she hadn't heard a birth, nor had soldiers been to their place. However, she sometimes, very briefly, thought she heard a baby crying. Were Amram and Jochabed hiding a baby boy? She was determined to find out.

It was early morning. Hannah kissed her husband goodbye as he headed out to work for the day. She looked over at Amram's house, and saw him leaving for work. She walked over.

Amram saw Hannah walking over to his house. He called out, "Good morning, Hannah!"

Hannah didn't answer. She simply hurried past – straight into the house! "Hannah!" Amram called, fear rising in his chest. He hurried after her.

Hannah stood just inside the doorway, hearing Amram coming after her. There was no baby in the main room – only Miriam and Aaron eating, looking at her curiously – so...

Hannah quickly went over to the bedroom doorway and flung open the curtain covering it, just as Amram burst into the house. "Hannah!"

But Hannah wasn't listening. She was staring down at the now-frightened Jochabed, stitting on teh floor cradling what was obviously a baby boy in her arms. "So..." Hannah began, just as Amram came up behond her. "You've been hiding a baby boy."

Jochabed started to regain her composure. "Hannah..."

Before she could finish, Hannah – with a look that combined grief, anger and jealousy – turned and left. Amram and Jochabed stared at each other for a few seconds. "Make a basket," Amram said. "Make it of reeds and bulrushes. Cover it with pitch and tar. We'll entrust our baby to Yehovah... on the river."

Jochabed just nodded. She knew he was absolutely right.

A couple of hours later

Jochabed was now applying the last of the pitch and tar to the small basket. She would have to let it dry before it could be brought to use. Every second was an eternity, praying that the soldiers would be delayed.

After half an hour, Jochabed decided the basket was dry enough. She couldn't wait any longer. Lining the inside with blankets, she gingerly placed her sleeping son – whom they had never even named – in the ark. Tears filled her eyes. She could barely bring herself to do it. But she knew she had to.

Closing the lid, Jochabed turned to Miriam, who was standing in the doorway. "Miriam," she whispered, "come with me."

Miriam followed her mother along the 10-minute walk to the bank of the River Nile. (There were no houses directly between their house and the river.) At the edge of the river – full of tall reeds that hid them from prying eyes – Jochabed placed the basket containing her son on the water. It floated. "Miriam," she said, "I want you to keep watch over your brother. Here," she pulled from her clothing a skin of water and a bag of food and a skin of milk. "This is for you and your brother. Keep watch for the rest of the day. I'll bring you more food and water. I'll watch him in the night."

"Yes, Mother," Miriam replied, fully aware of the gravity of the situation.

Back at the house

Jochabed was barely in the house, when a banging on teh front door started with cries of, "Open up!"

Knowing they were soldiers, Jochabed immediately went and answered.

"We've received a report that you're hiding a baby boy," the lead solder told her.

"A baby boy?" Jochabed asked, feigning shock. "I'm afraid you're mistaken."

"Stand aside," the lead soldier growled as he shoved her out of the way. "Search the place." The soldiers began ransacking the house. Jochabed quickly went to Aaron and held him.

Within a few minutes, all the soldiers were calling out, "Nothing!" A couple more came in and said, "We searched around the outside. Nothing."

The head soldier sighed. "Probably another false alarm." And with that, they left.

When the soldiers were well and truly gone, Jochabed let out a sigh of relief.

7 days later

Miriam got up early, picked up the food left out for her, and headed down to the river bank. She found her mother asleep among the reeds, the basket drifting nearby. She gently shook Jochabed awake, then took up her post watching her brother. They had been following this routine for a week now. Jochabed would watch and suckle the baby during the night, getting little sleep. Miriam would take care of him during the day.

During this time, the basket drifted little. It now lay about 20 metres downriver of where Jochabed had first set it. Although during the last night, it had drifted out very slightly beyond the reeds as Jochabed dozed.

Still tired, Miriam spent a couple minutes waking herself up (with a small amount of splashing). Then, she waded into the river to bring the basket in.

Then, it happened.

The basket caught the current – and started floating downstream! Miriam gasped. She couldn't do anything to stop the basket, but she followed it.

About 2 miles downstream was a sort of open-air courtyard, surrounded by trees, bushes and reeds. It was adjacent to one of the residences of Princess Sobekneferu, Pharaoh Amenemhat's daughter! Sobekneferu – who was known to the Hebrews as Tharmuth – often went there to bathe.

Miriam was getting concerned. She could hear the baby starting to cry. She was just beginning to wonder if she should swim out and retrieve the basket, when she suddenly pulled up short. Just ahead was Tharmuth's residence. And there she was, with her maidens, just going to bathe!

Miriam could only watch.

At the residence

Princess Sobekneferu was just going to bathe in the river – accompanied by all her maidens, of course. As she sat, dangling her legs in the water, she heard a baby crying. She looked out on the river, and saw a basket floating a short way out. The crying seemed to be coming from it. "That's strange," she thought. Then aloud to two of her maidens, "Bithiah and Memnet, go out and bring that basket to me."

Miriam – getting as close as she dared – watched as the afore-mentioned servants swam out and retrieved the basket.

As Bithiah and Memnet got closer, it became clearer that the crying really was coming from inside the basket. They looked at each other, but did as they were told.

Sobekneferu watched as her maids brought the basket in. The wailing got louder as the basket got closer. Bithiah and Memnet brought the basket to her.

Sobekneferu reached over and opened the lid of the basket. She gasped. Inside was an incredibly beautiful baby boy. Albeit one who was screaming his head off.

Sobekneferu fell in love with him instantly. She gingerly lifted him out of the basket, a look of strong affection on her face. Understanding quickly dawned on her. "This is one of the Hebrew children."

"Yes," Memnet said. "And by law should be put to death."

"No!" Sobekneferu firmly replied, full of compassion for the boy. "I will raise him as my son. He will be heir to the kingdom."

Sobekneferu sat down with the still-crying (but slightly calmer) baby boy. She tried to breastfeed him – but he refused.

"With all due respect," Memnet spoke up, "may I try?"

"Yes," Sobekneferu said, giving the baby to her. But he refused her too. Same thing happened with Bithiah and several of the other maidens.

At this point, Miriam stepped in. Trying to make herself look like she had just come to take a look at the baby – as opposed to having been following him – she spoke up. "Excuse me." Everyone instantly turned and looked at her, heightening her nervousness. "As it appears futile to get the baby to suckle an Egyptian woman – who are not of his kin – shall I fetch a Hebrew woman to nurse the child?"

Sobekneferu thought for a moment. "Yes. Go and fetch a Hebrew nurse for my son."

Miriam immediately turned and ran. She ran all the way back to her house.

Jochabed was just coming to check on Miriam and the baby. However, she couldn't find either of them! She was just beginning to worry, when Miriam came running up.

"Mother! Mother!" Miriam called.

"What is it?" Jochabed asked Miriam. "Where have you been? Where's the baby?"

Miriam smiled through her panting. "Floated downriver. Couldn't stop it." Jochabed's hand flew to her mouth. "Princess Tharmuth found her. She wants to adopt him for her own." Jochabed's hand dropped, and she gaped at her daughter. "And she sent me to find a Hebrew nurse for him."

Jochabed's mind swam. God was protecting her son better than anyone could imagine! Her son was to be raised as the grandson of Pharaoh Amenemhat III – the very man who had ordered his death – and the great-grandson of Pharaoh Senusret III! AND she would be able to nurse him! It was almost too good to be true!

After leaving Aaron with one of her friends (one more trustworthy than Hannah), she rushed away with Miriam to see the junior pharaoh's daughter. They found Sobekneferu walking around with the child – who had by now calmed down – quietly talking to him.

Sobekneferu looked up as Miriam and Jochabed arrived. She immediately walked over. "You are a nurse who will look after my son?"

"Yes, Great One," Jochabed replied. "My name is Jochabed."

"Well, we shall see," Sobekneferu replied. "Will he accept your breast?"

Sobekneferu gave the child to Jochabed, who was given a place to sit. To everyone's surprise – everyone, that is, except Jochabed and Miriam – the baby gladly fed from her breast.

Sobekneferu smiled at Jochabed. "Well, it looks like you will be his nurse. Take him and look after him. I will give you your wages."

"What about a name for the child?" Bithiah asked.

"Well," Sobekneferu responded, "I drew him out of the water. So I will call him... Moses."