What do I do now?  Pharaoh surely will find out what I’ve done.  If these two people heard about or maybe saw what I did the other day, word will get back to Thutmose.  Maybe he already knows I killed an Egyptian.  

I had no choice.  That Egyptian was whipping a man, yelling “Now, Jew, you’ll really have something to complain about.”  The man’s back was covered with bloody slashes.  Was I supposed to just walk away, pretend I didn’t see it? 

Even though Pharaoh’s daughter tells me she is my mother, I know that’s not true.  Some time ago a young woman, about my age, told me I am not an Egyptian, that I am a Jew just like her.  In fact, she told me she is my real sister, that her name is Miriam.  She looked a little bit like me and told me about my real mother and father.  So I am a Jew too.  Was I supposed to just walk away as one of my countrymen was being beaten to death?  Of course, I stepped in and killed the Egyptian.   But what do I do now?

Pharaoh has treated me like his son and given me great honors after I led our patriotic forces to victory against the Ethiopians.  He promised that after his death, I would be Pharaoh of all Egypt.  I was happy with that thought until my sister showed up and told me I am a Jew.  And I saw how the Jews were mistreated, working from morning until night with bricks building the great pyramids to honor all our Pharaohs.   

I no longer think of myself as an Egyptian and those pyramids are being built by the sweat and bloody deaths of my people.  How can I ever go back to living in the palace with Thutmose and his daughter?  And, even if I wanted to, they would not let me.  Egypt has been my country but if I don’t leave it, they will kill me too.  I killed an Egyptian.  I cannot live there.  I cannot live anywhere in Egypt. A life for a life they say.  

Where can I go?  I made my way to my real family’s house and my sister and brother said they would show me where I would be safe.  They talked about the land promised to our ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  It was the land God promised all Jews.  I agreed it would be a good place for me to go.

But then they told me that most Jews do not live there yet.  There were, however, some friendly people called Midianites who would help me.  Even if Pharaoh sent men after me, the they would fight for me.  I should stay there for a very long time, maybe the rest of my life because Pharaoh, like every Pharaoh before him, never forgives anyone.