^23 (A) When Moses was 40 years old, he wanted to help the Israelites because they were his own people. ²⁴ One day he saw an Egyptian mistreating one of them. So he rescued the man and killed the Egyptian. ²⁵ Moses thought the rest of his people would realize God was going to use him to set them free. But they didn't understand.

²⁶ The next day Moses saw two of his own people fighting, and he tried to make them stop. He said, “Men, you are both Israelites. Why are you so cruel to each other?”

²⁷ But the man who had started the fight pushed Moses aside and asked, “Who made you our ruler and judge? ²⁸ Are you going to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?”