And now, behold, simply emphasizes what follows, so the meaning is “I have indeed heard the cry of my people” (Good News Translation). The cry is the same word used in verse 7. The people of Israel may be understood as “my people” in contrast with the six other groups listed in verse 8. Has come to me is a bit stronger than “I have heard” in verse 7, suggesting an internal response to what has been heard. The English words “hearken” (archaic), “heed,” or “take notice of” are probably closer to the meaning. Some languages will have figurative expressions; for example, “take heart and put into” (Thai Common Language Version), meaning “take a deep interest in.”

I have seen the oppression is similar to verse 7, with the emphasis expressed differently. Oppression focuses more on the act of the oppressors, while “affliction” (verse 7) focuses on the misery of the oppressed. This distinction is made even clearer with the phrase with which the Egyptians oppress them. This is good Hebrew but unnatural English, so it is better expressed as “I see how the Egyptians are oppressing them” (Good News Translation) or “I have seen the brutality of the Egyptians towards them” (New English Bible). Another way to express this is “I have seen how cruelly the Egyptians are treating them.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .