God Leads the People

17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “aThe people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”

18 Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the 1Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ain martial array from the land of Egypt.

19 Moses took athe bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely 1take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.”

20 Then they set out from aSuccoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.

21 aThe Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might 1travel by day and by night.

22 1He adid not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Chapter 14

Pharaoh in Pursuit

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before aPi-hahiroth, between bMigdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.

3 “For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

4 “Thus aI will 1harden Pharaoh’s heart, and bhe will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and cthe Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, 1Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”

6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him;

7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

8 aThe Lord 1hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out 2bboldly.

9 Then athe Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, bbeside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel 1looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; aso the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.

11 Then athey said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, 1bringing us out of Egypt?

12 “aIs this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘1Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

The Sea Is Divided

13 But Moses said to the people, “aDo not fear! 1Stand by and see bthe salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.

14 “aThe Lord will fight for you while byou keep silent.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

16 “As for you, lift up ayour staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall 1go through the midst of the sea on dry land.

17 “As for Me, behold, aI will 1harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.

18 “aThen the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 aThe angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.

20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud 1along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

21 aThen Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord 1swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into bdry land, so cthe waters were divided.

22 aThe sons of Israel 1went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and bthe waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

23 Then athe Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.

24 At the morning watch, athe Lord looked down on the 1army of the Egyptians 2through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the 1army of the Egyptians into confusion.

25 He 1caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let 2us flee from Israel, afor the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “aStretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.”

27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and athe sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing 1right into it; then the Lord 2boverthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, 1even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; anot even one of them remained.

29 But the sons of Israel walked on adry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 aThus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel bsaw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

31 When Israel saw the great 1power which the Lord had 2used against the Egyptians, the people 3feared the Lord, and athey believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

Chapter 15

The Song of Moses and Israel

1 aThen Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, 1and said,

“2bI will sing to the Lord, for He 3is highly exalted;

cThe horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.

2 “1aThe Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation;

bThis is my God, and I will praise Him;

cMy father’s God, and I will dextol Him.

3 “aThe Lord is a warrior;

1bThe Lord is His name.

4 “aPharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;

And the choicest of his officers are 1drowned in the 2Red Sea.

5 “The deeps cover them;

aThey went down into the depths like a stone.

6 “aYour right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power,

bYour right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

7 “And in the greatness of Your 1excellence You aoverthrow those who rise up against You;

bYou send forth Your burning anger, and it cconsumes them as chaff.

8 “aAt the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,

bThe flowing waters stood up like a heap;

The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 “aThe enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will bdivide the spoil;

My 1desire shall be 2gratified against them;

I will draw out my sword, my hand will 3destroy them.’

10 “aYou blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;

bThey sank like lead in the 1mighty waters.

11 “aWho is like You among the gods, O Lord?

Who is like You, bmajestic in holiness,

cAwesome in praises, dworking wonders?

12 “aYou stretched out Your right hand,

The earth swallowed them.

13 “In Your lovingkindness You have aled the people whom You have bredeemed;

In Your strength You have guided them cto Your holy habitation.

14 “aThe peoples have heard, they tremble;

Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 “Then the achiefs of Edom were dismayed;

bThe leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;

cAll the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.

16 “aTerror and dread fall upon them;

bBy the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone;

Until Your people pass over, O Lord,

Until the people pass over whom You chave purchased.

17 “aYou will bring them and bplant them in cthe mountain of Your inheritance,

dThe place, O Lord, which You have made for Your dwelling,

eThe sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

18 “aThe Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

19 aFor the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on bdry land through the midst of the sea.

20 aMiriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the btimbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with 1cdancing.

21 Miriam answered them,

“aSing to the Lord, for He 1is highly exalted;

The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

The Lord Provides Water

22 aThen Moses 1led Israel from the 2Red Sea, and they went out into bthe wilderness of cShur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

23 When they came to aMarah, they could not drink the waters 1of Marah, for they were 2bitter; therefore it was named 3Marah.

24 So the people agrumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

25 Then he acried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ba tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There He cmade for them a statute and regulation, and there He dtested them.

26 And He said, “aIf you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear bto His commandments, and keep all His statutes, cI will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, dthe Lord, am your healer.”

27 Then they came to aElim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

Chapter 16

The Lord Provides Manna

1 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of aSin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on bthe fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.

2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel agrumbled against Moses and Aaron in the