Exodus 14–15

Crossing the Red Sea

14Then the Lord said to Moses, ²“Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the Red Sea, near Baal Zephon. ³The king will think that the Israelites are wandering about in the country and are closed in by the desert. ⁴I will make him stubborn, and he will pursue you, and my victory over the king and his army will bring me honour. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” The Israelites did as they were told.

⁵When the king of Egypt was told that the people had escaped, he and his officials changed their minds and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites escape, and we have lost them as our slaves!” ⁶The king got his war chariot and his army ready. ⁷He set out with all his chariots, including the 600 finest, commanded by their officers. ⁸The Lord made the king stubborn, and he pursued the Israelites, who were leaving triumphantly.^{m 9}The Egyptian army, with all the horses, chariots, and drivers, pursued them and caught up with them where they were camped by the Red Sea near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon.

¹⁰When the Israelites saw the king and his army marching against them, they were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. ¹¹They said to Moses, “Weren’t there any graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out here in the desert to die? Look what you have done by bringing us out of Egypt! ¹²Didn’t we tell you before we left that this would happen? We told you to leave us alone and let us go on being slaves of the Egyptians. It would be better to be slaves there than to die here in the desert.”

¹³Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground, and you will see what the Lord will do to save you today; you will never see these Egyptians again. ¹⁴The Lord will fight for you, and there is no need for you to do anything.”

¹⁵The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out for help? Tell the people to move forward. ¹⁶Lift up your stick and hold it out over the sea. The water will divide, and the Israelites will be able to walk through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will go in after them, and I will gain honour by my victory over the king, his army, his chariots, and his drivers. ¹⁸When I defeat them, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

¹⁹The angel of God, who had been in front of the army of Israel, moved and went to the rear. The pillar of cloud also moved until it was ²⁰between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud made it dark for the Egyptians, but gave light to the people of Israel,ⁿ and so the armies could not come near each other all night.

²¹Moses held out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind. It blew all night and turned the sea into dry land. The water was divided, ^22*and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. ²³The Egyptians pursued them and went after them into the sea with all their horses, chariots, and drivers. ²⁴Just before dawn the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. ²⁵He made the wheels of their chariots get stuck, so that they moved with great difficulty. The Egyptians said, “The Lord is fighting for the Israelites against us. Let’s get out of here!”

²⁶The Lord said to Moses, “Hold out your hand over the sea, and the water will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and drivers.” ²⁷So Moses held out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the water returned to its normal level. The Egyptians tried to escape from the water, but the Lord threw them into the sea. ²⁸The water returned and covered the chariots, the drivers, and all the Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea; not one of them was left. ²⁹But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides.

³⁰On that day the Lord saved the people of Israel from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw them lying dead on the seashore. ³¹When the Israelites saw the great power with which the Lord had defeated the Egyptians, they stood in awe of the Lord; and they had faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

The Song of Moses

15^*Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory;

he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.

^2*The Lord is my strong defender;

he is the one who has saved me.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will sing about his greatness.

³The Lord is a warrior; the

Lord is his name.

⁴“He threw Egypt’s army and its chariots into the sea;

the best of its officers were drowned in the Red Sea.

⁵The deep sea covered them;

they sank to the bottom like a stone.

⁶“Your right hand, Lord, is awesome in power;

it breaks the enemy in pieces.

⁷In majestic triumph you overthrow your foes;

your anger blazes out and burns them up like straw.

⁸You blew on the sea and the water piled up high;

it stood up straight like a wall;

the deepest part of the sea became solid.

⁹The enemy said, ‘I will pursue them and catch them;

I will divide their wealth and take all I want;

I will draw my sword and take all they have.’

¹⁰But one breath from you, Lord, and the Egyptians were drowned;

they sank like lead in the terrible water.

¹¹“Lord, who among the gods is like you?

Who is like you, wonderful in holiness?

Who can work miracles and mighty acts like yours?

¹²You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.

¹³Faithful to your promise, you led the people you had rescued;

by your strength you guided them to your sacred land.

¹⁴The nations have heard, and they tremble with fear;

the Philistines are seized with terror.

¹⁵The leaders of Edom are terrified;

Moab’s mighty men are trembling;

the people of Canaan lose their courage.

¹⁶Terror and dread fall upon them.

They see your strength, O Lord,

and stand helpless with fear

until your people have marched past—

the people you set free from slavery.

¹⁷You bring them in and plant them on your mountain,

the place that you, Lord, have chosen for your home,

the Temple that you yourself have built.

¹⁸You, Lord, will be king for ever and ever.”

The Song of Miriam

¹⁹The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. But when the Egyptian chariots with their horses and drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought the water back, and it covered them.

²⁰The prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took her tambourine, and all the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing. ²¹Miriam sang for them:

“Sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory;

he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.”

Bitter Water

²²Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they walked through the desert, but found no water. ²³Then they came to a place called Marah, but the water there was so bitter that they could not drink it. That is why it was named Marah.^{o 24}The people complained to Moses and asked, “What are we going to drink?” ²⁵Moses prayed earnestly to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water; and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord gave them laws to live by, and there he also tested them. ²⁶He said, “If you will obey me completely by doing what I consider right and by keeping my commands, I will not punish you with any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord, the one who heals you.”

²⁷Next they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and 70 palm trees; there they camped by the water.