Chapter 17

Water in the Rock

1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by 1stages from the wilderness of aSin, according to the 2command of the Lord, and camped at bRephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.

2 Therefore the people aquarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “bWhy do you quarrel with me? cWhy do you test the Lord?”

3 But the people thirsted there for water; and 1they agrumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill 2us and 3our children and 3bour livestock with thirst?”

4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A alittle more and they will stone me.”

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of athe elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which byou struck the Nile, and go.

6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at aHoreb; and byou shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7 He named the place 1aMassah and 2bMeribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they ctested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Amalek Fought

8 Then aAmalek came and fought against Israel at bRephidim.

9 So Moses said to aJoshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with bthe staff of God in my hand.”

10 Joshua did as Moses 1told him, 2and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and aHur went up to the top of the hill.

11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand 1down, Amalek prevailed.

12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur asupported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.

13 So Joshua 1overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “aWrite this in 1a book as a memorial and 2recite it to Joshua, 3that bI will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an aaltar and named it bThe Lord is My Banner;

16 and he said, “1aThe Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”