14Then the Lord spoke to Moses. ²He said, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back. Have them camp near Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the Red Sea. They must camp by the sea, right across from Baal Zephon. ³Pharaoh will think, ‘The people of Israel are wandering around the land. They don’t know which way to go. The desert is all around them.’

⁴“I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn. He will chase them. But I will gain glory for myself because of what will happen to Pharaoh and his whole army. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites camped by the Red Sea.

⁵The king of Egypt was told that the people had gotten away. Then Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them. They said, “What have we done? We’ve let the people of Israel go! We’ve lost our slaves and all of the work they used to do for us!”

⁶So he had his chariot made ready. He took his army with him. ⁷He took 600 of the best chariots in Egypt. He also took along all of the other chariots. Officers were in charge of all of them.

⁸The Lord made the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, stubborn. So he chased the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. ⁹The Egyptians went after the Israelites. All of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen and troops went after them. They caught up with them as they camped by the sea. The Israelites were near Pi Hahiroth, across from Baal Zephon.

¹⁰As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up. There were the Egyptians marching after them! The Israelites were terrified. They cried out to the Lord.

¹¹They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us to the desert to die? Weren’t there any graves in Egypt? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹²We told you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die here in the desert!”

¹³Moses answered the people. He said, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm. You will see how the Lord will save you today. Do you see those Egyptians? You will never see them again. ¹⁴The Lord will fight for you. Just be still.”

¹⁵Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people of Israel to move on. ¹⁶Hold your wooden staff out. Reach your hand out over the Red Sea to part the water. Then the people can go through the sea on dry ground.

¹⁷“I will make the hearts of the Egyptians stubborn. They will go in after the Israelites. I will gain glory for myself because of what will happen to Pharaoh, his whole army, his chariots and his horsemen.

¹⁸“The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. I will gain glory because of what will happen to all of them.”

¹⁹The angel of God had been traveling in front of Israel’s army. Now he moved back and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved away from in front of them. Now it stood behind them. ²⁰It came between the armies of Egypt and Israel. All through the night the cloud brought darkness to one side and light to the other. Neither army went near the other all night long.

²¹Then Moses reached his hand out over the Red Sea. All that night the Lord pushed the sea back with a strong east wind. He turned the sea into dry land. The waters were parted. ²²The people of Israel went through the sea on dry ground. There was a wall of water on their right side and on their left.

²³The Egyptians chased them. All of Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.

²⁴Near the end of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud. He saw the Egyptian army and threw it into a panic. ²⁵He kept their chariot wheels from turning freely. That made the chariots hard to drive.

The Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for Israel against Egypt.”

²⁶Then the Lord spoke to Moses. He said, “Reach your hand out over the sea. The waters will flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” ²⁷So Moses reached his hand out over the sea. At sunrise the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians tried to run away from the sea. But the Lord swept them into it. ²⁸The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen. It covered the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the people of Israel into the sea. Not one of the Egyptians was left.

²⁹But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground. There was a wall of water on their right side and on their left. ³⁰That day the Lord saved Israel from the power of Egypt. Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹The Israelites saw the great power the Lord showed against the Egyptians. So they had respect for the Lord. They put their trust in him and in his servant Moses.

The Song of Moses and Miriam

15Here is the song that Moses and the people of Israel sang to the Lord. They said,

“I will sing to the Lord.

He is greatly honored.

He has thrown Pharaoh’s horses and their riders

into the Red Sea.

²The Lord gives me strength. I sing about him.

He has saved me.

He is my God. I will praise him.

He is my father’s God. I will honor him.

³The Lord goes into battle.

The Lord is his name.

⁴He has thrown Pharaoh’s chariots and army

into the Red Sea.

Pharaoh’s best officers

drowned in the sea.

⁵The deep waters covered them.

They sank to the bottom like a stone.

⁶“Lord, your right hand

was majestic and powerful.

Lord, your right hand

destroyed your enemies.

⁷Because of your great majesty,

you threw down those who opposed you.

Your burning anger blazed out.

It burned them up like straw.

⁸The powerful blast from your nose

piled up the waters.

The rushing waters stood firm like a wall.

The deep waters stood up in the middle of the sea.

⁹“Your enemies bragged,

‘We will chase Israel. We will catch them.

We’ll divide up what we take from them.

We’ll eat them alive.

We’ll pull our swords out.

Our powerful hands will destroy them.’

¹⁰But you blew with your breath.

The Red Sea covered your enemies.

They sank like lead

in the mighty waters.

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

Who is like you?

You are majestic and holy.

Your glory fills me with wonder.

You do wonderful miracles.

¹²You reached out your right hand.

The earth swallowed up the Egyptians.

¹³“Because your love is faithful,

you will lead the people you have set free.

Because you are so strong,

you will guide them to the holy place where you live.

¹⁴The nations will hear about it and tremble.

Pain and suffering will take hold of the Philistines.

¹⁵The chiefs of Edom will be terrified.

The leaders of Moab will tremble with fear.

The people of Canaan will melt away.

¹⁶Fear and terror will fall on them.

Your powerful arm

will make them as still as a stone.

Then your people will pass by, Lord.

Then the people you created will pass by.

¹⁷You will bring them in.

You will plant them on the mountain you gave them.

Lord, you have made that place your home.

Lord, your hands have made your holy place secure.

¹⁸“The Lord will rule

for ever and ever.”

¹⁹Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the Red Sea. The Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground.

²⁰Aaron’s sister Miriam was a prophet. She took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her. They played tambourines and danced. ²¹Miriam sang to them,

“Sing to the Lord.

He is greatly honored.

He has thrown Pharaoh’s horses and their riders

into the Red Sea.”

At the Waters of Marah and Elim

²²Then Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea. They went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert. They didn’t find any water there. ²³When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink its water. It was bitter. That’s why the place is named Marah. ²⁴The people told Moses they weren’t happy with him. They said, “What are we supposed to drink?”

²⁵Then Moses cried out to the Lord. The Lord showed him a stick. Moses threw it into the water. The water became sweet.

There the Lord made a rule and a law for the people. And there he put them to the test. ²⁶He said, “I am the Lord your God. Listen carefully to my voice. Do what is right in my eyes. Pay attention to my commands. Obey all of my rules. If you do, I will not send on you any of the sicknesses I sent on the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you.”

²⁷The people came to Elim. It had 12 springs and 70 palm trees. They camped there near the water.

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