5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,r Pharaoh and his officials changed their mindss about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots,t along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heartu of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.v 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horsesw and chariots, horsemena and troopsx—pursued the Israelites and overtooky them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.z

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and crieda out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?b What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to 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 in the desert!”c

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.d Stand firm and you will seee the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never seef again. 14 The Lord will fightg for you; you need only to be still.”h

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?i Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staffj and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the waterk so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the heartsl of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.m And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lordn when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God,o who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloudp also moved from in front and stood behindq them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darknessr to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hands over the sea,t and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east windu and turned it into dry land.v The waters were divided,w 22 and the Israelites went through the seax on dry ground,y with a wallz of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemena followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloudb at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.c 25 He jammedb the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fightingd for them against Egypt.”e

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.f The Egyptians were fleeing towardc it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.g 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.h Not one of them survived.i

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,j with a wallk of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord savedl Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty handm of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people fearedn the Lord and put their trusto in him and in Moses his servant.