The Wilderness Way

17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people xchange their minds when they see war, and yreturn to Egypt.” 18 So God zled the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

19 And Moses took the abones of bJoseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, c“God will surely 5visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

20 So dthey took their journey from eSuccoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And fthe Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

The Red Sea Crossing

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, athat they turn and camp before bPi Hahiroth, between cMigdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, d‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then eI will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I fwill gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, gthat the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and hthe heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he 1made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took isix hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord jhardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and kthe children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the lEgyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel mcried out to the Lord. 11 nThen they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 oIs this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

13 And Moses said to the people, p“Do not be afraid. qStand still, and see the rsalvation 2of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall ssee again no more forever. 14 tThe Lord will fight for you, and you shall uhold 3your peace.”

15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But vlift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will wharden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will xgain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 And the Angel of God, ywho went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and zmade the sea into dry land, and the waters were adivided. 22 So bthe children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were ca wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 Now it came to pass, in the morning dwatch, that ethe Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He 4troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He 5took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord ffights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea greturned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord hoverthrew 6the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then ithe waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But jthe children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 So the Lord ksaved 7Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel lsaw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great 8work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and mbelieved the Lord and His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses

15 Then aMoses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will bsing to the Lord,

For He has triumphed gloriously!

The horse and its rider

He has thrown into the sea!

2 The Lord is my strength and csong,

And He has become my salvation;

He is my God, and dI will praise Him;

My efather’s God, and I fwill exalt Him.

3 The Lord is a man of gwar;

The Lord is His hname.

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

jHis chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.

5 The depths have covered them;

kThey sank to the bottom like a stone.

6 “Your lright hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;

Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.

7 And in the greatness of Your mexcellence

You have overthrown those who rose against You;

You sent forth nYour wrath;

It oconsumed them plike stubble.

8 And qwith the blast of Your nostrils

The waters were gathered together;

rThe floods stood upright like a heap;

The depths 1congealed in the heart of the sea.

9 sThe enemy said, ‘I will pursue,

I will overtake,

I will tdivide the spoil;

My desire shall be satisfied on them.

I will draw my sword,

My hand shall destroy them.’

10 You blew with Your wind,

The sea covered them;

They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who uis like You, O Lord, among the 2gods?

Who is like You, vglorious in holiness,

Fearful in wpraises, xdoing wonders?

12 You stretched out Your right hand;

The earth swallowed them.

13 You in Your mercy have yled forth

The people whom You have redeemed;

You have guided them in Your strength

To zYour holy habitation.

14 “The apeople will hear and be afraid;

bSorrow 3will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 cThen dthe chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;

eThe mighty men of Moab,

Trembling will take hold of them;

fAll the inhabitants of Canaan will gmelt away.

16 hFear and dread will fall on them;

By the greatness of Your arm

They will be ias still as a stone,

Till Your people pass over, O Lord,

Till the people pass over

jWhom You have purchased.

17 You will bring them in and kplant them

In the lmountain of Your inheritance,

In the place, O Lord, which You have made

For Your own dwelling,

The msanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

18 “The nLord shall reign forever and ever.”

19 For the ohorses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and pthe Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

The Song of Miriam

20 Then Miriam qthe prophetess, rthe sister of Aaron, stook the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her twith timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam uanswered them:

v“Sing to the Lord,

For He has triumphed gloriously!

The horse and its rider

He has thrown into the sea!”

Bitter Waters Made Sweet

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of wShur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no xwater. 23 Now when they came to yMarah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called 4Marah. 24 And the people zcomplained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. aWhen he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He bmade a statute and an 5ordinance for them, and there cHe tested them, 26 and said, d“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the ediseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord fwho heals you.”

27 gThen they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.

Bread from Heaven

16 And they ajourneyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and bSinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. 2 Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel ccomplained against Moses and Aaron in the