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.