Exo 13:17-17:16 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now when Pharaoh had let the people go , God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines , even though it was near ; for God said , “ The people might change their minds when they see war , and return to Egypt .”

Exodus 13:17-22

God Leads the People

17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “ ^aThe people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the ^{▼▼Lit Sea of Reeds}Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ^cin battle formation from the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took ^dthe bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly ^{▼▼Lit visit}take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 20 Then they set out from ^fSuccoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And ^gthe Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might ^{▼▼Lit go}travel by day and by night. 22 ^{▼▼Or The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart}He ^jdid not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people.

Exodus 14

Pharaoh in Pursuit

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of ^kPi-hahiroth, between ^lMigdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And ^mI will ^{▼▼Lit make strong}harden Pharaoh’s heart, and ^ohe will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and ^pthe Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, ^{▼▼Lit the heart of Pharaoh...was changed}Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 So ^rthe Lord ^{▼▼Lit made strong}hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out ^{▼▼Lit with a high hand
,} ^uboldly. 9 Then ^vthe Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, ^wbeside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel ^{▼▼Lit lifted up their eyes}looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; ^yso the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then ^zthey said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, ^{▼▼Lit so as to bring}bringing us out of Egypt? 12 ^abIs this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘ ^{▼▼Lit Cease from us}Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”

The Sea Is Divided

13 But Moses said to the people, “ ^adDo not fear! ^{▼▼Or Take your stand}Stand by and see ^afthe salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. 14 ^agThe Lord will fight for you, while ^ahyou keep silent.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up ^aiyour staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall ^{▼▼Lit enter the}go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 And as for Me, behold, ^akI will ^{▼▼Lit make strong}harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 ^amThen the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”

19 Then ^anthe angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud ^{▼▼Lit and the darkness}along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.

21 ^apThen Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord ^{▼▼Lit caused to go}swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into ^ardry land, and ^asthe waters were divided. 22 So ^atthe sons of Israel ^{▼▼Lit entered the}went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and ^avthe waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. 23 Then ^awthe Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 But at the morning watch, ^axthe Lord looked down on the ^{▼▼Lit camp}army of the Egyptians ^{▼▼Or in}through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the ^{▼▼Lit camp}army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He ^{▼▼Or removed}caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, ^bcfor the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “ ^bdReach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and ^bethe sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing ^{▼▼Lit to meet it}right into it; then the Lord ^{▼▼Lit shook off
,} ^bhoverthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; ^binot even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on ^bjdry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.

30 ^bkSo the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel ^blsaw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great ^{▼▼Lit hand}power which the Lord had ^{▼▼Lit done}used against the Egyptians, the people ^{▼▼Or revered}feared the Lord, and ^bpthey believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

Exodus 15

The Song of Moses and Israel

1 ^bqThen Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, ^{▼▼Lit and said, saying}saying:
“ ^{▼▼Or Let me sing
,} ^btI will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;
^buThe horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2 “ ^{▼▼Heb Yah
,} ^bwThe Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
^bxThis is my God, and I will praise Him;
^byMy father’s God, and I will ^bzexalt Him.
3 “ ^caThe Lord is a warrior;
^{▼▼Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
,} ^ccThe Lord is His name.
4 “ ^cdPharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are ^{▼▼Lit sunk}drowned in the ^{▼▼Lit Sea of Reeds}Red Sea.
5 “The waters cover them;
^cgThey went down into the depths like a stone.
6 “ ^chYour right hand, Lord, is majestic in power;
^ciYour right hand, Lord, destroys the enemy.
7 “And in the greatness of Your ^{▼▼Or exaltation}excellence You ^ckoverthrow those who rise up against You;
^clYou send out Your burning anger, and it ^cmconsumes them like chaff.
8 “ ^cnAt the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
^coThe flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 “ ^cpThe enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will ^cqdivide the spoils;
^{▼▼Lit My soul}I shall ^{▼▼Lit be filled with them}be satisfied against them;
I will draw my sword, my hand will ^{▼▼Or dispossess; or drive them out}destroy them.’
10 “ ^cuYou blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
^cvThey sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “ ^cwWho is like You among the gods, Lord?
Who is like You, ^cxmajestic in holiness,
^cyAwesome in praises, ^czworking wonders?
12 “ ^daYou reached out with Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
13 “In Your ^{▼▼Or mercy}faithfulness You have ^dcled the people whom You have ^ddredeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them ^deto Your holy habitation.
14 “ ^dfThe peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 “Then the ^dgchiefs of Edom were terrified;
^dhThe leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
^diAll the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.
16 “ ^djTerror and dread fall upon them;
^dkBy the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone,
Until Your people pass over, Lord,
Until the people pass over whom You ^dlhave purchased.
17 “ ^dmYou will bring them and ^dnplant them in ^dothe mountain of Your inheritance,
^dpThe place, Lord, which You have made as Your dwelling,
^dqThe sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 “ ^drThe Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

19 ^dsFor the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on ^dtdry land through the midst of the sea.

20 ^duMiriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the ^dvtambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with ^{▼▼Lit dances
,} ^dxdancing. 21 And Miriam answered them,
“ ^dySing to the Lord, for He ^{▼▼Or has triumphed gloriously}is highly exalted;
The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

The Lord Provides Water

22 ^eaThen Moses ^{▼▼Lit caused Israel to journey}led Israel from the ^{▼▼Lit Sea of Reeds}Red Sea, and they went out into ^edthe wilderness of ^eeShur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to ^efMarah, they could not drink the waters ^{▼▼Lit from}of Marah, because they were ^{▼▼Heb Marim}bitter; for that reason it was named ^{▼▼I.e., bitterness}Marah. 24 So the people ^ejgrumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” 25 Then he ^ekcried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ^ela tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There He ^emmade for them a statute and regulation, and there He ^entested them. 26 And He said, “ ^eoIf you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen ^epto His commandments, and keep all His statutes, ^eqI will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, ^erthe Lord, am your healer.”

27 Then they came to ^esElim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

Exodus 16

The Lord Provides Manna

1 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of ^etSin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on ^euthe fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2 But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel ^evgrumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The sons of Israel said to them, “ ^ewIf only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, ^exwhen we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^eyI will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may ^eztest them, whether or not they will walk in My ^{▼▼Or law}instruction. 5 ^fbOn the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening ^{▼▼Lit and you
,} ^fdyou will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning ^{▼▼Lit and you}you will see ^ffthe glory of the Lord, for ^fgHe hears your grumblings against the Lord; and ^fhwhat are we, that you grumble against us?”

The Lord Provides Meat

8 And Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are ^finot against us but against the Lord.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘ ^fjCome forward before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10 And it came about, as Aaron spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they ^{▼▼Lit turned}looked toward the wilderness, and behold, ^flthe glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “ ^fmI have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘ ^{▼▼Lit Between the two evenings}At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and ^foyou shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 So it came about at evening that ^fpthe quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning ^fqthere was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 ^frWhen the layer of dew ^{▼▼Lit had gone up}evaporated, behold, on the ^{▼▼Lit face of}surface of the wilderness ^futhere was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “ ^{▼▼Heb Man hu, cf. v 31}What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “ ^fwIt is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is ^{▼▼Lit the thing which}what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone gather ^{▼▼Lit according to his eating}as much as he will eat; you shall take ^{▼▼Lit an omer for a head; about 3 qt. or 2.8 liters
,} ^gaan omer apiece according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’” 17 The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18 When they measured it by the ^{▼▼About 3 qt. or 2.8 liters}omer, ^gcthe one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little; everyone gathered ^{▼▼Lit according to his eating}as much as he would eat. 19 Moses said to them, “ ^geNo one is to leave any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank; and Moses was angry with them. 21 They gathered it morning by morning, everyone ^{▼▼Lit according to his eating}as much as he would eat; but when the sun became hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath

22 ^ggNow on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, ^{▼▼About 6 qt. or 5.6 liters}two omers for each one. When all the ^gileaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to them, “This is what the Lord ^{▼▼Lit spoke}meant: ^gkTomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and ^glall that is left over ^{▼▼Lit lay up for you}put aside to be kept until morning.” 24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and ^gnit did not stink nor was there a maggot in it. 25 Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 ^goSix days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be ^{▼▼Lit none on it}none.”

27 Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “ ^gqHow long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My ^{▼▼Or laws}instructions? 29 See, ^{▼▼Lit for the Lord}the Lord has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 And the house of ^gtIsrael named the bread ^{▼▼Heb man, cf. v 15}manna, and it was like ^gvcoriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is ^{▼▼Lit the thing which}what the Lord has commanded: ‘A ^{▼▼About 3 qt. or 2.8 liters}full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “ ^gyTake a jar and put a ^{▼▼About 3 qt. or 2.8 liters}full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept safe throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before ^hathe Testimony, to be kept. 35 And ^hbthe sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Now ^hcan ^{▼▼About 3 qt. or 2.8 liters}omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Exodus 17

Water in the Rock

1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by ^{▼▼Lit their journeyings}stages from the wilderness of ^hfSin, according to the ^{▼▼Lit mouth}command of the Lord, and camped at ^hhRephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people ^hiquarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “ ^hjWhy do you quarrel with me? ^hkWhy do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people were thirsty for water there; and ^{▼▼Lit the people}they ^hmgrumbled against Moses and said, “Why is it that you have brought us up from Egypt, to kill ^{▼▼Lit me}us and ^{▼▼Lit my}our children and ^{▼▼Lit my
,} ^hqour livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What am I to do with this people? A ^hrlittle more and they will stone me!” 5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of ^hsthe elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which ^htyou struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at ^huHoreb; and ^hvyou shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 Then he named the place ^{▼▼I.e., test
,} ^hxMassah and ^{▼▼I.e., quarrel
,} ^hzMeribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they ^iatested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Miraculous Battle against Amalek

8 Then ^ibAmalek came and fought against Israel at ^icRephidim. 9 So Moses said to ^idJoshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with ^iethe staff of God in my hand.” 10 Joshua did just as Moses ^{▼▼Lit said to}told him, ^{▼▼Lit to fight}and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and ^ihHur went up to the top of the hill. 11 So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand ^{▼▼Lit rest}down, Amalek prevailed. 12 And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur ^ijsupported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 And Joshua ^{▼▼Lit weakened}defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “ ^ilWrite this in ^{▼▼Lit the book}a book as a memorial and ^{▼▼Lit place it in the ears of}recite it to Joshua, ^{▼▼Or for}that ^ipI will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an ^iqaltar and named it ^irThe Lord is My Banner; 16 and he said, “ ^{▼▼Or Because a hand is against the throne of the Lord; lit Because a hand upon the throne of Yah
,} ^itBecause the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”