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Exodus 13:17-18:27
The Pillar of Cloud & the Pillar of Fire. ()
17 When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not let them take the road to the Philistines' territory, although that was the shortest, 'in case', God thought, 'the prospect of fighting makes the people change their minds and turn back to Egypt.' 18 Instead, God led the people a roundabout way through the desert of the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites left Egypt fully armed. 19 Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, since Joseph had put the Israelites on solemn oath with the words, 'It is sure that God will visit you,' he had said, 'and when that day comes you must take my bones away from here with you.' 20 They set out from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the desert. 21 Yahweh preceded them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could march by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud never left its place ahead of the people during the day, nor the pillar of fire during the night.
Crossing the Red Sea. (Ex.14.1-31)
141 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 2 'Tell the Israelites to turn back and pitch camp in front of Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, facing Baal-Zephon. You must pitch your camp opposite this place, beside the sea, 3 and then Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering to and fro in the countryside; the desert has closed in on them.' 4 I shall then make Pharaoh stubborn and he will set out in pursuit of them; and I shall win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and his whole army, and then the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.' And the Israelites did this. 5 When Pharaoh king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, he and his officials changed their attitude towards the people. 'What have we done,' they said, 'allowing Israel to leave our service?' 6 So Pharaoh had his chariot harnessed and set out with his troops, 7 taking six hundred of the best chariots and all the other chariots in Egypt, with officers in each. 8 Yahweh made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, and he gave chase to the Israelites. The Israelites marched confidently away, 9 but the Egyptians, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, his horsemen and his army, gave chase and caught up with them where they lay encamped beside the sea near Pi-Hahiroth, facing Baal-Zephon. 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up—and there were the Egyptians in pursuit of them! The Israelites were terrified and cried out to Yahweh for help. 11 To Moses they said, 'Was it for lack of graves in Egypt, that you had to lead us out to die in the desert? What was the point of bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not tell you as much in Egypt? Leave us alone, we said, we would rather work for the Egyptians! We prefer to work for the Egyptians than to die in the desert!' 13 Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you will see what Yahweh will do to rescue you today: the Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 Yahweh will do the fighting for you; all you need to do is to keep calm.' 15 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Why cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to march on. 16 Your part is to raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can walk through the sea on dry ground, 17 while I, for my part, shall make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them, and I shall win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and all his army, chariots and horsemen. 18 And when I have won glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and horsemen, the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.' 19 Then the angel of God, who preceded the army of Israel, changed station and followed behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from their front and took position behind them. 20 It came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the one drawing any closer to the other the whole night long. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh drove the sea back with a strong easterly wind all night and made the sea into dry land. The waters were divided 22 and the Israelites went on dry ground right through the sea, with walls of water to right and left of them. 23 The Egyptians gave chase, and all Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea after them. 24 In the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the Egyptian army into confusion. 25 He so clogged their chariot wheels that they drove on only with difficulty, which made the Egyptians say, 'Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting on their side against the Egyptians!' 26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea and let the waters flow back on the Egyptians and on their chariots and their horsemen.' 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians ran straight into it, and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. 28 The returning waters washed right over the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh's entire army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left. 29 The Israelites, however, had marched through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water to right and left of them. 30 That day, Yahweh rescued Israel from the clutches of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the sea-shore. 31 When Israel saw the mighty deed that Yahweh had performed against the Egyptians, the people revered Yahweh and put their faith in Yahweh and in Moses, his servant.
The song of Moses. (Ex.15.1-18)
151 It was then that Moses and the Israelites sang this song in Yahweh's honour:
I shall sing to Yahweh,
for he has covered himself in glory,
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. 2 Yah is my strength and my song,
to him I owe my deliverance.
He is my God and I shall praise him,
my father's God and I shall extol him. 3 Yahweh is a warrior;
Yahweh is his name. 4 Pharaoh's chariots and army he has hurled into the sea
the pick of his officers have been drowned in the Sea of Reeds. 5 The ocean has closed over them;
they have sunk to the bottom like a stone. 6 Your right hand, Yahweh, wins glory by its strength,
your right hand, Yahweh, shatters your foes, 7 and by your great majesty you fell your assailants;
you unleash your fury,
it consumes them like chaff. 8 A blast from your nostrils and the waters piled high;
the waves stood firm as a dyke;
the bed of the sea became firm ground. 9 The enemy said, 'I shall give chase and overtake,
'I shall share out the spoil and glut myself on them,
'I shall draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.' 10 You blew with your breath, the sea closed over them;
they sank like lead in the terrible waters. 11 Yahweh, who is like you, majestic in sanctity,
who like you among the holy ones,
fearsome of deed, worker of wonders? 12 You stretched your right hand out,
the earth swallowed them! 13 In your faithful love you led out the people you had redeemed,
in your strength you have guided them to your holy dwelling. 14 Hearing of this, the peoples tremble;
pangs seize on the people of Philistia; 15 the chieftains of Edom are dismayed,
Moab's princes—panic has seized them,
all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 On them fall terror and dread;
through the power of your arm they are still as stone
while your people are passing, Yahweh,
while the people you have purchased are passing. 17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain which is your heritage,
the place which you, Yahweh, have made your dwelling,
the sanctuary, Yahweh, prepared by your own hands. 18 Yahweh will be king for ever and ever.
The song of Miriam. (Ex.15.19-21)
19 For when Pharaoh's cavalry, with his chariots and horsemen, had gone into the sea, Yahweh brought the waters of the sea back over them, though the Israelites went on dry ground right through the sea. 20 The prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took up a tambourine, and all the women followed her with tambourines, dancing, 21 while Miriam took up from them the refrain:
Sing to Yahweh, for he has covered himself in glory,
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
Marah (bitter water) to Elim. (Ex.15.22-27)
22 Moses led Israel away from the Sea of Reeds, and they entered the desert of Shur. They then travelled through the desert for three days without finding water. 23 When they reached Marah, they could not drink the Marah water because it was bitter; this is why the place was named Marah. 24 The people complained to Moses saying, 'What are we to drink?' 25 Moses appealed to Yahweh for help, and Yahweh showed him a piece of wood. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became sweet.
There he laid down a statute and law for them
and there he put them to the test.
Then he said, 26 'If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God and do what he regards as right, if you pay attention to his commandments and keep all his laws, I shall never inflict on you any of the diseases that I inflicted on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh your Healer.' 27 So they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; and there they pitched camp beside the water.
Elim to the desert of Sin - Manna and quails. (Ex.16.1-36)
161 Setting out from Elim, the whole community of Israelites entered the desert of Sin, lying between Elim and Sinai—on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt. 2 And the whole community of Israelites began complaining about Moses and Aaron in the desert 3 and said to them, 'Why did we not die at Yahweh's hand in Egypt, where we used to sit round the flesh pots and could eat to our heart's content! As it is, you have led us into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!' 4 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I shall rain down bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people must go out and collect their ration for the day; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they have brought in, this must be twice as much as they collect on ordinary days.' 6 Moses and Aaron then said to the whole community of Israelites, 'This evening you will know that it was Yahweh who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and tomorrow morning you will see the glory of Yahweh, for Yahweh has heard your complaints about him. What are we, that your complaint should be against us?' 8 Moses then said, 'This evening Yahweh will give you meat to eat, and tomorrow morning bread to your heart's content, for Yahweh has heard your complaints about him. What do we count for? Your complaints are not against us, but against Yahweh.' 9 Moses then said to Aaron, 'Say to the whole community of Israelites, 'Approach Yahweh's presence, for he has heard your complaints.' ' 10 As Aaron was speaking to the whole community of Israelites, they turned towards the desert, and there the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. 11 Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said, 12 'I have heard the Israelites' complaints. Speak to them as follows, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have bread to your heart's content, and then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.' ' 13 That evening, quails flew in and covered the camp, and next morning there was a layer of dew all round the camp. 14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was something fine and granular, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground. 15 As soon as the Israelites saw this, they said to one another, 'What is that ?' not knowing what it was. 'That', Moses told them, 'is the food which Yahweh has given you to eat. 16 These are Yahweh's orders: Each of you must collect as much as he needs to eat—a homer per head for each person in his tent.' 17 The Israelites did this. They collected it, some more, some less. 18 When they measured out what they had collected by the homer, no one who had collected more had too much, no one who had collected less had too little. Each had collected as much as he needed to eat. 19 Moses then said, 'No one may keep any of it for tomorrow.' 20 But some of them took no notice of Moses and kept part of it for the following day, and it bred maggots and smelt foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they collected it, each man as much as he needed to eat, and once the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 Now, on the sixth day they collected twice the amount of food: two homer per person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses this. 23 Moses replied, 'This is what Yahweh said, 'Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a Sabbath sacred to Yahweh. Bake what you want to bake, boil what you want to boil; put aside what is left over, to be kept for tomorrow.' 24 So, as Moses ordered, they put it aside for the following day, and its smell was not foul nor were there maggots in it. 25 'Eat it today,' Moses said, 'for today is a Sabbath for Yahweh; you will find none in the fields today. 26 For six days you will collect it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.' 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to collect it, but they found none. 28 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'How much longer will you refuse to obey my commandments and laws? 29 Look, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath; this is why he gives you two days' food on the sixth day; each of you must stay in his place; on the seventh day no one may leave his home.' 30 So on the seventh day the people rested. 31 The House of Israel named it 'manna'. It was like coriander seed; it was white and its taste was like that of wafers made with honey. 32 Moses then said, 'These are Yahweh's orders: Fill a homer with it and preserve it for your descendants, so that they can see the bread on which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.' 33 Moses then said to Aaron, 'Take a jar and in it put a full homer of manna and store it in Yahweh's presence, to be kept for your descendants.' 34 Accordingly, Aaron stored it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved, as Yahweh had ordered Moses. 35 The Israelites ate manna for forty years, up to the time they reached inhabited country: they ate manna up to the time they reached the frontiers of Canaan. 36 A homer is one-tenth of an ephah.
Sin to Massah-Meridah - water from the rock. (Ex.17.1-7)
171 The whole community of Israelites left the desert of Sin, travelling by stages as Yahweh ordered. They pitched camp at Rephidim where there was no water for the people to drink. 2 The people took issue with Moses for this and said, 'Give us water to drink.' Moses replied, 'Why take issue with me? Why do you put Yahweh to the test?' 3 But tormented by thirst, the people complained to Moses. 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt,' they said, 'only to make us, our children and our livestock, die of thirst?' 4 Moses appealed to Yahweh for help. 'How am I to deal with this people?' he said. 'Any moment now they will stone me!' 5 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go on ahead of the people, taking some of the elders of Israel with you; in your hand take the staff with which you struck the River, and go. 6 I shall be waiting for you there on the rock (at Horeb). Strike the rock, and water will come out for the people to drink.' This was what Moses did, with the elders of Israel looking on. 7 He gave the place the names Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites' contentiousness and because they put Yahweh to the test by saying, 'Is Yahweh with us, or not?'
Rephidim - victory over the Amalekites. (Ex.17.8-16)
8 The Amalekites then came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, 'Pick some men and tomorrow morning go out and engage Amalek. I, for my part, shall take my stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.' 10 Joshua did as Moses had told him and went out to engage Amalek, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. 12 But Moses' arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, with Aaron and Hur supporting his arms on each side.
Thus his arms remained unwavering till sunset, 13 and Joshua defeated Amalek, putting their people to the sword. 14 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Write this down in a book to commemorate it, and repeat it over to Joshua, for I shall blot out all memory of Amalek under heaven.' 15 Moses then built an altar and named it Yahweh-Nissi 16 meaning, 'Lay hold of Yahweh's banner! Yahweh will be at war with Amalek generation after Generation.'
Jethro, priest of Midian. (Ex.18.1-12)
181 Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, had heard all about what God had done for Moses and for Israel his people: how Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, then took back Zipporah, Moses' wife, whom Moses had sent home, 3 with her two sons; one of them was called Gershom because, he had said, 'I am an alien in a foreign land,' 4 and the other called Eliezer because 'My father's God is my help and has delivered me from Pharaoh's sword.' 5 Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, with Moses' sons and wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was encamped, at the mountain of God. 6 'Here is your father-in-law Jethro approaching', Moses was told, 'with your wife and her two sons.' 7 So Moses went out to greet his father-in-law, bowed low to him and kissed him; and when each had asked how the other was they went into the tent. 8 Moses then told his father-in-law all about what Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and about all the hardships that they had encountered on the way, and how Yahweh had rescued them. 9 And Jethro was delighted at all Yahweh's goodness to Israel in having rescued them from the clutches of the Egyptians. 10 'Blessed be Yahweh', Jethro exclaimed, 'for having rescued you from the clutches of the Egyptians and the clutches of Pharaoh, for having rescued the people from the grasp of the Egyptians! 11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all other gods. . .' 12 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, then offered a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God; and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came and ate with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.
Appointment of Judges. (Ex.18.13-27)
13 On the following day, Moses took his seat to administer justice for the people, and the people were standing round him from morning till evening. 14 Seeing all he did for the people, Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'Why do you do this for the people, why sit here alone with the people standing round you from morning till evening?' 15 Moses replied to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to consult God. 16 When they have a problem they come to me, and I give a ruling between the one and the other and make God's statutes and laws known to them.' 17 Moses' father-in-law then said to him, 'What you are doing is not right. 18 You will only tire yourself out, and the people with you too, for the work is too heavy for you. You cannot do it all yourself. 19 Now listen to the advice I am going to give you, and God be with you! Your task is to represent the people to God, to lay their cases before God, 20 and to teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way they ought to follow and how they ought to behave. 21 At the same time, from the people at large choose capable and God-fearing men, men who are trustworthy and incorruptible, and put them in charge of them as heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens, 22 and make them the people's permanent judges. They will refer all important matters to you, but all minor matters they will decide themselves, so making things easier for you by sharing the burden with you. 23 If you do this—and may God so command you—you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.' 24 Moses took his father-in-law's advice and did just as he said. 25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel and put them in charge of the people as heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 These acted as the people's permanent judges. They referred hard cases to Moses but decided minor matters themselves. 27 Moses then set his father-in-law on his way, and he travelled back to his own country.
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