January 22
Exodus 14:1 16:21


14
  Jehovah now spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, that they should turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth between Migdol and the sea in view of Baal-zephon. In front of it YOU are to encamp by the sea. 3 Then Pharaoh will certainly say respecting the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering in confusion in the land. The wilderness has closed in upon them.’ 4 So I shall indeed let Pharaoh’s heart become obstinate, and he will certainly chase after them and I shall get glory for myself by means of Pharaoh and all his military forces; and the Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah.” Accordingly they did just that.

     5 Later it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had run away. Immediately the heart of Pharaoh as well as his servants was changed regarding the people, so that they said: “What is this that we have done, in that we have sent Israel away from slaving for us?” 6 So he proceeded to make his war chariots ready, and he took his people with him. 7 And he proceeded to take six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt and warriors upon every one of them. 8 Thus Jehovah let the heart of Pharaoh the king of Egypt become obstinate, and he went chasing after the sons of Israel, while the sons of Israel were going out with uplifted hand. 9 And the Egyptians went chasing after them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh and his cavalrymen and his military forces were overtaking them while camping by the sea, by Pihahiroth in view of Baal-zephon.

     10 When Pharaoh got close by, the sons of Israel began to raise their eyes and here the Egyptians were marching after them; and the sons of Israel got quite afraid and began to cry out to Jehovah. 11 And they proceeded to say to Moses: “Is it because there are no burial places at all in Egypt that you have taken us here to die in the wilderness? What is this that you have done to us in leading us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than for us to die in the wilderness.” 13 Then Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will perform for YOU today. For the Egyptians whom YOU do see today YOU will not see again, no, never again. 14 Jehovah will himself fight for YOU, and YOU yourselves will be silent.”

     15 Jehovah now said to Moses: “Why do you keep crying out to me? Speak to the sons of Israel that they should break camp. 16 As for you, lift up your rod and stretch your hand out over the sea and split it apart, that the sons of Israel may go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 As for me, here I am letting the hearts of the Egyptians become obstinate, that they may go in after them and that I may get glory for myself by means of Pharaoh and all his military forces, his war chariots and his cavalrymen. 18 And the Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah when I get glory for myself by means of Pharaoh, his war chariots and his cavalrymen.”

     19 Then the angel of the [true] God who was going ahead of the camp of Israel departed and went to their rear, and the pillar of cloud departed from their van and stood in the rear of them. 20 So it came in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. On the one hand it proved to be a cloud together with darkness. On the other hand it kept lighting up the night. And this group did not come near that group all night long.

     21 Moses now stretched his hand out over the sea; and Jehovah began making the sea go back by a strong east wind all night long and converting the sea basin into dry ground, and the waters were being split apart. 22 At length the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land, while the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all the horses of Pharaoh, his war chariots and his cavalrymen began going in after them, into the midst of the sea. 24 And it came about during the morning watch that Jehovah began to look out upon the camp of the Egyptians from within the pillar of fire and cloud, and he went throwing the camp of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 And he kept taking wheels off their chariots so that they were driving them with difficulty; and the Egyptians began to say: “Let us flee from any contact with Israel, because Jehovah certainly fights for them against the Egyptians.”

     26 Finally Jehovah said to Moses: “Stretch your hand out over the sea, that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, their war chariots and their cavalrymen.” 27 Moses at once stretched his hand out over the sea, and the sea began to come back to its normal condition at the approaching of morning. All the while the Egyptians were fleeing from encountering it, but Jehovah shook the Egyptians off into the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters kept coming back. Finally they covered the war chariots and the cavalrymen belonging to all of Pharaoh’s military forces and who had gone into the sea after them. Not so much as one among them was let remain.

     29 As for the sons of Israel, they walked on dry land in the midst of the seabed, and the waters were for them a wall on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus on that day Jehovah saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel got to see the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel also got to see the great hand that Jehovah put in action against the Egyptians; and the people began to fear Jehovah and to put faith in Jehovah and in Moses his servant.


15
 
At that time Moses and the sons of Israel proceeded to sing this song to Jehovah and to say the following:

       “Let me sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted.
       The horse and its rider he has pitched into the sea.
  
2 My strength and [my] might is Jah, since he serves for my salvation.
       This is my God, and I shall laud him; my father’s God, and I shall raise him on high.
  
3 Jehovah is a manly person of war. Jehovah is his name.
  
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his military forces he has cast into the sea,
       And the choice of his warriors have been sunk in the Red Sea.
  
5 The surging waters proceeded to cover them; down they went into the depths like a stone.
  
6 Your right hand, O Jehovah, is proving itself powerful in ability,
       Your right hand, O Jehovah, can shatter an enemy.
  
7 And in the abundance of your superiority you can throw down those who rise up against you;
       You send out your burning anger, it eats them up like stubble.
   
8 And by a breath from your nostrils waters were heaped up;
       They stood still like a dam of floods;
       The surging waters were congealed in the heart of the sea.
   
9 The enemy said, ‘I shall pursue! I shall overtake!
       I shall divide spoil! My soul will be filled with them!
       I shall draw my sword! My hand will drive them away!’
 
10 You blew with your breath, the sea covered them;
       They sank like lead in majestic waters.
 
11 Who among the gods is like you, O Jehovah?
       Who is like you, proving yourself mighty in holiness?
       The One to be feared with songs of praise, the One doing marvels.
 
12 You stretched out your right hand, the earth proceeded to swallow them up.
 
13 You in your loving-kindness have led the people whom you have recovered;
       You in your strength will certainly conduct them to your holy abiding place.
 
14 Peoples must hear, they will be agitated;
       Birth pangs must take hold on the inhabitants of Philistia.
 
15 At that time the sheiks of Edom will indeed be disturbed;
       As for the despots of Moab, trembling will take hold on them.
       All the inhabitants of Canaan will indeed be disheartened.
 
16 Fright and dread will fall upon them.
       Because of the greatness of your arm they will be motionless like a stone,
       Until your people pass by, O Jehovah,
       Until the people whom you have produced pass by.
 
17 You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance,
       An established place that you have made ready for you to inhabit, O Jehovah,
       A sanctuary, O Jehovah, that your hands have established.
 
18 Jehovah will rule as king to time indefinite, even forever.
 
19 When Pharaoh’s horses with his war chariots and his cavalrymen went into the sea,
       Then Jehovah brought back the waters of the sea upon them,
       While the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.”

   20 And Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, proceeded to take a tambourine in her hand; and all the women began going out with her with tambourines and in dances. 21 And Miriam kept responding to the men:
       “Sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted.
       The horse and its rider he has pitched into the sea.”

   22 Later Moses caused Israel to depart from the Red Sea and they went out to the wilderness of Shur and marched on for three days in the wilderness, but they did not find water. 23 In time they came to Marah, but they were not able to drink the water from Marah because it was bitter. That is why he called its name Marah. 24 And the people began to murmur against Moses, saying: “What are we to drink?” 25 Then he cried out to Jehovah. So Jehovah directed him to a tree, and he threw it into the water and the water became sweet.

     There He established for them a regulation and a case for judgment and there he put them to the test. 26 And he went on to say: “If you will strictly listen to the voice of Jehovah your God and will do what is right in his eyes and will indeed give ear to his commandments and keep all his regulations, I shall put none of the maladies upon you that I put upon the Egyptians; because I am Jehovah who is healing you.”

     27 After that they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. So they went camping there by the water.

16  Later they departed from Elim, and the entire assembly of the sons of Israel finally came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their coming out of the land of Egypt.

     2 And the entire assembly of the sons of Israel began to murmur against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 And the sons of Israel kept saying to them: “If only we had died by Jehovah’s hand in the land of Egypt while we were sitting by the pots of meat, while we were eating bread to satisfaction, because YOU have brought us out into this wilderness to put this whole congregation to death by famine.”

     4 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Here I am raining down bread for YOU from the heavens; and the people must go out and pick up each his amount day for day, in order that I may put them to the test as to whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 And it must occur on the sixth day that they must prepare what they will bring in, and it must prove double what they keep picking up day by day.”

     6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel: “At evening YOU will certainly know that it is Jehovah who has brought YOU out from the land of Egypt. 7 And in the morning YOU will indeed see Jehovah’s glory, because he has heard YOUR murmurings against Jehovah. And what are we that YOU should murmur against us?” 8 And Moses continued: “It will be when Jehovah gives YOU in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to satisfaction, because Jehovah has heard YOUR murmurings that YOU are murmuring against him. And what are we? YOUR murmurings are not against us, but against Jehovah.”

     9 And Moses went on to say to Aaron: “Say to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before Jehovah, because he has heard YOUR murmurings.’” 10 Then it occurred that as soon as Aaron had spoken to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, they turned and faced toward the wilderness, and, look! Jehovah’s glory appeared in the cloud.

     11 And Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying: 12 “I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘Between the two evenings YOU will eat meat and in the morning YOU will be satisfied with bread; and YOU will certainly know that I am Jehovah YOUR God.’”

     13 Accordingly it occurred that in the evening the quails began to come up and cover the camp, and in the morning there had developed a layer of dew round about the camp. 14 In time the layer of dew evaporated and here upon the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flaky thing, fine like hoarfrost upon the earth. 15 When the sons of Israel got to see it, they began to say to one another: “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Hence Moses said to them: “It is the bread that Jehovah has given YOU for food. 16 This is the word that Jehovah has commanded, ‘Pick up some of it, each one in proportion to his eating. YOU are to take an omer measure for each individual according to the number of the souls that each of YOU has in his tent.’” 17 And the sons of Israel began to do so; and they went picking it up, some gathering much and some gathering little. 18 When they would measure it by the omer, he that had gathered much had no surplus and he that had gathered little had no shortage. They picked it up each one in proportion to his eating.

     19 Then Moses said to them: “Let nobody leave any of it until the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. When some men would leave some of it until the morning, it would breed worms and stink; so that Moses became indignant at them. 21 And they would pick it up morning by morning, each one in proportion to his eating. When the sun got hot, it melted.