Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 21
Through My Bible Yr 03 – June 21
Exodus 14:1 – 15:21
Crossing the Red Sea
Exodus 14
1Ā Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2Ā āTell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to camp by the sea, facing Baal Zephon. 3Ā Then Pharaoh will say about the Israelites, āThey are wandering around in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.ā 4Ā I will harden Pharaohās heart so that he will pursue them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and his entire army. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.ā So that is what the Israelites did.
5Ā When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials had a change of heart concerning the people. They said, āWhat have we done? We have let Israel go! They will not serve us anymore!ā 6Ā So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his troops with him. 7Ā He also took six hundred of the best chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8Ā The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites. The Israelites were going out defiantly. [1] 9Ā The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his charioteers, [2] and his army caught up with them where they were camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, which faces Baal Zephon.
10Ā As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after them. The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11Ā They said to Moses, āWas it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12Ā Wasnāt this what we said to you in Egypt, āLeave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptiansā? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.ā
13Ā Moses said to the people, āDo not be afraid. Stand firm, and see the salvation from the Lord, which he will perform for you today. For the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14Ā The Lord will fight for you. You must wait quietly.ā
15Ā The Lord said to Moses, āWhy are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to set out. 16Ā As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide the sea so that the Israelites can go through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17Ā I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go into the sea after them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and his entire army, through his chariots and his charioteers. 18Ā The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his charioteers.ā
19Ā Then the Angel of God, who was going in front of the Israelite forces, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them. 20Ā It went between the Egyptian forces and the Israelite forces. The cloud was dark on one side, but it lit up the night on the other. Neither group approached the other all night long.
21Ā Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all night long the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned the sea into dry land. The waters were divided. 22Ā The Israelites went into the middle of the sea on dry ground. The waters were like a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23Ā The Egyptians pursued them, and all of Pharaohās horses, his chariots, and his charioteers went after them into the middle of the sea. 24Ā During the last watch of the night, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud. Then he confused the Egyptian forces. 25Ā He jammed [3] their chariot wheels, and they had difficulty driving them. The Egyptians said, āWe must flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!ā
26Ā Then the Lord said to Moses, āStretch out your hand over the sea, and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their charioteers.ā 27Ā So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal place. While the Egyptians were fleeing from it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the middle of the sea. 28Ā The waters came back and covered the chariots and the charioteers, the entire army of Pharaoh that went into the sea after the Israelites. Not even one of them survived.
29Ā But the Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry land, and the waters were like a wall for them on their right and on their left. 30Ā On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31Ā Israel saw the mighty hand which the Lord put into action against the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.
The Song of Moses and Miriam
Exodus 15
1Ā Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said:
I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
2Ā The Lord [4] is my strength and song.
He has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him;
my fatherās God, and I will exalt him.
3Ā The Lord is a warrior.
The Lord is his name.
4Ā He has cast Pharaohās chariots and his army into the sea.
His elite officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5Ā The deep waters covered them.
They sank down to the depths like a stone.
6Ā Lord, your right hand is glorious in power.
Lord, your right hand has shattered the enemy.
7Ā In your great majesty you overthrew those who opposed you.
You sent out your burning anger.
It consumed them like stubble.
8Ā At the blast from your nostrils the waters piled up.
The flowing waters stood up like a dam.
The deep waters became solid in the heart of the sea.
9Ā The enemy said, āI will pursue.
I will overtake. I will divide the plunder.
I will do whatever I want with them.
I will draw my sword,
and my hand will destroy them.ā
10Ā But you blew with your breath,
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11Ā Lord, who is like you among the gods?
Who is like you, glorious in holiness,
awesome in praise, working wonders?
12Ā You stretched out your right hand,
and the earth swallowed them.
13Ā In your mercy you will lead the people that you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them to your holy pastureland. [5]
14Ā The nations will hear and tremble.
Anguish will grip the inhabitants of Philistia.
15Ā Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified.
Trembling will seize the leaders of Moab.
All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away in despair.
16Ā Terror and dread will fall upon them.
By the great power of your arm they will be as still as stone
Ā Ā Ā Ā until your people pass by, O Lord,
Ā Ā Ā Ā until the people whom you have purchased pass by.
17Ā You will bring them in and plant them
Ā Ā Ā Ā on the mountain that belongs to you,
Ā Ā Ā Ā the place, O Lord, that you have made for your dwelling,
Ā Ā Ā Ā the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18Ā The Lord will reign forever and ever.
19Ā When Pharaohās horses along with his chariots and charioteers went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back on them, but the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.
20Ā Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand drum, and all the women followed her with drums and dancing. 21Ā Miriam sang to them,
Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.
Footnotes
- Exodus 14:8 Literally with an upraised hand
- Exodus 14:9 At this point of military history, the Hebrew word often translated horsemen very likely refers to chariot crews, not cavalry. It seems cavalry was not common before the Assyrian period.
- Exodus 14:25 The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek and Syriac versions read bound up or jammed. The Hebrew reads removed.
- Exodus 15:2 The divine name Yahweh here appears in the shortened form Yah.
- Exodus 15:13 That is, the land of Israel
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage VersionĀ®, EHVĀ®, Ā© 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.