Exodus 13:17-15:27

New King James Version

The Wilderness Way^(A)

¹⁷Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people ^(B)change their minds when they see war, and ^(C)return to Egypt.” ¹⁸So God ^(D)led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁹And Moses took the ^(E)bones of ^(F)Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, ^(G)“God will surely ^[a]visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

²⁰So ^(H)they took their journey from ^(I)Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. ²¹And ^(J)the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. ²²He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

The Red Sea Crossing

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²“Speak to the children of Israel, ^(K)that they turn and camp before ^(L)Pi Hahiroth, between ^(M)Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. ³For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ^(N)‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ ⁴Then ^(O)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I ^(P)will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, ^(Q)that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and ^(R)the 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?” ⁶So he ^[b]made ready his chariot and took his people with him. ⁷Also, he took ^(S)six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. ⁸And the Lord ^(T)hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and ^(U)the children of Israel went out with boldness. ⁹So the ^(V)Egyptians 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.

¹⁰And 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 ^(W)cried out to the Lord. ¹¹^(X)Then 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^(Y)Is 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.”

¹³And Moses said to the people, ^(Z)“Do not be afraid. ^(AA)Stand still, and see the ^(AB)salvation^[c] of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall ^(AC)see again no more forever. ¹⁴^(AD)The Lord will fight for you, and you shall ^(AE)hold^[d] your peace.”

¹⁵And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶But ^(AF)lift 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. ¹⁷And I indeed will ^(AG)harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will ^(AH)gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. ¹⁸Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

¹⁹And the Angel of God, ^(AI)who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. ²⁰So 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.

²¹Then 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 ^(AJ)made the sea into dry land, and the waters were ^(AK)divided. ²²So ^(AL)the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were ^(AM)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ²³And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

²⁴Now it came to pass, in the morning ^(AN)watch, that ^(AO)the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He ^[e]troubled the army of the Egyptians. ²⁵And He ^[f]took 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 ^(AP)fights for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶Then 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.” ²⁷And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea ^(AQ)returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord ^(AR)overthrew^[g] the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸Then ^(AS)the 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. ²⁹But ^(AT)the 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.

³⁰So the Lord ^(AU)saved^[h] Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel ^(AV)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹Thus Israel saw the great ^[i]work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and ^(AW)believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses^(AX)

15 Then ^(AY)Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will ^(AZ)sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
²The Lord is my strength and ^(BA)song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and ^(BB)I will praise Him;
My ^(BC)father’s God, and I ^(BD)will exalt Him.
³The Lord is a man of ^(BE)war;
The Lord is His ^(BF)name.
⁴^(BG)Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
^(BH)His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
⁵The depths have covered them;
^(BI)They sank to the bottom like a stone.

⁶“Your ^(BJ)right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
⁷And in the greatness of Your ^(BK)excellence
You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth ^(BL)Your wrath;
It ^(BM)consumed them ^(BN)like stubble.
⁸And ^(BO)with the blast of Your nostrils
The waters were gathered together;
^(BP)The floods stood upright like a heap;
The depths ^[j]congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹^(BQ)The enemy said, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake,
I will ^(BR)divide the spoil;
My desire shall be satisfied on them.
I will draw my sword,
My hand shall destroy them.’
¹⁰You blew with Your wind,
The sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹“Who^(BS) is like You, O Lord, among the ^[k]gods?
Who is like You, ^(BT)glorious in holiness,
Fearful in ^(BU)praises, ^(BV)doing wonders?
¹²You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.
¹³You in Your mercy have ^(BW)led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To ^(BX)Your holy habitation.

¹⁴“The ^(BY)people will hear and be afraid;
^(BZ)Sorrow^[l] will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
¹⁵^(CA)Then ^(CB)the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
^(CC)The mighty men of Moab,
Trembling will take hold of them;
^(CD)All the inhabitants of Canaan will ^(CE)melt away.
¹⁶^(CF)Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be ^(CG)as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
^(CH)Whom You have purchased.
¹⁷You will bring them in and ^(CI)plant them
In the ^(CJ)mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The ^(CK)sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

¹⁸“The^(CL) Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

¹⁹For the ^(CM)horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and ^(CN)the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

The Song of Miriam^(CO)

²⁰Then Miriam ^(CP)the prophetess, ^(CQ)the sister of Aaron, ^(CR)took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her ^(CS)with timbrels and with dances. ²¹And Miriam ^(CT)answered them:

^(CU)“Sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”

Bitter Waters Made Sweet

²²So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of ^(CV)Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no ^(CW)water. ²³Now when they came to ^(CX)Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called ^[m]Marah. ²⁴And the people ^(CY)complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. ^(CZ)When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He ^(DA)made a statute and an ^[n]ordinance for them, and there ^(DB)He tested them, ²⁶and said, ^(DC)“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the ^(DD)diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord ^(DE)who heals you.”