Exodus 17

Tree of Life Version

Test and Quarreling

17 All the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael journeyed from the wilderness of Sin in stages, according to the command of Adonai, and camped in Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Adonai?”

³ But the people thirsted for water there, and they complained against Moses and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us with thirst, along with our children and cattle?”

⁴ So Moses cried out to Adonai saying, “What am I to do for these people? They are about ready to stone me.”

⁵ Adonai said to Moses, “Walk before the people, and take of the elders of Israel with you, along with your staff with which you struck the river. Take it in your hand and go. ⁶ Behold, I will stand before you, there upon the rock in Horeb. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Then Moses did just so in the eyes of the elders of Israel. ⁷ The name of the place was called Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of Bnei-Yisrael, and because they tested Adonai saying, “Is Adonai among us, or not?”

War Against Amalek

⁸ Then the Amalekites came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men, go out, and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”

¹⁰ So Joshua did as Moses said, and fought the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. But when he let down his hand, the Amalekites prevailed. ¹² Moses’ hands grew heavy, so they took a stone, put it under him, and he sat down. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands were steady until the sun went down. ¹³ So Joshua overpowered the Amalekites and his army with the edge of the sword.

¹⁴ Adonai said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the hearing of Joshua, for I will utterly blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.”

¹⁵ Then Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-Nissi. ^{[a] 16} Then he said, “By the hand upon the throne of Adonai, Adonai will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”