Moses’ victory song
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
I will sing to the Lord, for an overflowing victory!
Horse and rider he threw into the sea!
2 The Lord is my strength and my power;[a]
he has become my salvation.
This is my God, whom I will praise,
the God of my ancestors, whom I will acclaim.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he hurled into the sea;
his elite captains were sunk in the Reed Sea.[b]
5 The deep sea covered them;
they sank into the deep waters like a stone.
6 Your strong hand, Lord, is dominant in power;
your strong hand, Lord, shatters the enemy!
7 With your great surge you overthrow your opponents;
you send out your hot anger; it burns them up like straw.
8 With the breath of your nostrils the waters swelled up,
the floods surged up in a great wave;
the deep waters foamed in the depths of the sea.
9 The enemy said, “I’ll pursue, I’ll overtake,
I’ll divide the spoils of war.
I’ll be overfilled with them.
I’ll draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.”
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered over them.
They sank like lead in the towering waters.
11 Who is like you among the gods, Lord?
Who is like you, foremost in holiness,
worthy of highest praise, doing awesome deeds?
12 You raised your strong hand;
earth swallowed them up.
13 With your great loyalty you led the people you rescued;
with your power you guided them to your sanctuary.
14 The peoples heard, they shook in terror;
horror grabbed hold of Philistia’s inhabitants.
15 Then Edom’s tribal chiefs were terrified;
panic grabbed hold of Moab’s rulers;
all of Canaan’s inhabitants melted in fear.
16 Terror and fear came over them;
because of your great power,
they were as still as a stone
until your people, Lord, passed by,
until the people you made your own passed by.
17 You brought them in and planted them on your own mountain,
the place, Lord, that you made your home,
the sanctuary, Lord, that your hand created.
18 The Lord will rule forever and always.
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
Miriam’s victory song
20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her playing tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang the refrain back to them:
Sing to the Lord, for an overflowing victory!
Horse and rider he threw into the sea!
Turning bitter water sweet
22 Then Moses had Israel leave the Reed Sea[c] and go out into the Shur desert. They traveled for three days in the desert and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink Marah’s water because it was bitter. That’s why it was called Marah.[d] 24 The people complained against Moses, “What will we drink?” 25 Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord pointed out a tree to him. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
The Lord made a regulation and a ruling there, and there he tested them. 26 The Lord said, “If you are careful to obey the Lord your God, do what God thinks is right, pay attention to his commandments, and keep all of his regulations, then I won’t bring on you any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They camped there by the water.
Footnotes
- Exodus 15:2 Or song
- Exodus 15:4 Or Red Sea
- Exodus 15:22 Or Red Sea
- Exodus 15:23 Or bitter