14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to turn back to Pi Hahiroth and to camp between Migdol and the ·Red [or Reed; 10:19] Sea. Camp ·across from [opposite] Baal Zephon [C in the eastern Nile Delta; the exact locations of these sites are unknown], ·on the shore of [L by] the sea. 3 ·The king [L Pharaoh] will think, ‘The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] are ·lost [wandering around], ·trapped [closed/shut in] by the ·desert [wilderness].’ 4 I will ·make the king stubborn [L harden the heart of Pharaoh] again so he will ·chase after [pursue] them, but I will ·defeat the king and his army, bringing honor to me [L gain glory over Pharaoh and over his army], and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” ·The Israelites [L They] did just as they were told.
The King Chases the Israelites
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the ·Israelites [people] had ·left [or fled], he and his officers changed their minds about them. They said, “What have we done? We have ·lost [sent away] the Israelites who served us!” 6 So ·the king [L he] ·prepared [harnessed] his war chariot and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of his best chariots, together with all the other chariots of Egypt, each with an officer in it. 8 The Lord ·made the king of Egypt stubborn [L hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt], so he ·chased [pursued] the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], who were leaving ·victoriously [boldly; L with uplifted hand]. 9 The Egyptians—with all the king’s horses, chariot drivers, and army—·chased the Israelites [L pursued them]. They caught up with them while they were camped by the ·Red Sea [L Sea; 10:19], near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon [14:1].
10 When the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] saw ·the king and his army [L Egypt] coming after them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help. 11 They said to Moses, “What have you done to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the ·desert [wilderness]? ·There were [L Were there not…?] plenty of graves for us in Egypt. 12 ·We told [L Did we not tell…?] you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone; we will stay and serve the Egyptians.’ Now we will die in the desert.”
13 But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still and you will see the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again after today. 14 You only need to remain ·calm [or still]; the Lord will fight for you [15:3].”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Command the Israelites to ·start moving [get going; depart]. 16 Raise your ·walking stick [staff] and ·hold it [L extend/stretch your hand] over the sea so that the sea will split and the ·people [L sons/T children of Israel] can ·cross it [L go in the midst of the sea] on dry land. 17 I will ·make the Egyptians stubborn [L harden the hearts of the Egyptians] so they will ·chase the Israelites [L go after them], but I will be ·honored [glorified] when I defeat ·the king [L Pharaoh] and all of his chariot drivers and chariots. 18 When I defeat ·the king [L Pharaoh], his chariot drivers, and chariots, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”
19 Now the angel of God that usually traveled in front of ·Israel’s army [L them] moved behind them. Also, the pillar of cloud [13:21] moved from in front of the people and stood behind them. 20 So the cloud came between the camp of the Egyptians and camp of the Israelites. This made it dark for the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites. So the cloud kept ·the two armies [L them] apart all night.
21 Then Moses ·held [extended; stretched] his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind, making the sea become dry ground. The water was split, 22 and the ·Israelites [L the sons/T children of Israel] went through the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23 Then all ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] horses, chariots, and chariot drivers ·followed [pursued] them into the sea. 24 ·When morning came [L At the morning watch], the Lord looked down from the pillar of cloud and fire at the Egyptian army and made them panic. 25 He clogged their chariot wheels,[a] making it hard to ·drive the chariots [L turn]. The Egyptians shouted, “Let’s ·get away [flee] from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them and against Egypt [15:3].”
26 Then the Lord told Moses, “·Hold [Extend; Stretch] your hand over the sea so that the water will come back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses ·raised [extended; stretched] his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its ·place [or normal depth]. The Egyptians tried to ·run [flee] from it, but the Lord ·swept them away [tossed; overthrew them] into the sea. 28 The water returned, covering the chariots, chariot drivers, and all ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them ·survived [remained].
29 But the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] crossed the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 So that day the Lord saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. 31 When the Israelites saw ·the great power the Lord had used [L what God did with his strong hand] against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they ·trusted [had confidence in] the Lord and his servant Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 14:25 clogged their chariot wheels This phrase appears in some Greek copies. The Hebrew text has “misdirected their chariot wheels”