Yahweh Rescues Israel at the Red Sea
14 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites[a] so that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea;[b] before Baal Zephon, which is opposite it, you will camp by the sea. 3 And Pharaoh will say of the Israelites,[c] ‘They are wandering around in the land. The desert has closed in on them.’ 4 And I will harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will chase after them, and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.” And they did so.
5 And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh was changed and that of his servants toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us!” 6 And he harnessed his chariot and took with him his people. 7 And he took six hundred select chariots and all the chariots of Egypt and officers over all of them. 8 And Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he chased after the Israelites.[d] (Now the Israelites[e] were going out boldly.[f]) 9 And the Egyptians chased after them, and they overtook them encamped at the sea—all the horses of the chariots of Pharaoh and his charioteers and his army—at Pi-hahiroth before Baal Zephon.
10 And Pharaoh approached, and the Israelites[g] lifted their eyes, and there were the Egyptians traveling after them! And they were very afraid, and the Israelites[h] cried out to Yahweh. 11 And they said to Moses, “Because there are no graves in Egypt? Is that why you have taken us to die in the desert? What is this you have done to us by bringing us out from Egypt! 12 Isn’t this the word we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we can serve Egypt!’ because serving Egypt is better for us than our dying in the desert.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “You must not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will accomplish for you today, because the Egyptians whom you see today you will see never again. 14 Yahweh will fight for you, and you must be quiet.”
15 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Speak to the Israelites[i] so that they set out.[j] 16 And you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it so that the Israelites[k] can go in the middle of the sea on the dry land. 17 And as for me, look, I am about to harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they come after them, and I will display my glory through Pharaoh and through all of his army, through his chariots and through his charioteers. 18 And the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh when I display my glory through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his charioteers.”
19 And the angel of God who was going before the camp of Israel set out and went behind them. And the column of cloud set out ahead of them, and it stood still behind them, 20 so that it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. And it was a dark cloud,[l] but it gave light to the night,[m] so that neither approached the other[n] all night.
21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh moved the sea[o] with a strong east wind all night, and he made the sea become dry ground, and the waters were divided. 22 And the Israelites[p] entered the middle of the sea on the dry land. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians gave chase[q] and entered after them—all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his charioteers—into the middle of the sea. 24 And during the morning watch, Yahweh looked down to the Egyptian camp from in the column of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. 25 And he removed[r] the wheels of their chariots so that they drove them with difficulty, and the Egyptians said, “We must flee away[s] from Israel because Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt.”
26 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the waters return over the Egyptians, over their chariots, and over their charioteers.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at daybreak[t] to its normal level, and the Egyptians were fleeing because of it,[u] and Yahweh swept the Egyptians into the middle of the sea. 28 And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the charioteers—all the army of Pharaoh coming after them into the sea. Not even[v] one survived among them. 29 But the Israelites[w] walked on the dry land in the middle of the sea. The waters were a wall for them on their right and on their left. 30 And Yahweh saved Israel on that day from the hand[x] of Egypt, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. 31 And Israel saw the great hand[y] that Yahweh displayed against Egypt, and the people feared Yahweh, and they believed in Yahweh and in Moses his servant.
Footnotes
- Exodus 14:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:2 Literally “and between the sea”
- Exodus 14:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:8 Literally “with a raised/high hand”
- Exodus 14:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:15 Or “journey,” “move on,” “travel”
- Exodus 14:16 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:20 Literally “the cloud was and the darkness”
- Exodus 14:20 Or “it illumined the night”
- Exodus 14:20 Literally “this did not come near to this”
- Exodus 14:21 Or “caused the sea to go,” “drove the sea”
- Exodus 14:22 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:23 Or “pursued,” “chased”
- Exodus 14:25 Or “let turn aside”
- Exodus 14:25 Or “let us flee,” “let me run away”; the verb is singular, but it is plural in context
- Exodus 14:27 Literally “at the turning of morning”
- Exodus 14:27 Literally “to/for/from the meeting of it”
- Exodus 14:28 Literally “up to,” “as far as”
- Exodus 14:29 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 14:30 Or “power”
- Exodus 14:31 Or “power”