Exodus 14-16 - Prayer Tents

14Then the LORD gave these instructions to Moses.H3068H1696H4872H559 2"Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon.H1696H1121H3478H7725H2583H6440H6367H4024H3220H6440H1189H5226H2583H3220 3Then Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!'H6547H559H1121H3478H943H776H4057H5462 4And once again I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!" So the Israelites camped there as they were told.H2388H6547H3820H7291H310H3513H6547H2428H4714H3045H3068H6213

The Egyptians Pursue Israel

5When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. "What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?" they asked.H5046H4428H4714H5971H1272H3824H6547H5650H2015H5971H559H6213H3478H7971H5647 6So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops.H631H7393H3947H5971 7He took with him 600 of Egypt's best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander.H3947H8337H3967H977H7393H7393H4714H7991 8The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance.H3068H2388H3820H6547H4428H4714H7291H310H1121H3478H1121H3478H3318H7311H3027 9The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh's army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.H4714H7291H310H5483H7393H6547H6571H2428H5381H2583H3220H6367H6440H1189 10As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD,H6547H7126H1121H3478H5375H5869H4714H5265H310H3966H3372H1121H3478H6817H3068 11and they said to Moses, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?H559H4872H6913H4714H3947H4191H4057H2063H6213H3318H4714 12Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, 'Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!'"H1697H1696H4714H559H2308H5647H4714H2896H5647H4714H4191H4057 13But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.H4872H559H5971H3372H3320H7200H3444H3068H6213H3117H4714H7200H3117H7200H3254H5704H5769 14The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."H3068H3898H2790

Escape through the Red Sea

15Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!H3068H559H4872H6817H1696H1121H3478H5265 16Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.H7311H4294H5186H3027H3220H1234H1121H3478H935H3004H8432H3220 17And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers.H2388H3820H4714H935H310H3513H6547H2428H7393H6571 18When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!"H4714H3045H3068H3513H6547H7393H6571 19Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them.H4397H430H1980H6440H4264H3478H5265H3212H310H5982H6051H5265H6440H5975H310 20The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.H935H4264H4714H4264H3478H6051H2822H215H3915H7126H2088H3915 21Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.H4872H5186H3027H3220H3068H3220H3212H5794H6921H7307H3915H7760H3220H2724H4325H1234 22So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!H1121H3478H935H8432H3220H3004H4325H2346H3225H8040 23Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea.H4714H7291H935H310H8432H3220H6547H5483H7393H6571 24But just before dawn the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion.H1242H821H3068H8259H4264H4714H5982H784H6051H2000H4264H4714 25He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. "Let's get out of here—away from these Israelites!" the Egyptians shouted. "The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!"H5493H4818H212H5090H3517H4714H559H5127H6440H3478H3068H3898H4714 26When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the LORD said to Moses, "Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers."H3068H559H4872H5186H3027H3220H4325H7725H4714H7393H6571 27So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea.H4872H5186H3027H3220H3220H7725H386H1242H6437H4714H5127H7125H3068H5287H4714H8432H3220 28Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.H4325H7725H3680H7393H6571H2428H6547H935H3220H310H7604H5704H259 29But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.H1121H3478H1980H3004H8432H3220H4325H2346H3225H8040 30That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore.H3068H3467H3478H3117H3027H4714H3478H7200H4714H4191H3220H8193 31When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.H3478H7200H1419H3027H3068H6213H4714H5971H3372H3068H539H3068H5650H4872

A Song of Deliverance

15Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.H7891H4872H1121H3478H7892H3068H559H559H7891H3068H1342H1342H5483H7392H7411H3220 2The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him—my father's God, and I will exalt him!H3050H5797H2176H3444H2088H410H5115H1H430H7311 3The LORD is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!H3068H376H4421H3068H8034 4Pharaoh's chariots and army he has hurled into the sea. The finest of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea.H6547H4818H2428H3384H3220H4005H7991H2883H5488H3220 5The deep waters gushed over them; they sank to the bottom like a stone.H8415H3680H3381H4688H3644H68 6"Your right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O LORD, smashes the enemy.H3225H3068H142H3581H3225H3068H7492H341 7In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you. You unleash your blazing fury; it consumes them like straw.H7230H1347H2040H6965H7971H2740H398H7179 8At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.H7307H639H4325H6192H5140H5324H5067H8415H7087H3820H3220 9"The enemy boasted, 'I will chase them and catch up with them. I will plunder them and consume them. I will flash my sword; my powerful hand will destroy them.'H341H559H7291H5381H2505H7998H5315H4390H7324H2719H3027H3423 10But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.H5398H7307H3220H3680H6749H5777H117H4325 11"Who is like you among the gods, O LORD—glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?H3068H410H142H6944H3372H8416H6213H6382 12You raised your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies.H5186H3225H776H1104 13"With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home.H2617H5148H5971H2098H1350H5095H5797H6944H5116 14The peoples hear and tremble; anguish grips those who live in Philistia.H5971H8085H7264H2427H270H3427H6429 15The leaders of Edom are terrified; the nobles of Moab tremble. All who live in Canaan melt away;H227H441H123H926H352H4124H7461H270H3427H3667H4127 16terror and dread fall upon them. The power of your arm makes them lifeless as stone until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people you purchased pass by.H367H6343H5307H1419H2220H1826H68H5971H5674H3068H5971H5674H2098H7069 17You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain—the place, O LORD, reserved for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.H935H5193H2022H5159H4349H3068H6466H3427H4720H136H3027H3559 18The LORD will reign forever and ever!"H3068H4427H5769H5703 19When Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the LORD brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground!H5483H6547H935H7393H6571H3220H3068H7725H4325H3220H1121H3478H1980H3004H8432H3220 20Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.H4813H5031H269H175H3947H8596H3027H802H3318H310H8596H4246 21And Miriam sang this song: "Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea."H4813H6030H7891H3068H1342H1342H5483H7392H7411H3220

Bitter Water at Marah

22Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water.H4872H5265H3478H5488H3220H3318H4057H7793H3212H7969H3117H4057H4672H4325 23When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means "bitter").H935H4785H3201H8354H4325H4785H4751H8034H7121H4785 24Then the people complained and turned against Moses. "What are we going to drink?" they demanded.H5971H3885H4872H559H8354 25So Moses cried out to the LORD for help, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink. It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.H6817H3068H3068H3384H6086H7993H4325H4325H4985H7760H2706H4941H5254 26He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you."H559H8085H8085H6963H3068H430H6213H3477H5869H238H4687H8104H2706H7760H4245H7760H4714H3068H7495 27After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.H935H362H8147H6240H5869H4325H7657H8558H2583H4325

Manna and Quail from Heaven

16Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.H5265H362H5712H1121H3478H935H4057H5512H362H5514H2568H6240H3117H8145H2320H3318H776H4714 2There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.H5712H1121H3478H3885H4872H175H4057 3"If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned. "There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death."H1121H3478H559H4310H5414H4191H3027H3068H776H4714H3427H1320H5518H398H3899H7648H3318H4057H4191H6951H7458 4Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.H559H3068H4872H4305H3899H8064H5971H3318H3950H1697H3117H3117H5254H3212H8451 5On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual."H8345H3117H3559H834H935H4932H3950H3117H3117 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "By evening you will realize it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt.H4872H175H559H1121H3478H6153H3045H3068H3318H776H4714 7In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?"H1242H7200H3519H3068H8085H8519H3068H5168H3885H3885 8Then Moses added, "The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us."H4872H559H3068H5414H6153H1320H398H1242H3899H7646H3068H8085H8519H3885H5168H8519H3068 9Then Moses said to Aaron, "Announce this to the entire community of Israel: 'Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'"H4872H559H175H559H5712H1121H3478H7126H6440H3068H8085H8519 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.H175H1696H5712H1121H3478H6437H4057H3519H3068H7200H6051 11Then the LORD said to Moses,H3068H1696H4872H559 12"I have heard the Israelites' complaints. Now tell them, 'In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"H8085H8519H1121H3478H1696H559H996H6153H398H1320H1242H7646H3899H3045H3068H430 13That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.H6153H7958H5927H3680H4264H1242H2919H7902H5439H4264 14When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.H2919H7902H5927H6440H4057H1851H2636H1851H3713H776 15The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. "What is it?" they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, "It is the food the LORD has given you to eat.H1121H3478H7200H559H376H251H4478H3045H4872H559H3899H3068H5414H402 16These are the LORD's instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent."H1697H834H3068H6680H3950H376H6310H400H6016H1538H4557H5315H3947H376H168 17So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.H1121H3478H6213H3950H7235H4591 18But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.H4058H6016H7235H5736H4591H2637H3950H376H6310H400 19Then Moses told them, "Do not keep any of it until morning."H4872H559H376H3498H1242 20But some of them didn't listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.H8085H4872H582H3498H1242H7311H8438H887H4872H7107 21After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared.H3950H1242H376H6310H400H8121H2552H4549 22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation.H8345H3117H3950H4932H3899H8147H6016H259H5387H5712H935H5046H4872 23He told them, "This is what the LORD commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the LORD. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow."H559H3068H1696H4279H7677H6944H7676H3068H644H644H1310H1310H3605H5736H3240H4931H1242 24So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor.H3240H1242H4872H6680H887H7415 25Moses said, "Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the LORD. There will be no food on the ground today.H4872H559H398H3117H3117H7676H3068H3117H4672H7704 26You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day."H8337H3117H3950H7637H3117H7676 27Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food.H3318H5971H7637H3117H3950H4672 28The LORD asked Moses, "How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions?H3068H559H4872H3985H8104H4687H8451 29They must realize that the Sabbath is the LORD's gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day."H7200H3068H5414H7676H5414H8345H3117H3899H3117H3427H376H376H3318H4725H7637H3117 30So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.H5971H7673H7637H3117 31The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.H1004H3478H7121H8034H4478H1407H2233H3836H2940H6838H1706 32Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: Fill a two-quart container with manna to preserve it for your descendants. Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you free from Egypt."H4872H559H1697H3068H6680H4393H6016H4931H1755H7200H3899H398H4057H3318H776H4714 33Moses said to Aaron, "Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the LORD to preserve it for all future generations."H4872H559H175H3947H259H6803H5414H6016H4393H4478H3240H6440H3068H4931H1755 34Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant—in front of the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.H3068H6680H4872H175H3240H6440H5715H4931 35So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.H1121H3478H398H4478H705H8141H935H776H3427H398H4478H935H7097H776H3667 36The container used to measure the manna was an omer, which was one tenth of an ephah; it held about two quarts.H6016H6224H374