The Preacher's Bible

Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea. ³Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will follow after them; and I will get honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies; and the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah.” They did so.

⁵The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶He prepared his chariot, and took his army with him; ⁷and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, with captains over all of them. ⁸Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand. ⁹The Egyptians pursued them. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

¹⁰When Pharaoh came near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were very afraid. The children of Israel cried out to Jehovah. ¹¹They said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt? ¹²Isn’t this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

¹³Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which he will work for you today; for you will never again see the Egyptians whom you have seen today. ¹⁴Jehovah will fight for you, and you shall be still.”

¹⁵Jehovah said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward. ¹⁶Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. Then the children of Israel shall go into the middle of the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷Behold, I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after them. I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen. ¹⁸The Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah when I have gotten myself honor over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.” ¹⁹The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them. ²⁰It came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. There was the cloud and the darkness, yet it gave light by night. One didn’t come near the other all night.

²¹Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. ²²The children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground; and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ²³The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the middle of the sea: all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. ²⁴In the morning watch, Jehovah looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and confused the Egyptian army. ²⁵He took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from the face of Israel, for Jehovah fights for them against the Egyptians!”

²⁶Jehovah said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” ²⁷Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it. Jehovah overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. ²⁸The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh’s army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them. ²⁹But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ³⁰Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹Israel saw the great work which Jehovah did to the Egyptians, and the people feared Jehovah; and they believed in Jehovah and in his servant Moses.