Exodus 1-15

New Catholic Bible

The Children of Israel in Egypt^[a]

Oppression of the Israelites^[b]

Chapter 1

^1 [c]These are the names of the children of Israel who entered Egypt with Joseph, each of them arriving with his family: ^2 [d]Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, ³ Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, ⁴ Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. ⁵ The total number of those born to Jacob was seventy.^[e] Joseph was already in Egypt.

^6 [f]Now Joseph died and then all his brothers and all that generation. ⁷ The children of Israel multiplied and grew numerous and very powerful and filled the land.

Harsh Condition of the Children of Israel.^{[g] 8} Then a new king arose in Egypt who had not known Joseph. ⁹ He said to his people, “Behold, the children of Israel are very numerous and more powerful than we are. ¹⁰ Let us deal wisely with them lest they continue to multiply. Otherwise, if there were a war, they would join our enemies and battle against us and then escape from the land.”

¹¹ So taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to wear them down with forced labor. They built the supply cities^[h] of Pithom and Raameses for Pharaoh. ¹² But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and grew beyond measure. The Egyptians began to dread the presence of the children of Israel ¹³ and therefore put them to work, treating them harshly. ¹⁴ They made their lives difficult and forced them to make clay bricks and to do all kinds of work in the fields. They forced them to do every type of harsh work.

¹⁵ Command to the Midwives. The king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other named Puah, ¹⁶ “When you assist the Hebrew women who are in labor, look at the child while it is still on the birthing stool. If it is a boy, kill it. If it is a girl, you can let it live.” ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God. They did not do what the king of Egypt had ordered them to do. They let the babies live.

¹⁸ The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this and let the babies live?” ¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptians. They are full of life. Before the midwife arrives, they have already given birth.”

²⁰ God blessed the midwives. The people grew and became very numerous. ²¹ God gave the midwives numerous families because they had feared God. ²² Pharaoh therefore gave this command to all of his people: “Every male son who is born to the Hebrews is to be thrown into the Nile, but let the girl babies live.”

The Liberator Raised Up by God

Chapter 2

Moses Is Saved.^{[i] 1} There was a certain man from the tribe of Levi who took a daughter of the tribe of Levi as his wife. ² The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was handsome and she hid him for three months. ³ But, not being able to hide him any longer, she took a basket made of papyrus, caulked it with bitumen and pitch, and placed the baby in it and lay it among the reeds growing on the riverbank of the Nile. ⁴ The baby’s sister^[j] hid herself so that she could watch what would happen from a distance.

⁵ Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe while her attendants walked along the riverbank. They saw the basket among the reeds and sent a slave to fetch it. ⁶ They opened it and saw the baby. It was a small baby boy who was crying. They had compassion on it and said, “This is a Hebrew baby.”

⁷ The sister of the baby said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go to call a wet nurse from among the Hebrew women to feed the child for you?”

⁸ “Go,” said Pharaoh’s daughter. The girl went and called the baby’s mother. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby with you and feed it for me. I will pay you.” The woman took the baby and fed it. ¹⁰ When the baby was grown, she brought it to Pharaoh’s daughter. He became a son to her and she named him Moses, saying, “I have saved him from the water.”^[k]

¹¹ Moses Flees to Midian.^[l] One day Moses, having grown up,^[m] went out to his brethren and saw how they were oppressed. He noticed an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his brethren. ¹² Looking around, he did not see anyone, so he struck and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. ¹³ The next day he went out again and, seeing two Hebrews fighting, said to the one who was in the wrong, “Why did you hit your brother?” ¹⁴ He answered, “Who has made you head and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me like you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid and thought, “Certainly this thing is known.” ¹⁵ Pharaoh heard about it and sought to put Moses to death. Moses fled from Pharaoh and traveled to the land of Midian^[n] where he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ A priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water to fill the trough and give water to their father’s flocks. ¹⁷ But some shepherds arrived and chased them away. Moses got up and defended them and gave their animals something to drink. ¹⁸ They returned to their father Reuel^[o] who said to them, “Why are you back so soon today?” ¹⁹ They answered, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds. He drew water for us and gave water to the flock to drink.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave him there? Invite him to eat with us.” ²¹ Moses agreed to live with that man, who gave him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. ²² She bore him a son and he named his son Gershom for he said, “I am a stranger in a strange land.”^[p]

²³ God Does Not Forget the Covenant.^[q] And it came to pass that the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their slavery, and they cried out. The cry of their bondage rose up to God. ²⁴ God heard their cry and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God took note of the children of Israel and acknowledged their need.

The Burning Bush^[r]

Chapter 3

The Call of Moses.^{[s] 1} Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,^[t] the mountain of God. ² The angel of the Lord^[u] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed. ³ Moses said, “I wish to draw near to observe this wondrous thing and see why this bush does not burn up.”

⁴ The Lord saw that he was approaching to see God and he called out from the bush, “Moses, Moses.” He answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ He continued, “Do not approach. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ He said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.^[v]

⁷ The Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know about their sufferings. ⁸ I have come down to free them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to lead them from that land to a land that is beautiful and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey,^[w] the place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites are found. ⁹ The cry of the Israelites has come up to me and I myself have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians torment them. ¹⁰ Now go! I send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the Israelites, from Egypt.”

¹¹ Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹² He answered, “I am with you. Behold, this is proof that I have sent you, when you will lead the people from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”

¹³ God Reveals His Name.^[x] Moses said to God, “If I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ but they say to me, ‘What is his name,’ what should I say to them?” ¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”^[y] Then he said, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you.’ This is my name forever. This is the title with which I will be remembered from one generation to the next.”

¹⁶ Moses Is Invested with His Mission.^[z]“Go, gather the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me,^[aa] the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, saying, “I have seen you and what is done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ I have said, ‘I will make them go out from the humiliation of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ” ’

¹⁸ “They will listen to your voice. You and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Let us make a three days’ journey into the desert to make a sacrifice to the Lord, our God.’ ¹⁹ I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to leave unless he is forced. ²⁰ I will therefore stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of wonders that I will work in their midst. Afterward, they will let you go.

²¹ “I will make this people find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. When you leave, you will not leave empty-handed. ²² Every woman will ask her neighbor and those living in her house for silver and gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. You will plunder the Egyptians.”

Chapter 4

Moses Is Encouraged and Receives the Gift of Working Prodigies.^{[ab] 1} Moses answered, “Behold, they will not believe me nor listen to my voice. They will say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ” ² The Lord said to him, “What is in your hand?” He answered, “A staff.” ³ The Lord said, “Throw it to the ground.” He threw the staff to the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses retreated away from it. ⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Reach out and take it by its tail.” He reached out and took it, and it became a staff again in his hand. ⁵ “This is so that they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

⁶ The Lord continued, “Place your hand inside your tunic.” He placed his hand in his tunic and then drew it out. Behold, his hand was covered with leprosy and was white as the snow.^{[ac] 7} The Lord said, “Put your hand back in your tunic.” He put his hand back in the tunic and drew it out again. Behold, it was once again like the rest of his flesh. ⁸ “If they will not believe you and heed the first sign, then they will believe the message of the second. ⁹ If they do not believe either of the signs and will not listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”

¹⁰ Aaron, Spokesman for Moses. Moses said to the Lord, “My Lord, I am not eloquent. I have never been so in the past nor now that you have begun to speak to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” ¹¹ The Lord told him, “Who has made man with a mouth? Who can make him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go! I will be with your mouth and supervise what you are to say.” ¹³ Moses said, “Forgive me, my Lord, but please send someone else.” ¹⁴ The Lord became angry with Moses and said to him, “Do you not have a brother, Aaron, a Levite. I know that he can speak well. He is now on his way here to meet you. When he sees you, his heart will rejoice.^{[ad] 15} You will speak to him and place the words he is to say in his mouth. I will be with you and with him while you speak and I will tell you what you are to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you. It will be as if he is your mouth and you are his God. ¹⁷ Take this staff in your hand and perform the signs with it.”

¹⁸ Moses Returns to Egypt.^[ae] Moses left and returned to Jethro, his father-in-law, and told him, “Let me leave and return to my brothers who are in Egypt to see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt, for those who sought to kill you are dead.” ²⁰ Moses took his wife and his sons, placed them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses held the staff of God in his hand.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you do all the signs that I have placed in your hand in the presence of Pharaoh. But I will harden his heart and he will not let my people go. ²² You will say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is my firstborn son. ²³ I have told you to let my son go so that he might serve me, but you have refused to let him leave. Therefore, I will kill your firstborn son.” ’ ”

^24 [af]On the way, when they were camped for the night, the Lord came and tried to kill Moses. ²⁵ Zipporah took a flint knife and cut the foreskin of her son and with it touched Moses’ feet and said, “You are now my spouse of blood.” ²⁶ Then God let him go. She said “spouse of blood” because of the circumcision.

²⁷ Moses Makes Contact with His People.^[ag] The Lord said to Aaron, “Go meet Moses in the desert.” He went and met Moses on the mountain of God and kissed him. ²⁸ Moses told Aaron all the words that God had sent him to say and about all the signs that he had commanded him to do. ²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled the elders of the children of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron spoke to the people, telling them all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and performing the signs before the people. ³¹ The people believed when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and had seen their affliction. They knelt down in worship.

Chapter 5^[ah]

First Audience of Moses with Pharaoh. ¹ Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and proclaimed to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Let my people go so that they might celebrate a feast in the desert.’ ” ² Pharaoh answered, “Who is the Lord that I should listen to his voice and let Israel leave? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel leave.” ³ They said, “The God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us leave for a journey of three days into the desert to celebrate a sacrifice to the Lord, our God, lest he punish us with plague or the sword.”

⁴ The king of Egypt said to them, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take the people away from their work? Return to your work.” ⁵ Pharaoh added, “Behold how numerous the people of the land are. Would you have them rest from their labors?”

⁶ On that day, Pharaoh gave this order to the taskmasters of the people and to his overseers:^{[ai] 7} “Do not give any more straw^[aj] for making bricks to the people as you previously have. Let them get their own straw. ⁸ But you must demand that they make the same number of bricks as before, without any reduction. They are lazy. That is why they are protesting, ‘We wish to leave, we must sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let more work be laid upon them so that they keep busy and not pay attention to lies.”

¹⁰ The taskmasters of the people and the overseers went out and spoke to the people: “Pharaoh has ordered, ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹ You can go and gather it for yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work must not decline.’ ”

¹² The people scattered all throughout Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ But the taskmasters urged them on saying, “Finish your work, your daily quota, just as when you were given straw.”

¹⁴ Complaint of the Overseers. The overseers of the children of Israel, whom the taskmasters of Pharaoh had placed over them, beat them saying, “Why have you not finished your number of bricks today and yesterday like you did before?”

¹⁵ The overseers of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh and appealed to him saying, “Why do you treat your servants like this? ¹⁶ You have not given straw to your servants, but you tell them to make bricks. Your servants are beaten and it is the fault of your own people.” ¹⁷ He answered, “You are lazy, lazy! This is why you say, ‘We want to leave; we must sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Now go, work! You will not be given straw, but you will produce the same number of bricks.”

¹⁹ The overseers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “Do not lower the daily number of bricks.” ²⁰ Upon leaving Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who were waiting for them. ²¹ They said, “The Lord look upon you and judge, for you have made us hateful to Pharaoh and his ministers. You placed the sword in their hands to kill us.”

²² Renewal of God’s Promise. Moses turned again to the Lord and said, “My Lord, why have you treated this people so badly? Why did you send me? ²³ From the time that I went to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name, he has treated this people harshly and you have not done anything to free your people.”

Chapter 6

¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I am about to do to Pharaoh. With a mighty hand he will let them go. With a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.”

Another Account of Moses’ Call.^{[ak] 2} God spoke to Moses and told him, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God the all-powerful, but I did not reveal my name, the Lord, to them. ⁴ I established a covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, that land where they dwelt as aliens.

⁵ “And now I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel in their bondage to the Egyptians and I have remembered my covenant. ⁶ Therefore, say to the children of Israel, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from your forced labor to the Egyptians. I will free you from their slavery and liberate you with an outstretched arm^[al] and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord, your God, who will bring you out from your forced labor to the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you into the land that I swore with an oath I would give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you as an inheritance, for I am the Lord.’ ”

⁹ Moses said these things to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to him, for they were at the limits of their endurance because of their harsh slavery.^[am]

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses: ¹¹ “Go to speak with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so that he will let the children of Israel leave his land.” ¹² But Moses said these things in God’s presence, “Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me; how could Pharaoh listen to me, for I am a man of unskilled speech?”

¹³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel leave the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ Genealogy of Moses and Aaron. These are the heads of their families. The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. ¹⁵ The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of the Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.

¹⁶ These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old.

¹⁷ The sons of Gershon, by their clans, were Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be one hundred and thirty-three years old.

¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

²⁰ Amram took Jochebed as his wife. She was his father’s sister. She bore Aaron and Moses and Miriam. Amram lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old.

²¹ The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

²² The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

²³ Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, as his wife. She bore Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

²⁴ The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

²⁵ Eleazar, the son of Aaron, took a daughter of Putiel, as a wife. She bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the ancestral clans of Levi.

²⁶ These are the Aaron and the Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the children of Israel out from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.”

²⁷ They told Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the children of Israel leave Egypt. They are Moses and Aaron.

²⁸ Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh. This is what happened when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt. ²⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord! Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, what I say to you.” ³⁰ Moses spoke in the presence of the Lord, “Behold, I am a poor speaker, how will Pharaoh listen to me?”

Chapter 7

¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Look, I have made you like a God to Pharaoh; Aaron will be your prophet.^{[an] 2} You will tell him what I have commanded you. Aaron, your brother, will tell Pharaoh to permit the children of Israel to leave his land. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt and I will make my hosts leave Egypt, the children of Israel, with great acts of judgment.

⁵ “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the children of Israel out from their midst.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded them to do. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

The Plagues of Egypt^[ao]

Aaron’s Staff Turned into a Snake. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourself by performing a wondrous deed,’ you will say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh and it will become a serpent.’ ” ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron then went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them to do. Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ Pharaoh gathered the wise men and sorcerers and even the magicians of Egypt. With their magic they did the same thing. ¹² Each one threw his staff and the staffs became serpents, but the staff of Aaron swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

¹⁴ First Plague: Water Turned into Blood.^[ap] The Lord said to Moses, “The heart of Pharaoh is hardened. He refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning when he goes out to the water and stand in front of him on the Nile riverbank and take the staff in your hand that was changed into a serpent. ¹⁶ Then you will tell him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to tell you, ‘Let my people go so that they can serve me in the desert. Up to now you have not obeyed.’ ¹⁷ The Lord says, ‘By this you will know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will strike the waters of the Nile with the staff that I have in my hand, and they will change into blood. ¹⁸ The fish in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become putrid so that the Egyptians will not be able to drink from the Nile.” ’ ”

¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, their ponds, and over all their supplies of water. They will turn into blood and there will be blood in all of the land of Egypt, even in their wood and stone jars.’ ”

²⁰ Moses and Aaron did what the Lord had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters of the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants. All the waters of the Nile changed into blood. ²¹ The fish in the Nile died, and the Nile became putrid, so that the Egyptians could not drink the water. There was blood in the entire land of Egypt. ²² But the magicians of Egypt, with their magic, did the same thing. The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.^{[aq] 23} Pharaoh turned his back on them and went into his house and did not even pay attention to these things. ²⁴ All the Egyptians dug along the Nile to find water to drink because they could not drink the water in the Nile.

²⁵ Second Plague: The Frogs. Seven days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. ^26 [ar]The Lord said to Moses, “Go to speak to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go to serve me. ²⁷ If you refuse to let them go, then I will strike your land with frogs. ²⁸ The Nile will swarm with frogs. They will come out and go into your houses, into the rooms where you sleep and up on your beds, into the houses of your ministers and your people, even into your ovens and your kneading bowls. ²⁹ The frogs will come out and climb over you and your ministers.” ’ ”

Chapter 8

¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron: ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the waters, over the canals and pools, and make frogs come out all over the land of Egypt.’ ”

² Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt and frogs came out and covered the land of Egypt. ³ But the magicians, with their magic, did the same thing and made frogs to come up out all over the land of Egypt.

⁴ Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron summoned and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me, and my people and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

⁵ Moses said to Pharaoh, “Do me the honor of telling me when I should pray for you and your ministers and your people, to free you and your house from frogs, so that they only remain in the waters of the Nile.”

⁶ He answered, “Tomorrow.” Then Moses said, “As you say. In order that you may know that there is no equal to the Lord, our God, ⁷ the frogs will leave your house and those of your servants and of your people, remaining only in the Nile.”

⁸ Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses beseeched the Lord concerning the frogs that he had sent against Pharaoh. ⁹ The Lord did as Moses had said and the frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards, and in the fields. ¹⁰ They piled them up in heaps and the land stank. ¹¹ But Pharaoh saw that there was a moment of relief, and he became stubborn and did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

¹² Third Plague: The Gnats.^[as] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Command Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth. It will change into gnats^[at] in all the land of Egypt.’ ” ¹³ This is what he did. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth changed into gnats throughout Egypt. ¹⁴ The magicians did the same thing with their magic to produce gnats, but they were not able to do it. The gnats were on man and beast. ¹⁵ The magicians said to Pharaoh, “It is the finger of God.” But the heart of Pharaoh was so hardened that he did not listen, just as the Lord had predicted.

¹⁶ Fourth Plague: The Flies.^[au] The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early tomorrow and present yourself to Pharaoh when he goes down to the water. You are to tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go so that they can serve me! ¹⁷ If you do not let my people go, then I will send flies^[av] upon you, upon your ministers, upon your people, and upon your houses. The houses of Egypt will be filled with flies, and even the ground on which they stand will be filled with them. ¹⁸ But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen where my people live. There will be no flies there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in the land. ¹⁹ Thus I will establish a difference between my people and your people. This sign will happen tomorrow.” ’ ”

²⁰ This is what the Lord did. A huge swarm of flies flew into the house of Pharaoh, the houses of his ministers, and all over the land of Egypt. The area was devastated because of the flies.

²¹ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go and sacrifice to your God in the land.”

²² But Moses answered, “It would not work, for the sacrifice that we are going to make to the Lord, our God, is an abomination to the Egyptians. Could we perform a sacrifice that is an abomination to the Egyptians in their sight? Would they not stone us?^{[aw] 23} We will go into the desert, a three days’ journey, and that is where we will sacrifice to the Lord, our God, just as he has ordered us.”

²⁴ So Pharaoh answered, “I will let you go and you can sacrifice to the Lord in the desert. Only do not go too far and pray for me.”

²⁵ Moses answered, “I will leave you and pray to the Lord. Tomorrow the flies will depart from Pharaoh, from his ministers, and from the people. Pharaoh, however, must not deceive us by not letting the people go to perform their sacrifice to the Lord.”

²⁶ Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. ²⁷ The Lord did as Moses said, and the flies departed from Pharaoh, from his ministers, and from his people. There was not even one left. ²⁸ But Pharaoh became stubborn and once again would not let the people go.

Chapter 9

Fifth Plague: The Pestilence on Livestock. ¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: “Let my people go so that they can serve me. ² If you refuse to permit them to leave and you continue to hinder them, ³ the hand of the Lord will come upon your animals in the fields: upon the horses, the donkeys, the camels, upon your herds and flocks, with a horrible plague. ⁴ But the Lord will distinguish between the animals of Israel and those of the Egyptians, so that none of those that belong to the children of Israel will die.” ’ ”

⁵ The Lord established the date saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will accomplish this thing in the land.”^{[ax] 6} The next day, the Lord accomplished this thing. All the animals in Egypt died, but the animals of the children of Israel did not die, not even one of them. ⁷ Pharaoh sent men to find out, and not one of the animals of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh remained hardened, and he would not let the people go.

Sixth Plague: The Boils.^{[ay] 8} The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: “Take two handfuls of ashes from the furnace. Moses is to throw them into the air in front of Pharaoh. ⁹ It will become a fine powder that will spread throughout the whole land and will produce running sores upon the people and the animals throughout the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ They therefore took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses threw them into the air, and they produced running sores on people and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not stand in the presence of Moses because of the sores that had struck them as well as all the Egyptians. ¹² But the Lord caused Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened. He did not listen to them, as the Lord had predicted to Moses.

¹³ Seventh Plague: The Hail.^[az] The Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh and proclaim, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go so that they can serve me! ¹⁴ This time I will send all of my plagues against you, against your ministers, and against all your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me upon the whole earth. ¹⁵ By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with plagues that would have wiped you off the face of the earth. ¹⁶ Instead, I let you live to show you my power and so that my name might be proclaimed all throughout the earth. ¹⁷ Will you still oppose my people and not let them leave? ¹⁸ Behold, I will send a terribly violent hail tomorrow at this time as has never been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded until today. ¹⁹ Send word to gather your animals and whatever is in the field into a safe shelter. Hail will fall upon all the people and upon all the animals that are in open countryside and that have not been brought into shelter, and they will die.” ’ ”

²⁰ Some of the ministers of Pharaoh feared the Lord and brought their slaves and their animals into shelter.^{[ba] 21} Others did not take the words of the Lord to heart, and they left their slaves and their animals in the open countryside.

²² The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch your hand out toward the heavens. Let there be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon people, upon animals, and upon the plants of the field throughout the land of Egypt.” ²³ Moses stretched his staff toward the heavens, and the Lord sent thunder and hail. Lightning struck the earth, and the Lord made hail rain down upon the land of Egypt. ²⁴ There was hail and lightning in the midst of the hail. The hail was so violent that nothing like it had ever been seen in the entire land of Egypt from the day it had become a nation. ²⁵ The hail struck every person and animal that was in the open countryside throughout the land of Egypt. The hail also struck the plants in the field and splintered every tree in the open countryside. ²⁶ Only the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel lived, had no hail.

²⁷ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is right. I and my people are guilty. ²⁸ Pray to the Lord to stop the thunder and hail. I will let you leave. You need not stay any longer.” ²⁹ Moses answered him, “When I leave the city, I will stretch out my hands toward the Lord. The thunder will cease, and the hail will end, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord. ³⁰ But as for you and your ministers, I know that you still do not fear the Lord God.”

³¹ The linen and barley was ruined, because the barley was in the ear and the flax was flowering. ³² But the wheat and the rye and the spelt were not harmed for they have a later season.

³³ Moses left Pharaoh and the city. He extended his hand toward the Lord. The thunder and the hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down upon the land. ³⁴ Pharaoh saw that the rain had stopped, as had the hail and the thunder, but he continued to sin and be stubborn, together with his ministers. ³⁵ The heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the children of Israel leave, as the Lord had predicted through Moses.

Chapter 10

Eighth Plague: The Locusts.^{[bb] 1} Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his ministers so that I may perform these signs in their midst ² and so that you can tell your sons and grandsons how I dealt with the Egyptians and the signs I worked in their midst so that they may know that I am the Lord.”

³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go so that they may serve me. ⁴ If you refuse to let my people go, behold, I will send locusts upon your land. ⁵ They will cover the entire country so that you cannot even see the soil. They will devour what is left, whatever survived the hail, and they will devour every tree that grows in your fields. ⁶ They will fill your house, the houses of all your ministers and the houses of all the Egyptians, so many that even your fathers never saw so many, nor the fathers of your fathers, from when they came into this land until today.’ ” He turned and left Pharaoh.

⁷ The ministers of Pharaoh said to him, “How long will he be a snare to us? Let this people go to serve the Lord, their God. Otherwise Egypt may be ruined.”

⁸ Moses and Aaron were summoned to Pharaoh who said to them, “Go, serve the Lord, your God. But who will leave with you?” ⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, with our animals and our flocks, so that we can celebrate a feast of the Lord.”

^10 [bc]Pharaoh answered, “The Lord be with you, if I let you and your children leave. Clearly you have an evil project in mind. ¹¹ No! Have only the men go with you and serve the Lord. That is what you want.” They then went out from Pharaoh.

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to send locusts. Let them come down upon the land of Egypt to eat every plant that the hail spared.” ¹³ Moses extended his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord sent an east wind over the land all that day and all that night. By the morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. ¹⁴ The locusts swarmed over the whole land of Egypt and settled on every part of the territory of Egypt. It was very serious, so bad that it had never been as bad before nor would it ever be as bad again in the future. ¹⁵ They covered the whole land so that the land was darkened. They devoured every plant in the land and every fruit tree that the hail had spared. Not a green leaf remained upon the trees or the plants in the field throughout the land of Egypt.

¹⁶ Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord, your God, and against you. ¹⁷ But now once again forgive my sin and pray to the Lord, your God, so that he may turn aside this death from me.”

¹⁸ Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. ¹⁹ The Lord changed the direction of the wind and made a strong wind blow from the sea. It carried the locusts away and blew them into the Red Sea. There was not one locust left in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰ But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not let the children of Israel leave.

²¹ Ninth Plague: The Darkness.^[bd] The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the heavens. Darkness will come upon the land of Egypt, so dark that one can feel it.”

²² Moses stretched out his hand toward the heavens. Darkness came upon the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ People could not see each other, and for three days no one could move around. But there was light where the children of Israel were living.^[be]

²⁴ Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Leave, and serve the Lord. Take your babies with you. Only leave your flocks and herds here.”

²⁵ Moses answered, “You must also grant us sacrifices and burnt offerings that we will offer to the Lord, our God. ²⁶ Our animals, too, must leave with us; not even a hoof will be left behind. We must choose the sacrificial victims that we will offer to the Lord, our God, from among them, and we will not know how to serve the Lord until we will have arrived in that place.” ²⁷ But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh who would not let them go. ²⁸ Pharaoh therefore said to Moses, “Leave me! Make sure that you never see me again, for the next time you see my face, you will die.” ²⁹ Moses said, “You have spoken well, for I will not see your face again.”

Chapter 11

Announcement of the Death of the Firstborn.^{[bf] 1} The Lord said to Moses, “I will send still another plague against Pharaoh and Egypt. Afterward, he will let you go from here. He will let you leave without restrictions. In fact, he will chase you out.

² “Therefore, tell the people that each man should ask from his neighbor and each woman should ask from her neighbor objects of silver and objects of gold.”

³ The Lord caused the people to find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moses, too, was a man who was highly regarded in the land of Egypt, both by the ministers of Pharaoh and by the people.

⁴ Moses then said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Around midnight I will go forth through Egypt. ⁵ Every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits upon the throne all the way to the firstborn of the slaves who work at the mill,^[bg] even the firstborn of the animals. ⁶ A great lament will rise up in all the land of Egypt such as will never be repeated again. ⁷ But not even a dog will growl against the children of Israel, neither against humans nor animals, so that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. ⁸ All these servants of yours will come down to me and bow down in front of me saying, “May you and all the people who follow you leave.” After that I will leave.’ ”

Moses grew angry and left Pharaoh.

⁹ But the Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. Therefore, I will multiply my signs in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these signs before Pharaoh, but the Lord had so hardened the heart of Pharaoh that he would not let the children of Israel leave his land.

The Passover

Chapter 12

Preparations for the Passover.^{[bh] 1} The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, ² “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it shall be your first month of the year.^{[bi] 3} Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, ‘The tenth of this month each person shall obtain a lamb for each family, one for each household. ⁴ If the family is too small to eat the lamb, they should join with their neighbors, based on the number of people. Figure the lamb according to how much each person can eat. ⁵ Your lamb should be without blemish,^[bj] male, a year old. You can choose either a sheep or a goat. ⁶ Keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. Then the whole community of Israel shall slaughter it in the evening. ⁷ Take a bit of its blood, put it on the two doorposts and upon the lintel of every house in which it is to be eaten. ⁸ That night eat its meat roasted. Eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but only roasted with the head, legs, and inner organs. ¹⁰ Do not let any of it be kept until the morning. Whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned in the fire. ¹¹ This is how you shall eat it, with your loins girt and sandals on your feet and a staff in your hand. Eat it quickly. It is the Passover^[bk] of the Lord.

¹² “ ‘On that night I will pass over the land of Egypt and strike the firstborn of the land of Egypt, both human and animal, to render justice against all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood on your houses shall be the sign that you are inside. I will see the blood and pass over. There shall be no plague for you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ Preparations for the Unleavened Bread.^[bl]“ ‘This day shall be a memorial for you. You shall celebrate it as a feast of the Lord. From generation to generation, let there be an ordinance that you celebrate this feast. ¹⁵ For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall dispose of all leaven from your house. Whoever eats leavened goods from the first day til the seventh shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day you shall hold a sacred assembly and another on the seventh day. On those days you shall not work. You shall only prepare what is to be eaten by everyone.

¹⁷ “ ‘You shall observe the custom of unleavened bread, for on this same day I brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt. You shall observe this day from generation to generation as an eternal ordinance. ¹⁸ In the first month, the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first of the month, in the evening. ¹⁹ For seven days leavened bread shall not be found in your house, for whoever eats leavened bread shall be cut off from the community of Israel, whether it be a foreigner or a native of the land. ²⁰ You shall not eat leavened bread; in all your houses you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

²¹ Celebration of the Passover. Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go and obtain a lamb for each family and slaughter it for the Passover.^{[bm] 22} Take a bunch of hyssop^[bn] and dip it into the blood in the bowl and sprinkle the blood from the bowl on the lintel and the two doorposts. None of you shall go outside until the morning. ²³ The Lord will pass over to strike the Egyptians. He will see the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts. The Lord will, therefore, pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter into your house to strike anyone there.^[bo]

²⁴ “You shall observe this command as a fixed rite for yourselves and your children forever. ²⁵ When you will have entered into the land that the Lord will give you, as he promised, you shall observe this rite. ²⁶ When your children ask you, ‘What does this rite of yours mean,’ ²⁷ you shall tell them, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Passover of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians and spared our houses.’ ”

The people knelt down and worshiped. ²⁸ Then the children of Israel went and did exactly what the Lord had ordered Moses and Aaron.

The Exodus from Egypt and the Journey to Sinai

Departure from Egypt

²⁹ Tenth Plague: The Death of the Firstborn.^[bp] At midnight the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat upon the throne to the firstborn of the prisoners being held in dungeons, all the firstborn, both human and animal. ³⁰ Pharaoh got up during the night along with his ministers and all the Egyptians, and a loud cry arose out of Egypt, for every house had someone who had died.

³¹ Permission to Depart.^[bq]Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, “Arise and leave my people, you and the children of Israel! Go and serve the Lord as you have said. ³² Take your herds and your flocks, as you have said, and leave. Bless me, too.”

³³ The Egyptians urged on the people to drive them out of the land quickly, for they said, “We are all about to die.” ³⁴ The people took their unleavened dough with them, placing their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks on their shoulders. ³⁵ The children of Israel carried out Moses’ order and had the Egyptians give them objects of silver and gold and clothes. ³⁶ The Lord had inclined the Egyptians favorably toward the people so that they gave them whatever they requested. So, they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ Departure from Egypt. The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. ³⁸ There was also a large crowd of people of mixed ancestry with them, together with large numbers of flocks and herds. ³⁹ They baked the dough that they had carried with them from Egypt as cakes of unleavened bread for it had not been leavened. They had been hurried out of Egypt and had not had time to hesitate nor to prepare provisions for the journey.

⁴⁰ The children of Israel had lived in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ At the end of four hundred and thirty years, exactly to the day, all the hosts of the Lord went up out of Egypt. ⁴² This was a night of vigil unto the Lord, for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. Hence, it must be a night of vigil in honor of the Lord for all the children of Israel, from one generation to the next.

⁴³ Ordinances for the Passover.^[br] The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the ordinances for the Passover:

“No foreigner may eat it. ⁴⁴ As for each slave bought with money, you shall circumcise him so that he may eat it. ⁴⁵ The foreigner and the hired laborer cannot eat it.

⁴⁶ “It must be eaten in one house. One may not carry the meat outside of the house, and none of its bones is to be broken.^{[bs] 47} All the community of Israel shall celebrate it.

⁴⁸ “If a foreigner dwells among you and wishes to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, let each man in his household be circumcised. Then let him draw near to celebrate and he will be like a native of the land. But no one who is uncircumcised can eat it. ⁴⁹ The same law will be binding on the native and the foreigner who is living in your midst.”

⁵⁰ All the children of Israel did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ On that very day the Lord brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, organized according to their hosts.

Chapter 13

Sign and Memorial.^{[bt] 1} The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Consecrate each firstborn to me, whatever opens the womb in Israel, whether human or animal; it belongs to me.”

³ Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, your place of slavery. The Lord brought you out from there with a mighty hand. Therefore, do not eat what has been leavened. ⁴ This day you came out is in the month of Abib. ⁵ When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, that he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall celebrate this rite in this month.

⁶ “For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh you shall celebrate a feast in honor of the Lord. ⁷ For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and there shall be nothing leavened with you. There shall be no leaven in all of your territory. ⁸ On that day you shall teach your son: ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when he brought me out of Egypt.’ ⁹ And it shall be a sign on your hand and a memorial before your eyes so that the law of the Lord may be upon your lips. With a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.^{[bu] 10} You shall celebrate this rite at this time every year.

¹¹ “When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and he will have given it to you as a possession, ¹² you shall dedicate each firstborn from the womb to the Lord. All male firstborn of your animals belong to the Lord. ¹³ You shall redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb.^[bv] If you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. You shall redeem each firstborn son from among his brothers.

¹⁴ “When your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of this,’ you shall answer, ‘With a mighty arm the Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt, our place of slavery. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh was stubborn and would not let us go, the Lord slew the firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of human and animal. Because of this I sacrifice the firstborn male from every womb to the Lord, and I redeem the firstborn of my sons.’ ¹⁶ This shall be a sign on your hand and a memorial before your eyes, to remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.”

The Lord Went before Them.^[bw]

¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people leave, God did not guide them on the road through the land of the Philistines, even though it was shorter, for God thought, “Otherwise the people, seeing they would have to fight, may change their minds and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ God guided the people along the desert road toward the Red Sea. The children of Israel, well armed, left the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph along with him, for Joseph had solemnly sworn the children of Israel, saying, “Surely God will come to visit you, and when he does you must carry away my bones.”

²⁰ They left Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the desert. ²¹ The Lord went before them as a pillar of cloud during the day to guide them on their way, and as a column of fire during the night to give them light, so that they could travel day and night. ²² During the day the pillar of cloud never disappeared from the sight of the people, nor did the column of fire during the night.

Chapter 14

“I Will Display My Glory against Pharaoh.”^{[bx] 1} The Lord said to Moses, ² “Order the children of Israel to turn around and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon. You shall camp in front of it by the sea. ³ Pharaoh will think that the children of Israel are wandering through the land because the desert has blocked them in. ⁴ I shall harden the heart of Pharaoh, and he will follow them. I will display my glory against Pharaoh and all his army, so that the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” This is what they did.

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his ministers was turned against the people. They said, “What have we done in letting Israel leave so that they will no longer serve us?” ⁶ He prepared his chariot and took his soldiers with him.

⁷ Pharaoh took six hundred choice chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with warriors on each of them. ⁸ The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who then pursued the children of Israel while they were marching away in triumph. ⁹ The Egyptians followed and caught up with them while they were camped near the sea. All the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army were near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ When Pharaoh approached, the children of Israel looked up and saw that the Egyptians were marching after them. The children of Israel were terrified and called upon the Lord. ¹¹ They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out to the desert to die? Was it because there were not enough graves in Egypt? What have you done bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Did we not tell you in Egypt, ‘Let us stay here and serve the Egyptians?’ It is better for us to serve than for us to die in the desert?”

¹³ Moses answered, “Do not be afraid. Be strong, and you will see the salvation that the Lord will work for you today, for you will never again see the Egyptians that you see today. ¹⁴ The Lord will battle for you. Be calm!”

¹⁵ The Children of Israel Cross the Red Sea.^[by] The Lord said to Moses, “Why do they cry out to me? Order the children of Israel to set out again. ¹⁶ You are to lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it so that the children of Israel may pass through the midst of the sea on dry land. ¹⁷ I will harden the heart of the Egyptians so that they will enter after them. I will display my glory against Pharaoh and all his army, against his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I display my glory against Pharaoh, against his chariots and his horsemen.”

¹⁹ The angel of God, who had gone in front of Israel’s camp, now moved and went in back of them. The pillar of cloud also moved from their front to their back. ²⁰ They were, therefore, between the camps of the Egyptians and the children of Israel. The cloud was dark for the former group, while it lit up the night for the other. Thus, one group could not approach the other throughout the night.

²¹ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. During the night the Lord caused the sea to move back with a strong east wind, producing dry ground. The waters split in two. ²² The children of Israel entered the sea on dry land, while the waters formed a wall on their right and their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued them with all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. They entered after them in the midst of the sea. ²⁴ Just before dawn the Lord of the column of fire and cloud looked upon the camp of the Egyptians and threw them into confusion. ²⁵ He clogged the wheels of their chariots so that they could hardly move. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the children of Israel for the Lord is fighting with them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea. The waters will flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their horsemen.”

²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. At dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were fleeing right into it, the Lord overthrew them in the midst of the sea. ²⁸ The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and the horsemen of the whole army of Pharaoh. Not a single one of those who had entered the sea to follow the children of Israel escaped.

²⁹ The children of Israel had walked in the midst of the sea on dry land, the water forming walls on the right and the left. ³⁰ On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shores of the sea. ³¹ Israel saw the mighty hand that the Lord had extended against Egypt. The people feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.

Chapter 15

The Song of Moses and Miriam.^{[bz] 1} Moses and the children of Israel therefore sang this song to the Lord:

¹⁹ When the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back upon them, while the children of Israel walked through the midst of the sea on dry ground. ²⁰ Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the other women came out after her playing their tambourines and dancing. ²¹ Miriam led them in the refrain:

The Journey through the Wilderness^[ca]

²² The Waters of Marah and Elim. Moses led the children of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they traveled toward the Desert of Shur. They walked three days into the desert and they did not find water. ²³ They arrived at Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah for they were bitter. That is why the place was called Marah.^{[cb] 24} So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What will we drink?” ²⁵ He called upon the Lord, who showed him a tree. When he cast it into the water, it became sweet.

The Lord made a statute and an ordinance for them there and put them to the test. ²⁶ He said, “If you listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and you do what is right in his sight, if you listen to his ordinances and observe all of his laws, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

²⁷ Then they arrived at Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. Here they camped near the waters.