Bitter Water Made Sweet

22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of (A)Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to (B)Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.[a] 24 And the people (C)grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he (D)cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log,[b] and he (E)threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord[c] made for them a statute and a rule, and there he (F)tested them, 26 saying, (G)“If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the (H)diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, (I)your healer.”

27 Then (J)they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitterness
  2. Exodus 15:25 Or tree
  3. Exodus 15:25 Hebrew he

The Waters of Marah and Elim

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert(A) of Shur.(B) For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.(C) 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.[a](D)) 24 So the people grumbled(E) against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”(F)

25 Then Moses cried out(G) to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw(H) it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.(I) 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep(J) all his decrees,(K) I will not bring on you any of the diseases(L) I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals(M) you.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped(N) there near the water.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitter.

Bread from Heaven

16 They (A)set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel (B)grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, (C)“Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, (D)when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain (E)bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may (F)test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, (G)it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, (H)“At evening (I)you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the (J)glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For (K)what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—(L)what are we? Your grumbling is not (M)against us but against the Lord.”

Read full chapter

Manna and Quail

16 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin,(A) which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.(B) In the desert the whole community grumbled(C) against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!(D) There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food(E) we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”(F)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven(G) for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test(H) them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice(I) as much as they gather on the other days.”

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt,(J) and in the morning you will see the glory(K) of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling(L) against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”(M) Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling(N) against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”(O)

Read full chapter