Exodus 14:5-28

New International Version

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,^(A) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds^(B) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” ⁶ So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. ⁷ He took six hundred of the best chariots,^(C) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. ⁸ The Lord hardened the heart^(D) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.^{(E) 9} The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses^(F) and chariots, horsemen^[a] and troops^(G)—pursued the Israelites and overtook^(H) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.^(I)

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried^(J) out to the Lord. ¹¹ They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?^(K) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”^(L)

¹³ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.^(M) Stand firm and you will see^(N) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see^(O) again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight^(P) for you; you need only to be still.”^(Q)

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?^(R) Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff^(S) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water^(T) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts^(U) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.^(V) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord^(W) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

¹⁹ Then the angel of God,^(X) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud^(Y) also moved from in front and stood behind^(Z) them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness^(AA) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand^(AB) over the sea,^(AC) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind^(AD) and turned it into dry land.^(AE) The waters were divided,^{(AF) 22} and the Israelites went through the sea^(AG) on dry ground,^(AH) with a wall^(AI) of water on their right and on their left.

²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen^(AJ) followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud^(AK) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.^{(AL) 25} He jammed^[b] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting^(AM) for them against Egypt.”^(AN)

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.^(AO) The Egyptians were fleeing toward^[c] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.^{(AP) 28} The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.^(AQ) Not one of them survived.^(AR)