Exodus 15
English Standard Version
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the people of Israel (A)sang this song to the Lord, saying,
(B)“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider[a] he has thrown into the sea.
2 (C)The Lord is my strength and my (D)song,
and he has become (E)my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
(F)my father's God, and (G)I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is (H)a man of war;
(I)the Lord is his name.
4 (J)“Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
and his chosen (K)officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The (L)floods covered them;
they (M)went down into the depths like a stone.
6 (N)Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
your right hand, O Lord, (O)shatters the enemy.
7 In the (P)greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
you send out your fury; it (Q)consumes them like stubble.
8 At the (R)blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the (S)floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, (T)‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I (U)will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You (V)blew with your wind; the (W)sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 (X)“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in (Y)glorious deeds, (Z)doing wonders?
12 You stretched out (AA)your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
13 “You have (AB)led in your steadfast love the people whom (AC)you have redeemed;
you have (AD)guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 (AE)The peoples have heard; they tremble;
pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom (AF)dismayed;
trembling seizes the leaders of (AG)Moab;
(AH)all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and (AI)dread fall upon them;
because of the greatness of your arm, they are still (AJ)as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
till the people pass by whom (AK)you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and (AL)plant them on your own mountain,
the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
(AM)the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 (AN)The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
19 For when (AO)the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, (AP)the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then (AQ)Miriam (AR)the prophetess, the (AS)sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and (AT)all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:
(AU)“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Bitter Water Made Sweet
22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of (AV)Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to (AW)Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.[b] 24 And the people (AX)grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he (AY)cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log,[c] and he (AZ)threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the Lord[d] made for them a statute and a rule, and there he (BA)tested them, 26 saying, (BB)“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 (BC)diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, (BD)your healer.”
27 Then (BE)they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
Footnotes
- Exodus 15:1 Or its chariot; also verse 21
- Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitterness
- Exodus 15:25 Or tree
- Exodus 15:25 Hebrew he
Exodus 15
Expanded Bible
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord,
because he ·is worthy of great honor [is highly exalted; has triumphed gloriously].
He has ·thrown the horse and its rider
into the sea.
2 The Lord ·gives me strength and makes me sing [L is my strength and my song];
he ·has saved me [L is my salvation].
He is my God,
and I will praise him.
He is the God of my ·ancestors [fathers],
and I will ·honor [exalt] him.
3 The Lord is a ·warrior [L man of war];
·the Lord [L Yahweh; 3:14–17] is his name.
4 The chariots and soldiers of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]
he has ·thrown [cast] into the sea.
·The king’s [L His] ·best [handpicked; elite] officers
are drowned in the ·Red [or Reed; 10:19] Sea.
5 The ·deep waters [floods] covered them,
and they sank ·to the bottom [L into the depths] like a ·rock [stone].
6 Your right hand, Lord,
is ·amazingly [gloriously] strong.
Lord, your right hand
broke the enemy to pieces.
7 In your great victory
you ·destroyed [demolished] those who ·were [L rose up] against you.
·Your anger destroyed them [L You sent out your anger],
·like fire burning straw [L it consumed them like chaff/stubble/straw].
8 Just a blast of your ·breath [or anger],
and the waters piled up.
The moving water stood like a ·wall [or heap];
the ·deep waters [floods] ·became solid [congealed] in the ·middle [L heart] of the sea.
9 “The enemy ·bragged [L said],
‘I’ll ·chase them [L pursue] and ·catch them [L overtake].
I’ll ·take all their riches [L divide the plunder];
·I’ll take all I want [L My desire/appetite will have my fill of them].
I’ll ·pull out [draw] my sword,
and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew on them with your ·breath [or wind]
and covered them with the sea.
They sank like lead
in the ·raging water [mighty waters].
11 “·Are there any gods like you [L Who is like you among the gods], Lord?
·There are no gods [L Who is…?] like you.
You are ·wonderfully holy [splendid/majestic in holiness],
·amazingly powerful [awesome in power],
·a worker of miracles [doing wonders].
12 You ·reached out with [extend; stretch out] your right hand,
and the earth swallowed ·our enemies [L them].
13 You ·keep your loving promise
and lead [L led by your covenant love] the people you have ·saved [L redeemed; ransomed].
With your strength you will guide them
to your holy ·place [abode; C the Promised Land].
14 “The ·other nations [L peoples] will hear this and tremble with fear;
·terror [writhing; pangs] will take hold of the Philistines.
15 The ·leaders of the tribes [chiefs] of Edom will be ·very frightened [scared];
the powerful men of Moab will ·shake with fear [be seized by shaking];
the people of Canaan will ·lose all their courage [L melt].
16 Terror and horror will fall on them.
·When they see your strength [L By the power of your arm],
they will be as still as a ·rock [stone].
They will be still until your people pass by, Lord.
They will be still until the people you have ·taken as your own [purchased; acquired; or created] pass by.
17 You will ·lead your people [L bring them] and ·place [L plant] them
on ·your very own mountain [L the mountain of your possession/inheritance],
the place that you, Lord, made for ·yourself to live [your abode],
the ·temple [sanctuary], Lord, that your hands have ·made [established].
18 The Lord will ·be king [reign] forever!”
19 The horses, chariot drivers, and chariots of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] went into the sea, and the Lord ·covered them with [L returned on them the] water from the sea. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry land. 20 Then Aaron’s sister Miriam, a prophetess, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam told them:
“Sing to the Lord,
because he ·is worthy of great honor [is highly exalted; or has triumphed gloriously];
he has thrown the horse and its rider
into the sea.”
Bitter Water Becomes Good
22 Moses led the Israelites away from the ·Red [or Reed; 10:19] Sea into the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Shur. They traveled for three days in the ·desert [wilderness] but found no water. 23 Then they came to Marah, where there was water, but they could not drink it because it was too bitter. (That is why the place was named Marah [C Hebrew for “bitter”].) 24 The people ·grumbled [complained] to Moses and asked, “What will we drink?”
25 So Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a ·tree [or piece of wood]. When Moses threw the ·tree [or piece of wood] into the water, the water became ·good to drink [L sweet].
There the Lord gave the people a ·rule [statute; ordinance; requirement] and a law to live by, and there he tested ·their loyalty to him [L them]. 26 He said, “You must ·obey [or listen to the voice of] the Lord your God and do what ·he says is right [L is right in his eyes/sight]. If you obey all his ·commands [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and keep his rules, I will not bring on you any of the ·sicknesses [diseases] I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord ·who heals you [your physician].”
27 Then the people traveled to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. So the people camped there near the water.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.