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A Song of Deliverance

15 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,
    for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
    into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
    he has given me victory.
This is my God, and I will praise him—
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him!
The Lord is a warrior;
    Yahweh[a] is his name!
Pharaoh’s chariots and army
    he has hurled into the sea.
The finest of Pharaoh’s officers
    are drowned in the Red Sea.[b]
The deep waters gushed over them;
    they sank to the bottom like a stone.

“Your right hand, O Lord,
    is glorious in power.
Your right hand, O Lord,
    smashes the enemy.
In the greatness of your majesty,
    you overthrow those who rise against you.
You unleash your blazing fury;
    it consumes them like straw.
At the blast of your breath,
    the waters piled up!
The surging waters stood straight like a wall;
    in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.

“The enemy boasted, ‘I will chase them
    and catch up with them.
I will plunder them
    and consume them.
I will flash my sword;
    my powerful hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.

11 “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord
    glorious in holiness,
awesome in splendor,
    performing great wonders?
12 You raised your right hand,
    and the earth swallowed our enemies.

13 “With your unfailing love you lead
    the people you have redeemed.
In your might, you guide them
    to your sacred home.
14 The peoples hear and tremble;
    anguish grips those who live in Philistia.
15 The leaders of Edom are terrified;
    the nobles of Moab tremble.
All who live in Canaan melt away;
16     terror and dread fall upon them.
The power of your arm
    makes them lifeless as stone
until your people pass by, O Lord,
    until the people you purchased pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain—
    the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling,
    the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever!”

19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground!

20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. 21 And Miriam sang this song:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
    into the sea.”

Bitter Water at Marah

22 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. 23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).

24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded. 25 So Moses cried out to the Lord for help, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.

It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

27 After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.

Footnotes

  1. 15:3 Yahweh is a transliteration of the proper name YHWH that is sometimes rendered “Jehovah”; in this translation it is usually rendered “the Lord” (note the use of small capitals).
  2. 15:4 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 15:22.

The Song of Moses and Israel

15 (A)Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to Yahweh [a]and said,

[b](B)I will sing to Yahweh, for He [c]is highly exalted;
(C)The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
[d](D)Yah is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
(E)This is my God, and I will praise Him;
(F)My father’s God, and I will (G)extol Him.
(H)Yahweh is a warrior;
(I)Yahweh is His name.
(J)Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are sunk in the [e]Red Sea.
The deeps cover them;
(K)They went down into the depths like a stone.
(L)Your right hand, O Yahweh, is majestic in power,
(M)Your right hand, O Yahweh, shatters the enemy.
And in the greatness of Your [f]exaltation You (N)pull down those who rise up against You;
(O)You send forth Your burning anger, and it (P)devours them as chaff.
(Q)And at the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
(R)The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
(S)The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will (T)divide the spoil;
My [g]desire shall be fulfilled against them;
I will draw out my sword, my hand will dispossess them.’
10 (U)You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
(V)They sank like lead in the [h]mighty waters.
11 (W)Who is like You among the gods, O Yahweh?
Who is like You, (X)majestic in holiness,
(Y)Fearsome in praises, (Z)working wonders?
12 (AA)You stretched out Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
13 In Your lovingkindness You have (AB)guided the people whom You have (AC)redeemed;
In Your strength You have led them (AD)to Your holy habitation.
14 (AE)The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the (AF)chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
(AG)The leaders of Moab, trembling seizes them;
(AH)All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 (AI)Terror and dread fall upon them;
(AJ)By the greatness of Your arm they are still as stone;
Until Your people pass over, O Yahweh,
Until the people pass over whom You (AK)have purchased.
17 (AL)You will bring them and (AM)plant them in (AN)the mountain of Your inheritance,
(AO)The place, O Yahweh, which You have made for You to inhabit,
(AP)The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 (AQ)Yahweh shall reign forever and ever.”

19 (AR)For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on (AS)dry land through the midst of the sea.

20 (AT)And Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the (AU)tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with [i](AV)dancing. 21 And Miriam answered them,

(AW)Sing to Yahweh, for He [j]is highly exalted;
The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

Yahweh Sweetens the Water

22 (AX)Then Moses [k]had Israel set out from the [l]Red Sea, and they went out into (AY)the wilderness of (AZ)Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 And they came to (BA)Marah, but they could not drink the waters [m]of Marah, for they were [n]bitter; therefore it was named [o]Marah. 24 So the people (BB)grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he (BC)cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him (BD)a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There He (BE)set for them a statute and a judgment, and there He (BF)tested them. 26 And He said, “(BG)If you will earnestly listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear (BH)to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, (BI)I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, (BJ)Yahweh, am your healer.”

27 Then they came to (BK)Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 15:1 Lit and said, saying
  2. Exodus 15:1 Or Let me sing
  3. Exodus 15:1 Or triumphed gloriously
  4. Exodus 15:2 The shortened form of Yahweh, found in poetry and praise (e.g. Hallelujah), and in names (e.g. Zechariah)
  5. Exodus 15:4 Lit Sea of Reeds
  6. Exodus 15:7 Or loftiness
  7. Exodus 15:9 Lit soul
  8. Exodus 15:10 Or majestic
  9. Exodus 15:20 Lit dances
  10. Exodus 15:21 Or has triumphed gloriously
  11. Exodus 15:22 Lit caused Israel to journey
  12. Exodus 15:22 Lit Sea of Reeds
  13. Exodus 15:23 Lit from
  14. Exodus 15:23 Heb Marim
  15. Exodus 15:23 Bitterness