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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.

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 thrown both horse and rider into the sea.

The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him.

He is my father’s God—I will exalt him.

The Lord is a warrior—

Yes, Jehovah is his name.

He has overthrown Pharaoh’s chariots and armies,

Drowning them in the sea.

The famous Egyptian captains are dead beneath the waves.

The water covers them.

They went down into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power;

It dashes the enemy to pieces.

In the greatness of your majesty

You overthrew all those who rose against you.

You sent forth your anger, and it consumed them as fire consumes straw.

At the blast of your breath

The waters divided!

They stood as solid walls to hold the seas apart.

The enemy said, “I will chase after them,

Catch up with them, destroy them.

I will cut them apart with my sword

And divide the captured booty.”

10 But God blew with his wind, and the sea covered them.

They sank as lead in the mighty waters.

11 Who else is like the Lord among the gods?

Who is glorious in holiness like him?

Who is so awesome in splendor,

A wonder-working God?

12 You reached out your hand and the earth swallowed them.

13 You have led the people you redeemed.

But in your loving-kindness

You have guided them wonderfully

To your holy land.

14 The nations heard what happened, and they trembled.

Fear has gripped the people of Philistia.

15 The leaders of Edom are appalled,

The mighty men of Moab tremble;

All the people of Canaan melt with fear.

16 Terror and dread have overcome them.

O Lord, because of your great power they won’t attack us!

Your people whom you purchased

Will pass by them in safety.

17 You will bring them in and plant them on your mountain,

Your own homeland, Lord—

The sanctuary you made for them to live in.

18 Jehovah shall reign forever and forever.

19 The horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his chariots

Tried to follow through the sea;

But the Lord let down the walls of water on them

While the people of Israel walked through on dry land.

20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine and led the women in dances.

21 And Miriam sang this song:

Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.

The horse and rider have been drowned in the sea.

22 Then Moses led the people of Israel on from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the wilderness of Shur and were there three days without water. 23 Arriving at Marah, they couldn’t drink the water because it was bitter (that is why the place was called Marah, meaning “bitter”).

24 Then the people turned against Moses. “Must we die of thirst?” they demanded.

25 Moses pleaded with the Lord to help them, and the Lord showed him a tree to throw into the water, and the water became sweet.

It was there at Marah that the Lord laid before them the following conditions, to test their commitment to him: 26 “If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.” 27 And they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; and they camped there beside the springs.