Exodus 17
Christian Standard Bible
Water from the Rock
17 The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.(A) 2 So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”
“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing(B) the Lord?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (C)
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” (D)
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6 I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water(E) will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah[a] and Meribah[b](F) because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Amalekites Attack
8 At Rephidim, Amalek[c](G) came and fought against Israel. 9 Moses said to Joshua,(H) “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.”
10 Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 While Moses held up his hand,[d] Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand[e] down, Amalek prevailed.(I) 12 When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army[f] with the sword.
14 The Lord then said to Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven.”(J)
15 And Moses built an altar(K) and named it, “The Lord Is My Banner.”[g] 16 He said, “Indeed, my hand is lifted up toward[h] the Lord’s throne. The Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17
International Standard Version
God Provides Water from a Rock(A)
17 The whole congregation of the Israelis set out from the desert[a] of Sin, traveling from place to place according to the command[b] of the Lord. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 The people quarreled with Moses: “Give us water to drink.”
Moses told them, “Why are you quarreling with me? Why are you testing the Lord?”
3 But the people were thirsty there for water, so they[c] complained against Moses: “Why did you bring us up from Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried out to the Lord: “What am I to do with these people? Just a little more and they’ll stone me.”
5 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go over in front of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock and water will come out of it, so the people can drink.” Moses did this in front of the elders of Israel.
7 He named the place Massah[d] and Meribah,[e] because the Israelis quarreled and tested the Lord by saying: “Is the Lord really among us or not?”
The Amalekites Fight the Israelis
8 After this, the Amalekites came and fought with the Israelis at Rephidim. 9 Moses told Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out to fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I’ll stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses raised his hand, the Israelis prevailed, but when his hand remained at his side,[f] then the Amalekites prevailed. 12 When Moses’ hands became heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, and so his hands were steady until the sun went down. 13 Joshua defeated[g] Amalek and his army using swords.
14 Then the Lord told Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to[h] Joshua: ‘I’ll certainly wipe out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.’” 15 Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord is My Banner.” 16 “Because,” he said, “a fist has been raised in defiance[i] against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will wage war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 17:1 Or wilderness
- Exodus 17:1 Lit. mouth
- Exodus 17:3 Lit. the people
- Exodus 17:7 The Heb. name Massah means Testing
- Exodus 17:7 The Heb. name Meribah means Quarreling
- Exodus 17:11 Lit. rested
- Exodus 17:13 Or weakened
- Exodus 17:14 Lit. put it in the ear of
- Exodus 17:16 The Heb. lacks in defiance
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