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) 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?”

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)

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” (D)

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. 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. 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

At Rephidim, Amalek[c](G) came and fought against Israel. 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.”

Footnotes

  1. 17:7 = Testing
  2. 17:7 = Quarreling
  3. 17:8 A seminomadic people descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau; Gn 36:12
  4. 17:11 Sam, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg read hands
  5. 17:11 Sam, LXX, Syr, Tg, Vg read hands
  6. 17:13 Or people
  7. 17:15 = Yahweh-nissi
  8. 17:16 Or hand was on, or hand was against; Hb obscure

Water in the Rock

17 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by [a]stages from the wilderness of (A)Sin, according to the [b]command of the Lord, and camped at (B)Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. So the people (C)quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “(D)Why do you quarrel with me? (E)Why do you test the Lord?” But the people were thirsty for water there; and [c]they (F)grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is it that you have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill [d]us and [e]our children and [f](G)our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What am I to do with this people? A (H)little more and they will stone me!” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of (I)the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which (J)you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at (K)Horeb; and (L)you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Then he named the place [g](M)Massah and [h](N)Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they (O)tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Miraculous Battle against Amalek

Then (P)Amalek came and fought against Israel at (Q)Rephidim. So Moses said to (R)Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with (S)the staff of God in my hand.” 10 Joshua did just as Moses [i]told him, [j]and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and (T)Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand [k]down, Amalek prevailed. 12 And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur (U)supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 And Joshua [l]defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(V)Write this in [m]a book as a memorial and [n]recite it to Joshua, [o]that (W)I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an (X)altar and named it (Y)The Lord is My Banner; 16 and he said, “[p](Z)Because the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 17:1 Lit their journeyings
  2. Exodus 17:1 Lit mouth
  3. Exodus 17:3 Lit the people
  4. Exodus 17:3 Lit me
  5. Exodus 17:3 Lit my
  6. Exodus 17:3 Lit my
  7. Exodus 17:7 I.e., test
  8. Exodus 17:7 I.e., quarrel
  9. Exodus 17:10 Lit said to
  10. Exodus 17:10 Lit to fight
  11. Exodus 17:11 Lit rest
  12. Exodus 17:13 Lit weakened
  13. Exodus 17:14 Lit the book
  14. Exodus 17:14 Lit place it in the ears of
  15. Exodus 17:14 Or for
  16. Exodus 17:16 Or Because a hand is against the throne of the Lord; lit Because a hand upon the throne of Yah