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Exodus 14:1-25
English Standard Version
Exodus 14:1-25
English Standard Version
Crossing the Red Sea
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to (A)turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between (B)Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And (C)I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will (D)get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, (E)and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the (F)mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took (G)six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And (H)the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while (I)the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The (J)Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them (K)encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel (L)cried out to the Lord. 11 They (M)said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what (N)we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, (O)“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For (P)the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 (Q)The Lord will fight for you, and you have only (R)to be silent.”
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 (S)Lift up your staff, and (T)stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And (U)I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and (V)I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians (W)shall know that I am the Lord, (X)when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 (Y)Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night[a] without one coming near the other all night.
21 Then Moses (Z)stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by (AA)a strong east wind all night and (AB)made the sea dry land, and the waters were (AC)divided. 22 And (AD)the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being (AE)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[b] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the (AF)Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 14:20 Septuagint and the night passed
- Exodus 14:25 Or binding (compare Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac); Hebrew removing
Exodus 14:1-25
New American Standard Bible
Exodus 14:1-25
New American Standard Bible
Pharaoh in Pursuit
14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of (A)Pi-hahiroth, between (B)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And (C)I will [a]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and (D)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and (E)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, [b]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 So (F)the Lord [c]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out [d](G)boldly. 9 Then (H)the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, (I)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel [e]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; (J)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then (K)they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, [f]bringing us out of Egypt? 12 (L)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘[g]Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”
The Sea Is Divided
13 But Moses said to the people, “(M)Do not fear! [h]Stand by and see (N)the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. 14 (O)The Lord will fight for you, while (P)you keep silent.”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up (Q)your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall [i]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 And as for Me, behold, (R)I will [j]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 (S)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”
19 Then (T)the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud [k]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.
21 (U)Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord [l]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into (V)dry land, and (W)the waters were divided. 22 So (X)the sons of Israel [m]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and (Y)the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. 23 Then (Z)the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 But at the morning watch, (AA)the Lord looked down on the [n]army of the Egyptians [o]through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the [p]army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He [q]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, (AB)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 14:4 Lit make strong
- Exodus 14:5 Lit the heart of Pharaoh...was changed
- Exodus 14:8 Lit made strong
- Exodus 14:8 Lit with a high hand
- Exodus 14:10 Lit lifted up their eyes
- Exodus 14:11 Lit so as to bring
- Exodus 14:12 Lit Cease from us
- Exodus 14:13 Or Take your stand
- Exodus 14:16 Lit enter the
- Exodus 14:17 Lit make strong
- Exodus 14:20 Lit and the darkness
- Exodus 14:21 Lit caused to go
- Exodus 14:22 Lit entered the
- Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
- Exodus 14:24 Or in
- Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
- Exodus 14:25 Or removed
Exodus 14:1-25
New International Version
Exodus 14:1-25
New International Version
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol(A) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.(B) 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(C) and he will pursue them.(D) But I will gain glory(E) for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”(F) So the Israelites did this.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,(G) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds(H) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots,(I) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart(J) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.(K) 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses(L) and chariots, horsemen[a] and troops(M)—pursued the Israelites and overtook(N) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.(O)
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried(P) out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?(Q) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”(R)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.(S) Stand firm and you will see(T) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see(U) again. 14 The Lord will fight(V) for you; you need only to be still.”(W)
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?(X) Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff(Y) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water(Z) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts(AA) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.(AB) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(AC) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God,(AD) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud(AE) also moved from in front and stood behind(AF) them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness(AG) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand(AH) over the sea,(AI) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind(AJ) and turned it into dry land.(AK) The waters were divided,(AL) 22 and the Israelites went through the sea(AM) on dry ground,(AN) with a wall(AO) of water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen(AP) followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud(AQ) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.(AR) 25 He jammed[b] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting(AS) for them against Egypt.”(AT)
Footnotes
- Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28
- Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
Exodus 14:1-25
EasyEnglish Bible
Exodus 14:1-25
EasyEnglish Bible
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Tell the Israelites that they must turn round. They must go and stay near Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You must put up your tents beside the sea, across from Baal Zephon. 3 Then Pharaoh will think, “The Israelites are confused. They do not know where they are going. The desert has stopped them.” 4 Then I will cause Pharaoh's mind to become hard again. He will go to catch the Israelites. I will show how great I am when I win against Pharaoh and his whole army. Because of this, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.’
The Israelites did what God said.
5 Someone told the king of Egypt that the Israelites had run away. Then Pharaoh and his officers changed their minds about the Israelites. They said, ‘We have done a foolish thing. We have let the Israelites go. We have lost our slaves!’
6 So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and he took his army with him. 7 He took 600 of his best chariots with him., as well as all the other chariots of Egypt. All the chariots had officers to drive them. 8 The Lord caused the mind of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to be hard. So Pharaoh followed after the Israelites, when they left Egypt without any fear.
9 The Egyptian soldiers followed after the Israelites to catch them. They went with all Pharaoh's horses, chariots and officers. The Egyptian army reached the place where the Israelites had put up their tents. That was beside the sea, near Pi-Hahiroth, across from Baal Zephon.
10 When Pharaoh came nearer, the Israelites looked up. They saw that the Egyptian army had followed them. The Israelites became very afraid. They called loudly to the Lord to help them. 11 They said to Moses, ‘Why have you brought us here, to die in the desert? Surely there were enough places in Egypt to bury dead people! You should never have brought us out of Egypt! 12 We said to you in Egypt, “Leave us alone. Let us work for the Egyptians.” It would have been better for us to be their slaves than to die here in the desert!’
13 Then Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Be brave! You will see how the Lord will save you today. Look at the Egyptians over there. You will never see them again! 14 The Lord will fight for you. You will only have to watch.’
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Do not continue to call to me for help! Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 You yourself must do this: Lift up your stick and hold your hand out over the sea. The water will become two separate parts. Then the Israelites can cross through the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 This is what I, the Lord, will do: I will cause the minds of the Egyptians to become hard. They will follow the Israelites into the sea to catch them. I will show how great I am when I win against Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, his horses and their riders. 18 When I do that, the Egyptians will know that I really am the Lord. They will know that I am great.’
19 The angel of God had been leading the army of the Israelites. Now he moved and he went behind them. The pillar of cloud moved and it stood behind the army. 20 It stood between the Egyptian army and the Israelite army. During the whole night, the Egyptians were in the dark, because of the cloud. But the cloud gave light to the Israelites. So the two armies did not come near to each other during the whole night.
21 Then Moses lifted up his hand over the sea. During that whole night, the Lord made a strong wind blow from the east. This caused the sea to become two separate parts. The ground between the water became dry land. 22 So the Israelites walked on the dry ground through the middle of the sea. The water was like a wall on their right side and on their left side.
23 The Egyptians followed the Israelites into the middle of the sea to catch them. All Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and their riders did this. 24 Just before dawn, the Lord looked down from the pillar of cloud with fire in it. He saw the Egyptian army and he made them become confused. 25 He stopped the wheels of their chariots, so that the Egyptians could not drive them properly. So the Egyptians said, ‘Let us run away from the Israelite army! It is the Lord who fights for them against Egypt.’
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