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.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(AG)“Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” ^27 (AH)So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea ^(AI)returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord ^(AJ)threw^[c] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. ²⁸ The ^(AK)waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, ^(AL)not one of them remained. ²⁹ But the ^(AM)people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

³⁰ Thus the Lord ^(AN)saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ^31 (AO)Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they ^(AP)believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Our Heavenly Dwelling

5 For we know that if ^(A)the tent that is ^(B)our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, ^(C)a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this tent ^(D)we groan, longing to ^(E)put on our heavenly dwelling, ³ if indeed by putting it on^[a] we may not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal ^(F)may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, ^(G)who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.^[b]

⁶ So we are always of good courage. We know that ^(H)while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ⁷ for ^(I)we walk by faith, not ^(J)by sight. ⁸ Yes, we are of good courage, and we ^(K)would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to ^(L)please him. ¹⁰ For ^(M)we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, ^(N)so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹¹ Therefore, knowing ^(O)the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But ^(P)what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. ^12 (Q)We are not commending ourselves to you again but ^(R)giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. ¹³ For if we ^(S)are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Christ ^(T)controls us, because we have concluded this: that ^(U)one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, ^(V)that those who live might no longer live for themselves but ^(W)for him who for their sake died and was raised.

¹⁶ From now on, therefore, ^(X)we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is ^(Y)in Christ, he is ^(Z)a new creation.^{[c] (AA)}The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸ All this is from God, ^(AB)who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us ^(AC)the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[d] the world to himself, ^(AD)not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us ^(AE)the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ Therefore, ^(AF)we are ambassadors for Christ, ^(AG)God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ^21 (AH)For our sake he made him to be sin ^(AI)who knew no sin, so that in him we might become ^(AJ)the righteousness of God.