Exodus 15
Good News Translation
The Song of Moses
15 (A)Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory;
he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.
2 (B)The Lord is my strong defender;
he is the one who has saved me.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 “He threw Egypt's army and its chariots into the sea;
the best of its officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep sea covered them;
they sank to the bottom like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, Lord, is awesome in power;
it breaks the enemy in pieces.
7 In majestic triumph you overthrow your foes;
your anger blazes out and burns them up like straw.
8 You blew on the sea and the water piled up high;
it stood up straight like a wall;
the deepest part of the sea became solid.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue them and catch them;
I will divide their wealth and take all I want;
I will draw my sword and take all they have.’
10 But one breath from you, Lord, and the Egyptians were drowned;
they sank like lead in the terrible water.
11 “Lord, who among the gods is like you?
Who is like you, wonderful in holiness?
Who can work miracles and mighty acts like yours?
12 You stretched out your right hand,
and the earth swallowed our enemies.
13 Faithful to your promise, you led the people you had rescued;
by your strength you guided them to your sacred land.
14 The nations have heard, and they tremble with fear;
the Philistines are seized with terror.
15 The leaders of Edom are terrified;
Moab's mighty men are trembling;
the people of Canaan lose their courage.
16 Terror and dread fall upon them.
They see your strength, O Lord,
and stand helpless with fear
until your people have marched past—
the people you set free from slavery.
17 You bring them in and plant them on your mountain,
the place that you, Lord, have chosen for your home,
the Temple that you yourself have built.
18 You, Lord, will be king forever and ever.”
The Song of Miriam
19 The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. But when the Egyptian chariots with their horses and drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought the water back, and it covered them.
20 The prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took her tambourine, and all the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang for them:
“Sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory;
he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.”
Bitter Water
22 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they walked through the desert, but found no water. 23 Then they came to a place called Marah, but the water there was so bitter that they could not drink it. That is why it was named Marah.[a] 24 The people complained to Moses and asked, “What are we going to drink?” 25 (C)Moses prayed earnestly to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water; and the water became fit to drink.
There the Lord gave them laws to live by, and there he also tested them. 26 He said, “If you will obey me completely by doing what I consider right and by keeping my commands, I will not punish you with any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord, the one who heals you.”
27 Next they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; there they camped by the water.
Footnotes
- Exodus 15:23 This name in Hebrew means “bitter.”
Exodus 15
Complete Jewish Bible
15 Then Moshe and the people of Isra’el sang this song to Adonai:
“I will sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted:
the horse and its rider he threw in the sea.
2 Yah is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God: I will glorify him;
my father’s God: I will exalt him.
3 Adonai is a warrior;
Adonai is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he hurled into the sea.
His elite commanders
were drowned in the Sea of Suf.
5 The deep waters covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Adonai, is sublimely powerful;
your right hand, Adonai, shatters the foe.
7 By your great majesty you bring down your enemies;
you send out your wrath to consume them like stubble.
8 With a blast from your nostrils the waters piled up —
the waters stood up like a wall,
the depths of the sea became firm ground.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue and overtake,
divide the spoil and gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them,
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who is like you, Adonai, among the mighty?
Who is like you, sublime in holiness,
awesome in praises, working wonders?
12 You reached out with your right hand:
the earth swallowed them.
13 In your love, you led the people you redeemed;
in your strength, you guided them to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard, and they tremble;
anguish takes hold of those living in P’leshet;
15 then the chiefs of Edom are dismayed;
trepidation seizes the heads of Mo’av;
all those living in Kena‘an are melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall on them;
by the might of your arm they are still as stone
until your people pass over, Adonai,
till the people you purchased pass over.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain which is your heritage,
the place, Adonai, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, Adonai, which your hands established.
18 Adonai will reign forever and ever.
19 For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots
and with his cavalry into the sea,
but Adonai brought the sea waters back upon them,
while the people of Isra’el walked on dry land
in the midst of the sea!”
20 Also Miryam the prophet, sister of Aharon, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing, 21 as Miryam sang to them:
“Sing to Adonai, for he is highly exalted!
The horse and its rider he threw in the sea!”
22 Moshe led Isra’el onward from the Sea of Suf. They went out into the Shur Desert; but after traveling three days in the desert, they had found no water. 23 They arrived at Marah but couldn’t drink the water there, because it was bitter. This is why they called it Marah [bitterness]. 24 The people grumbled against Moshe and asked, “What are we to drink?” 25 Moshe cried to Adonai; and Adonai showed him a certain piece of wood, which, when he threw it into the water, made the water taste good. There Adonai made laws and rules of life for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will listen intently to the voice of Adonai your God, do what he considers right, pay attention to his mitzvot and observe his laws, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians; because I am Adonai your healer.”
(A: v, S: iv) 27 They came to Eilim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and camped there by the water.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.