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Bitter Water Made Sweet

22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea,[a] and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.(A) 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.[b](B) 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”(C) 25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord[c] made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he put them to the test.(D) 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.”(E)

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 15.22 Or Sea of Reeds
  2. 15.23 That is, bitterness
  3. 15.25 Heb he

Yahweh Provides Water at Marah

22 And Moses caused Israel to set out from the Red Sea,[a] and they went out into the desert of Shur, and they traveled three days in the desert, and they did not find water. 23 And they came to Marah, and they were not able to drink water from Marah because it was bitter. Therefore it was named[b] Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a piece of wood, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There he made a rule and regulation for them, and there he tested them. 26 And he said, “If you carefully listen to the voice of Yahweh your God and you do what is right in his eyes and give heed to his commands and you keep all his rules, then I will not bring about on you any of the diseases[c] that I brought about on Egypt, because I am Yahweh your healer.

27 And they came to Elim, and twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees were there, and they encamped there at the water.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 15:22 Literally “sea of reed”
  2. Exodus 15:23 Literally “its name was called”; the Hebrew word for “bitter” is pronounced “marah”
  3. Exodus 15:26 Hebrew “disease”