磐石出水

17 以色列全体会众按照耶和华的吩咐,从汛旷野启程,一程一程往前行,来到利非订安营,可是那里没有水喝。 百姓便跟摩西吵闹,要他给他们水喝。摩西便对他们说:“你们为什么跟我吵闹?为什么试探耶和华?” 百姓非常口渴,他们向摩西抱怨说:“你为什么要把我们带出埃及,让我们一家大小和牲畜都在这里渴死?”

摩西就呼求耶和华说:“我拿这些百姓怎么办?他们准备拿石块打死我!” 耶和华对摩西说:“你带着之前击打尼罗河水的杖,率领以色列的几个长老走在众人前面。 我必在何烈的磐石那里等候你们,你用杖击打磐石,磐石必流出水来给众人喝。”摩西便当着以色列长老的面这样做了。 摩西称那地方为玛撒和米利巴[a],因为百姓在那里吵闹,又试探耶和华,说:“耶和华真的在我们当中吗?”

战胜亚玛力人

后来,亚玛力人到利非订攻打以色列人。 摩西对约书亚说:“选一些人出去迎战亚玛力人。明天,我会带着上帝的杖站在山顶上。” 10 约书亚便遵照摩西的吩咐迎战亚玛力人,摩西、亚伦和户珥站在山顶上。 11 摩西什么时候举手,以色列人就得胜;他的手什么时候垂下来,亚玛力人就占上风。 12 不久,摩西的手疲倦发软,亚伦和户珥就抬来一块石头让摩西坐下,然后站在他的两边扶着他的手,他就稳稳地举着手,直到日落。 13 这样,约书亚用刀杀败了亚玛力人。

14 耶和华对摩西说:“我要抹去世人对亚玛力人的记忆。你要把这话记在书卷上作纪念,也要把这话告诉约书亚。” 15 摩西在那里筑了一座坛,称之为耶和华尼西[b] 16 摩西说:“耶和华已经起誓要世代与亚玛力人为敌。”

Footnotes

  1. 17:7 玛撒”意思是“试探”;“米利巴”意思是“争闹”。
  2. 17:15 耶和华尼西”意思是“耶和华是我的旌旗”。

17 Therefore all the multitude of the sons of Israel went forth from the desert of Sin, by their dwellings, by the word of the Lord, and setted tents in Rephidim, where was no water to the people to drink. (And so all the Israelites went forth from the wilderness of Sin, in stages, by the word of the Lord, and pitched their tents in Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.)

Which people chided against Moses, and said, Give water to us, that we drink. To whom Moses answered, What chide ye against me, and why tempt ye the Lord? (And the people complained to Moses, and said, Give us some water to drink. To whom Moses answered, Why do ye complain to me, and why do ye tempt the Lord?)

Therefore the people thirsted there for the scarceness of water, and they grouched against Moses, and said, Why madest thou us to go out of Egypt, (for) to slay us, and our free children, and our beasts, for thirst? (And so the people thirsted there for the scarceness of water, and they grumbled against Moses, and said, Why hast thou made us to go out of Egypt, in order to kill us, and our children, and our beasts, with thirst?)

Forsooth Moses cried to the Lord, and said, What shall I do to this people? yet a little, and it shall stone me (What shall I do with these people? very soon they shall all stone me!).

The Lord said to Moses, Go thou before the people, and take with thee of the elder men of Israel, and take in thine hand the rod, with the which thou hast smitten the flood, and go; (The Lord said to Moses, Go thou before the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with thee, and take in thy hand the staff with which thou struck the River, and go;)

lo! I shall stand there before thee, above the stone of Horeb, and thou shalt smite the stone, and water shall go out thereof, that the people drink. Moses did so before the elder men of Israel; (lo! I shall stand there before thee, by the rock at Mount Sinai, and thou shalt strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and then the people shall have something to drink. Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel;)

and he called the name of that place Temptation, for the chiding of the sons of Israel, and for they tempted the Lord, and said, Whether the Lord is in us, or nay? (and he called the name of that place Massah and Meribah, because of the complaining of the Israelites, and because they tempted the Lord and said, Is the Lord with us, or not?)

Forsooth Amalek came (And the Amalekites came), and fought against Israel in Rephidim.

And Moses said to Joshua, Choose thou men, and go out, and fight tomorrow against the men of Amalek; lo! I shall stand in the top of the hill, and I shall have the rod of God in mine hand. (And Moses said to Joshua, Choose thou some men, and tomorrow go out, and fight against the Amalekites; lo! I shall stand on the hill-top, and I shall have God’s staff in my hand.)

10 Joshua did as Moses spake, and he fought against Amalek. Forsooth Moses, and Aaron, and Hur went up on(to) the top of the hill;

11 and when Moses raised [up] his hands, Israel overcame; forsooth if he let them down a little, Amalek overcame.

12 Soothly Moses’ hands were (made) heavy, therefore they took a stone, and put (it) under him, on which stone he sat. Forsooth Aaron and Hur sustained his hands, on ever either side; and (so) it was done, that his hands were not made weary, till to the going down of the sun.

13 And Joshua drove away Amalek and his people, in the mouth of [the] sword, that is, by the sharpness of the sword, Joshua killed the strong men of Amalek.

14 Forsooth the Lord said to Moses, Write thou this in a book, for mind, and take (it) in(to) the ears of Joshua; for I shall do away the mind of Amalek from under heaven. (And the Lord said to Moses, Write thou about this in a book to remember it, and tell it to Joshua; for I shall do away all memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.)

15 And Moses builded an altar, and called the name thereof, The Lord is mine enhancer, (And Moses built an altar there, and called it Jehovahnissi,)

16 and he said, For (it is) the hand of the Lord alone, and the battle of God shall be against Amalek (and God shall fight against the Amalekites), from generation into generation.

Water From the Rock

17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,(A) traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,(B) but there was no water(C) for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water(D) to drink.”(E)

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”(F)

But the people were thirsty(G) for water there, and they grumbled(H) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die(I) of thirst?”

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone(J) me.”

The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff(K) with which you struck the Nile,(L) and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(M) Strike(N) the rock, and water(O) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah[a](P) and Meribah[b](Q) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Amalekites Defeated

The Amalekites(R) came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.(S) Moses said to Joshua,(T) “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff(U) of God in my hands.”

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur(V) went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,(W) but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.(X) 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite(Y) army with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(Z) this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out(AA) the name of Amalek(AB) from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an altar(AC) and called(AD) it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites(AE) from generation to generation.”(AF)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 17:7 Massah means testing.
  2. Exodus 17:7 Meribah means quarreling.
  3. Exodus 17:16 Or to
  4. Exodus 17:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.