Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Deliverance of Israel from Egypt

Crossing the Reed Sea

14 The Lord told Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that they are to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it by the sea. ³ Pharaoh will say about the Israelis, ‘They’re wandering aimlessly in the land, and the desert has closed in on them.’ ⁴ I’ve made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn^[a] so he will pursue them. But I’ll receive honor by means of^[b] Pharaoh and his army, so that the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So this is what the Israelis^[c] did.

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds^[d] of Pharaoh and his officials^[e] changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done in releasing Israel from serving us?” ⁶ So Pharaoh^[f] had his chariot prepared and took his troops^[g] with him.

⁷ He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other^[h] chariots of Egypt with officers in charge of each one. ⁸ The Lord made the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, stubborn,^[i] and he defiantly^[j] pursued the Israelis as they were leaving. ⁹ The Egyptians pursued them—all the chariot-horses of Pharaoh, along with his horsemen and army—and they overtook them camped by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal Zephon.

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelis looked up, and there were the Egyptians bearing down on them! Extremely frightened, the Israelis cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ They also^[k] told Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us out to die in the desert? What have you done to us, by bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not what we told you in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone!’^[l] and ‘Let us serve the Egyptians!’? Indeed, it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

¹³ Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still and watch how the Lord will deliver you today, because you will never again see the Egyptians whom you’re looking at today. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you while you keep still.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord told Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelis to move out! ¹⁶ You are to raise your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, so the Israelis may go into the middle of the sea on dry land. ¹⁷ Even now I’m hardening the heart of the Egyptians so they’ll go after the Israelis.^[m] Then I’ll receive honor by means of^[n] Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. ¹⁸ Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I receive honor by means of^[o] Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

⁹ “Joseph’s brothers^[a] became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave^[b] in Egypt. However, God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household.

¹¹ “But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn’t find any food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. ¹³ On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family^[c] to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt^[d]—75 persons in all. ¹⁵ So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. ¹⁶ They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price^[e] from Hamor’s descendants in Shechem.