Chapter 14
1 Then the LORD said
to Moses, 2 "Tell the Israelites to turn
about and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You shall camp
in front of Baal-zephon, just opposite, by the sea. 3
Pharaoh will then say, 'The Israelites are wandering about aimlessly in the
land. The desert has closed in on them.'
4 Thus will I make
Pharaoh so obstinate that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory
through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the
LORD." This the Israelites did. 5 When it
was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his
servants changed their minds about them. "What have we done!" they
exclaimed. "Why, we have released Israel from our service!" 6 So Pharaoh made his chariots ready and mustered his
soldiers - 7 six hundred first-class chariots
and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on them all. 8 So obstinate had the LORD made Pharaoh that he
pursued the Israelites even while they were marching away in triumph. 9 The Egyptians, then, pursued them; Pharaoh's whole
army, his horses, chariots and charioteers, caught up with them as they lay
encamped by the sea, at Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 Pharaoh was already near when the Israelites looked
up and saw that the Egyptians were on the march in pursuit of them. In great
fright they cried out to the LORD. 11 And they
complained to Moses, "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to
bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you
bring us out of Egypt? 12 Did we not tell you
this in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians'? Far
better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the
desert." 13 But Moses answered the people,
"Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will
win for you today. These Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
14 The LORD himself will fight for you; you have
only to keep still."
15 Then the LORD
said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to go
forward. 16 And you, lift up your staff and,
with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the Israelites
may pass through it on dry land. 17 But I will
make the Egyptians so obstinate that they will go in after them. Then I will
receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and charioteers. 18 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I
receive glory through Pharaoh and his chariots and charioteers."
19 The angel of God, who had been leading Israel's
camp, now moved and went around behind them. The column of cloud also, leaving
the front, took up its place behind them, 20 so
that it came between the camp of the Egyptians and that of Israel. But the
cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed without the rival camps coming
any closer together all night long. 21 Then
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD swept the sea with a
strong east wind throughout the night and so turned it into dry land. When the
water was thus divided, 22 the Israelites
marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to
their right and to their left. 23 The Egyptians
followed in pursuit; all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and charioteers went
after them right into the midst of the sea. 24 In
the night watch just before dawn the LORD cast through the column of the fiery
cloud upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; 25 and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they
could hardly drive. With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,
because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians. 26 Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch out your
hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their
chariots and their charioteers." 27 So
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to
its normal depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the
LORD hurled them into its midst. 28 As the water
flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh's whole
army which had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them
escaped. 29 But the Israelites had marched on
dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their
right and to their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved
Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians. When Israel saw the
Egyptians lying dead on the seashore 31 and
beheld the great power that the LORD had shown against the Egyptians, they
feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
No comments:
Post a Comment