< Exodus 14 >
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall camp opposite it by the sea.
3 Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land. The wilderness has boxed them in.'
4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. And I will gain glory because of Pharaoh and because of all his army, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD." And they did so.
5 And when the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
6 Then he made ready his chariot, and took his army with him;
7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and officers over all of them.
8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; and the children of Israel were going out triumphantly.
9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and look, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they were very afraid. So the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
11 And they said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Isn't this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
13 But Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of God, which he will work for you today, for the Egyptians you see today, you will never, ever see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you must be still."
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
16 And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel will go through the midst of the sea on dry ground.
17 And as for me, look, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his horsemen.
18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I receive glory over Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."
19 And the angel of God who was going in front of the camp of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness and it lit up the night so that the one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD pushed the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.
22 Then the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 And it happened, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down on the Egyptian camp through the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the camp into confusion.
25 And he bound their chariot wheels so that they drove them with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, "Let's flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egypt."
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen."
27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak. Now the Egyptians were trying to escape from it, but the LORD shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea. None of them survived.
29 But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31 When Israel saw the great power which the LORD used against the Egyptians, then the people feared the LORD, and they believed God and his servant Moses.
