Exodus 17
1 Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israeli people moved from the Sin Desert. They/We traveled from one place to another. They/We camped at [a place named] Rephidim, but there was no water there for (the people/us) to drink.
And all the assembly of the sons of Israel set forward out of the desert of Sin, by their removings, at the bidding of Yahweh, —and encamped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 So the people complained to Moses/me again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses/I replied to them, “Why are you (criticizing/arguing with) me [RHQ]? And why are you trying to determine whether Yahweh [has the power to provide for you]?”
And the people found fault with Moses, and said—Give us water, that we may drink. And Moses said to them, Why should ye find fault with me? Why should ye put Yahweh to the proof?
3 But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses/me. They were saying things like “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”, and “Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and livestock to die (from thirst/because we had no water to drink) [RHQ]?”
So the people thirsted, there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, —and said—Wherefore is it that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill me and my sons and my cattle, with thirst?
4 So Moses/I prayed earnestly to Yahweh. He/I said, “(How shall I deal with these people?/I do not know how to deal with these people!) [RHQ] They are almost ready to [kill me by throwing] stones at me!”
And Moses made outcry unto Yahweh saying, What am I to do, with this people? Yet a little, and they will stone me.
5 Yahweh replied to Moses/me, “Take some of the elders/leaders of the Israeli people with you and [tell the rest of] the people to follow you [to Sinai Mountain]. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile [River].
Then said Yahweh unto Moses—Pass over before the people, and take with thee some of the elders of Israel, —thy staff also wherewith thou didst smite the river, take thou in thy hand, so shalt thou go thy way.
6 Listen carefully: I will stand in front of you on top of a [large] rock at the foot of the mountain. Strike the rock with your stick. [When you do that], water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” [When they/we arrived at the mountain], Moses/I did that while the Israeli elders were watching, [and water flowed from the rock].
Behold me! standing before thee, there upon the rock in Horeb, then shalt thou smite the rock and there shall come forth therefrom water, and the people shall drink. And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 Moses/I gave that place two names [in the Hebrew language: ] Massah, [which means ‘testing’], and Meribah, [which means ‘complaining’]. He/I gave it the name Massah because the Israeli people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us [and able to help us], or not?”, and he/I gave it the name Meribah because they were [continually] complaining.
So he called the name of the place, Massah, and Meribah, —because of the fault-finding of the sons of Israel, and because of their putting Yahweh to the proof, saying, Is Yahweh in our midst or is he not?
8 Then the descendants of the Amalek people-group came and fought against the Israeli people at Rephidim.
Then came in Amalek, —and fought with Israel, in Rephidim.
9 Moses/I said to Joshua, [who was one of our army/Israeli leaders], “Choose some men to go out and fight against the Amalek people-group tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the stick that God told me to carry.”
And Moses said unto Joshua—Choose for us men, and go forth, fight with Amalek, —to-morrow, am, I, stationing myself upon the top of the hill, with the staff of God in my hand.
10 So Joshua did what Moses/I told him to do. He took some men to fight against the Amalek people-group. [While they were fighting], Aaron, Hur, and Moses/I went up to the top of the hill [so that they/we could see the whole battle area].
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, to fight with Amalek, —and Moses, Aaron and Hur, went up to the top of the hill.
11 Whenever Moses/I lifted up his/my arms, the Israeli men started to win [the battle]. And whenever he/I lowered his/my arms, the Amalek people-group started to win.
And it shall be when Moses shall lift on high his hands, then shall Israel prevail, but when he shall let down his hands, then shall Amalek prevail.
12 But his/my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur [rolled] a [large] stone for Moses/me to sit on. [While he/I was sitting on it], those two held up his/my arms, [one on one side and the other on the other side]. In that way, they kept his/my arms lifted up, and his/my arms held steady until the sun went down.
But, the hands of Moses, were weary, so they took a stone, and put under him, and he sat thereupon, —and, Aaron and Hur, upheld his hands—on this side, one and on that side, one, and so his hands became steady, until the going in of the sun.
13 So Joshua and the men with him completely defeated the Amalek people-group, using their swords [to fight against them].
So Joshua overthrew Amalek and his people, with the edge of the sword.
14 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Write an account of this battle, and then read it to Joshua. [Also write that some day] I will completely get rid of the Amalek people-group.”
Then said Yahweh unto Moses—Write this as a remembrancer in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua—that I will, wipe out, the remembrance of Amalek, from under the heavens.
15 Then Moses/I built a [stone] altar there and named it ‘Yahweh is [like] my flag’.
And Moses built an altar, —and called the name thereof, Yahweh-nissi.
16 He/I said, “Hold high Yahweh’s flag! Yahweh will continue to fight against the Amalek people-group (forever/in all future generations)!”
And he said—Because of a hand against the throne of Yah, Yahweh hath war with Amalek, —from generation to generation!
