Exodus 17
1 And all the company of the sons of Israel journey from the wilderness of Sin, on their journeyings, by the command of Jehovah, and encamp in Rephidim, and there is no water for the people to drink;
Then all the Israelites left the Desert of Sin, going from place to place as they followed the Lord's commands. They camped at Rephidim, but there wasn't any water for the people to drink.
2 and the people strive with Moses, and say, 'Give us water, and we drink.' And Moses saith to them, 'What? — ye strive with me, what? — ye try Jehovah?'
Some of them came and complained to Moses, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses replied, “Why are you complaining to me?” Moses asked. “Why are you trying to challenge the Lord?”
3 and the people thirst there for water, and the people murmur against Moses, and say, 'Why [is] this? — thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to put us to death, also our sons and our cattle, with thirst.'
But the people were so thirsty for water there that they went on complaining to Moses, saying, “Why did you have to bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us and our children and livestock by thirst?”
4 And Moses crieth to Jehovah, saying, 'What do I to this people? yet a little, and they have stoned me.'
Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I going to do with these people? A bit more of this and they're going to stone me!”
5 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Pass over before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel, and thy rod with which thou hast smitten the River take in thy hand, and thou hast gone:
The Lord told Moses, “Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take with you the walking stick you used to hit the Nile, and just go on ahead.
6 Lo, I am standing before thee there on the rock in Horeb, and thou hast smitten on the rock, and waters have come out from it, and the people have drunk.' And Moses doth so before the eyes of the elders of Israel,
Look, I will stand there beside you by the rock at Horeb. When you hit the rock water will pour out for the people to drink.” So Moses did this as the elders of Israel watched.
7 and he calleth the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the 'strife' of the sons of Israel, and because of their 'trying' Jehovah, saying, 'Is Jehovah in our midst or not?'
He called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites argued there, and because they challenged the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord with us, or not?”
8 And Amalek cometh, and fighteth with Israel in Rephidim,
Then some Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
9 and Moses saith unto Joshua, 'Choose for us men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to-morrow I am standing on the top of the hill, and the rod of God in my hand.'
Moses told Joshua, “Choose some of men and go out and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I'll stand on the top of this hill holding the walking stick of God.”
10 And Joshua doth as Moses hath said to him, to fight with Amalek, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur, have gone up [to] the top of the height;
Joshua did what Moses told him and fought the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill.
11 and it hath come to pass, when Moses lifteth up his hand, that Israel hath been mighty, and when he letteth his hands rest, that Amalek hath been mighty.
As long as Moses held up the walking stick his hands, the Israelites were the ones winning, but when he lowered them, it was the Amalekites.
12 And the hands of Moses [are] heavy, and they take a stone, and set [it] under him, and he sitteth on it: and Aaron and Hur have taken hold on his hands, on this side one, and on that one, and his hands are stedfast till the going in of the sun;
So when Moses' hands became heavy, the others took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. Aaron and Hur stood on each side of Moses and held his hands up. In this way his hands were kept firmly up until the sun went down.
13 and Joshua weakeneth Amalek and his people by the mouth of the sword.
As a result Joshua defeated the Amalekite army.
14 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Write this, a memorial in a Book, and set [it] in the ears of Joshua, that I do utterly wipe away the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens;'
The Lord told Moses, “Write all this down on a scroll as a reminder and read it out loud to Joshua, because I'm going to completely wipe out the Amalekites so nobody on earth will remember them.”
15 and Moses buildeth an altar, and calleth its name Jehovah-Nissi,
Moses built an altar and called it “the Lord is my banner of victory.”
16 and saith, 'Because a hand [is] on the throne of Jah, war [is] to Jehovah with Amalek from generation — generation.'
“Hold up the victory banner of the Lord!” Moses declared. “The Lord will go on fighting the Amalekites for all generations!”
