The Song of Moses and Israel

1Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this [a]song to the LORD, singing,

“I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously;

The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.

2“The LORD is my strength and my song,

And He has become my salvation;

This is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

3“The LORD is a warrior;

The LORD is His name.

4“Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea;

His chosen captains are drowned in the [b]Red Sea.

5“The deep [water] covers them;

[Clad in armor] they sank into the depths like a stone.

6“Your right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power;

Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

7“In the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow and annihilate those [adversaries] who rise [in rebellion] against You;

You send out Your fury, and it consumes them like chaff.

8“With the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up,

The flowing waters stood up like a mound;

The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.

9“The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;

My desire shall be satisfied against them;

I will draw my sword, my hand shall dispossess them and drive them out.’

10“You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;

[Clad in armor] they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11“Who is like You among the gods, O LORD?

Who is like You, majestic in holiness,

Awesome in splendor, working wonders?

12“You stretched out Your right hand,

The [c]sea swallowed them.

13“You in Your lovingkindness and goodness have led the people whom You have redeemed;

In Your strength You have guided them with care to Your holy habitation.

14“The peoples have heard [about You], they tremble;

Anguish and fear has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.

15“Then the [tribal] chiefs of Edom were dismayed and horrified;

The [mighty] leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;

All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away [in despair]--

16Terror and dread fall on them;

Because of the greatness of Your arm they are as still as a stone;

Until Your people pass by and [into Canaan], O LORD,

Until the people pass by whom You have purchased.

17“You will bring them [into the land of promise] and plant them on the mountain (Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem) of Your inheritance,

The place, O LORD, You have made for Your dwelling [among them],

The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

18“The LORD shall reign to eternity and beyond.”

19For the horses of Pharaoh went with his war-chariots and his charioteers into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.

20Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron [and Moses], took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her with timbrels and dancing. 21Miriam answered them,

“Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted;

The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.”

The LORD Provides Water

22Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the Wilderness of Shur; they went [a distance of] three days (about thirty-three miles) in the wilderness and found no water. 23Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink its waters because they were [d]bitter; therefore it was named Marah (bitter). 24The people [grew discontented and] grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we going to drink?” 25Then he cried to the LORD [for help], and the LORD showed him a tree, [a branch of] which he threw into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There the LORD made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there [e]He tested them, 26saying, “If you will diligently listen and pay attention to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen to His commandments, and keep [foremost in your thoughts and actively obey] all His precepts and statutes, then I will not put on you any of the diseases which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the [f]LORD who heals you.”

27Then the children of Israel came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

[a] 1 It was natural enough to create and sing a song of celebration to the Lord at this point, but the song, with all its detail, undoubtedly served as a memory device as well, a way to embed the account of the miracle in the minds of the people of Israel.
[b] 4 Lit Sea of Reeds.
[c] 12 Lit earth.
[d] 23 The water may have been like that of the Dead Sea, which has such a high salt content that it is bitter, and the natural reaction when attempting to sample it is to spit it out immediately.
[e] 25 God tests His people to see if they are learning from past experiences and growing in spiritual maturity.
[f] 26 Heb YHWH (Yahweh)-Ropheeka.