(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)

B’shalah

13:17. And it was, when Pharaoh had sent the people out, that God did not lead them through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, “Perhaps the people will change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18. But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Reed Sea, and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt. 19. And Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, for he had strictly sworn the children of Israel saying, “God will surely visit you and you will carry up my bones away from here with you.” 20. And they took their journey from Sukkot and camped in Itam, at the edge of the wilderness. 21. And the LORD* went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, to go by day and night. 22. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, or the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Crossing the Reed Sea

14.1. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 2. “Speak to the children of Israel, to turn and camp before Pi Hakhirot, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-Zephon: camp by the sea before it. 3. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4. And I shall harden Pharaoh’s heart so he will follow after them, and I shall be honored by Pharaoh and by his entire army, so the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD*.” And they did so.

14:5. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6. And he made his chariot ready and took his people with him. 7. And he took six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. 8. And the LORD* strengthened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued after the children of Israel, and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. 9. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi Hakhirot, before Baal Zephon.

14:10. And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were greatly afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD*. 11. And they said to Moses, “Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt? Why have you dealt like this with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? 12. Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt saying, Let us alone, so we can serve the Egyptians? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” 13. And Moses said to the people, “Do not be in awe! Stand still! See the salvation of the LORD*, (2 Chr.20:17) which He will show you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will see them again no more forever.

14. The LORD* will fight for you, and you will hold your peace.” (Deut. 1:30, 3:22)

14:15. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Why are you crying to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward, 16. and 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 I AM, behold, I shall strengthen the hearts of the Egyptians and they will follow them and I shall get honor for Myself from Pharaoh, and from his whole army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18. And the Egyptians will know that I AM the LORD*, when I have gotten honor for Myself from Pharaoh on his chariots and his horsemen.”

14:19. And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them. 20. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these so that the one did not come near the other all night. 21. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD* caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22. And 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 hand and on their left. 23. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24. And it was, that in the morning watch the LORD* looked at the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and caused confusion with the army of the Egyptians, 25. and took off their chariot wheels, so they drove them heavily so that the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD* is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

14:26. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so the waters will come again upon the Egyptians, their chariots, and their horsemen.”

27. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared. And the Egyptians fled against it and the LORD* overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28. And the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and the entire army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. There remained not so much as one of them. 29. But the children of Israel walked on dry land 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 out of the hand of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. 31. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD* did upon the Egyptians and the people revered the LORD* and believed the LORD* and his servant Moses.

Victory Song

15.1. Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD* (Rev. 15:3) and spoke, saying: “I shall sing to the LORD*, for He has triumphed gloriously, He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea. 2. A strong song and melody for the LORD* has become my salvation. This is my God and I shall praise Him; the God of my father and I will exalt Him! 3. The LORD* is a Man of War! The LORD* is His name. 4. He has cast Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea, his chosen captains also are drowned in the Reed Sea. 5. The depths have covered them, they sank to the bottom like a stone. 6. Your right hand, LORD*, has become glorious in power. Your right hand, LORD*, has dashed the enemy in pieces. 7. And in the greatness of Your excellency You have overthrown those who rose up against You. You sent forth Your wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8. And with the blast of Your nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, the depths were solidified in the heart of the sea. 9. The enemy said, ‘I shall pursue, I shall overtake, I shall divide the plunder. My lust will be satisfied upon them. I shall draw my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ 10. You did blow with your wind, the sea covered them: they sank like lead in the mighty waters. 11. Who is like You, LORD*, among the gods?! Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?! (Ps. 71:19) 12. You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them. 13. You in Your loving kindness have led out the people that You have redeemed. You have guided them in Your strength to Your Holy Habitation. 14. The people will hear and be in awe. Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia. 15. Then the chiefs of Edom will be amazed. Trembling will take hold of the mighty men of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away. 16. Fear and terror will fall on them. By the greatness of Your arm they will be as still as a stone, until Your people cross over, LORD*, until the people You have purchased cross over. 17. You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, LORD*, You have made for Yourself to dwell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established. 18. The LORD* will reign forever and ever. (Rev. 11:15) 19. For the horse of Pharaoh went into the sea with his chariots and with his horsemen, and again the LORD* brought the waters of the sea upon them, but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.”

Miriam’s Song

15:20. And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. 21. And Miriam sang to them, “Sing to the LORD*, for He has triumphed gloriously. He has thrown the horse and his rider into the sea.”

15:22. So Moses brought Israel from the Reed Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Shur and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

23. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24. And the people murmured against Moses saying, “What will we drink?” 25. And he cried to the LORD*, and the LORD* showed him a tree and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. He made a statute and an ordinance there for them and there he proved to them 26. and said, “If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD* your God and will do that which is right in His sight and will give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I shall put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians, for I AM the LORD* Who heals you.”

15:27. And they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters. 16.1. And they took their journey from Elim, and the entire congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing from the land of Egypt.

After Victory, Complaining

16:2. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3. And the children of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD* in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

16:4. Then the LORD* said to Moses, “Look, I shall rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather a day’s portion each day, so I can test them, whether or not they will walk in My Torah (Teaching). 5. And it will be that on the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6. And Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening, then you will know that the LORD* has brought you out from the land of Egypt. 7. And in the morning, then you will see the glory of the LORD*, for He heard your murmurings against the LORD*, and what are we that you murmur against us?” 8. Then Moses said, “This will be, when the LORD* gives you flesh to eat in the evening and bread to the full in the morning, for the LORD* heard your murmurings which you murmur against Him and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD*.”

16:9. And Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD*, for He has heard your murmurings!” 10. And it happened as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel that they looked toward the wilderness and, behold, the glory of the LORD* appeared in the cloud.

The LORD* Provides

16:11. And the LORD* spoke to Moses saying, 12. “Ihave heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them saying, ‘At evening you will eat flesh and in the morning you will be filled with bread, and you will know that I AM the LORD* your God.’” 13. And it was that at evening the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew lay all around the camp. 14. And when the dew that lay evaporated, behold, upon the face of the wilderness something fine and scaly, as fine as the hoar frost on the ground. 15. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “Man-hu?” They did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD* has given you to eat. (John 6:31) 16. This is that which the LORD* has commanded, Each man gather it according to his eating, an omer for each person, according to the number of your persons: take for each person in his tent.”

16:17. The children of Israel did so and gathered; somemore, some less. 18. And when they measured it with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over and the one who gathered little had no lack. (2 Cor. 8:15) Each person gathered according to his eating.

16:19. And Moses said, “Let no man leave any till morning.” 20. Nevertheless they did not listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning and it bred worms and stank, and Moses was very angry with them. 21. And they gathered it every morning, each man according to his eating, and it melted when the sun grew hot. 22. And it was, on the sixth day they gathered a double portion, two omers for one person, and all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses. 23. And he said to them, “This is what the LORD* has said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath to the LORD*: bake that which you will bake today, and boil what you will boil, and that which remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.” 24. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses said. And it did not stink, neither was there any worm in it 25. and Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD*, today you will not find it in the field. 26. Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, in it there will be none.”

16:27. And it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather and they found none. 28. And the LORD* said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My Torah (Teaching)? 29. See, for the LORD* has given you the Sabbath, therefore He gives you the bread for two days on the sixth day. Each person stay in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30. And the people rested on the seventh day. 31. And the House of Israel called the name of it Man. And it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

16:32. And Moses said, “This is the thing that the LORD* commands. Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations, so they can see the bread with which I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.” 33. And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer full of man(na) in it, and lay it up before the LORD*, to be kept for your generations.” 34. So Aaron laid it up as the LORD* commanded Moses, to be kept before the Testimony. 35. And the children of Israel ate man(na) for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate man(na) until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. 36. Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

Strike the Rock for Water

17.1. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their travels, according to the commandment of the LORD* and pitched in Refidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2. Therefore the people contended with Moses and said, “Give us water so we can drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why argue with me? Why do you tempt the LORD*?” 3. And the people were thirsty for water there, and the people murmured against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”

17:4. And Moses cried to the LORD* saying, “What will I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Go on before the people and take the elders of Israel with you, and your staff with which you struck the river. Take it in your hand and go. 6. Behold, I shall stand in front of you there on the rock in Horeb and you will strike the rock, and there water will come out of it, so the people can drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7. And he called the name of the place Massah (Test) and Meribah (Contention), because of the chiding of the children of Israel and because they tempted the LORD* by saying, “Is the LORD* among us or not?”

Aaron and Hur Hold up Moses’ Hands

17:8. Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Refidim. 9. And Moses said to Joshua (Y’hoshea), “Choose men from among us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I shall stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10. So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11. And it happened, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12. But Moses’ hands were heavy so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and the other on the other side, and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13. And Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

17:14. And the LORD* said to Moses, “Write this in a book for  a memorial and repeat it in the ears of Joshua, for I shall utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15. And Moses built an altar and called the name of it Adonai-Nissi, The LORD* is My Miracle. 16. For he said, “Because the LORD* has sworn that the LORD* will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Next week’s Torah readings: Yitro

(from One New Man Bible translated by William Morford)