Exodus 14

1Then the Lord said to Moses,

2Tell the Israelites to go back to and go back to the town of Pi-Hahiroth and put up their tents there, between Migdol and the sea. They must camp near the sea and near Baal-Zephon.

3Then Pharaoh will think that the Israelites do not know where to go. He will say they are lost in the desert.

4Pharaoh is stubborn, and he will go after the Israelites and chase them. But I will defeat Pharaoh and his army. This will bring honor to me. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. The Israelites did what Moses told them.

5When they told Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, that the Israelites had fled, he and his officials said: We have made a mistake. We let the Israelites go and now they are not our slaves anymore.

6So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his men with him.

7Pharaoh took 600 of his best men and all of his chariots. There was an officer in each chariot.

8The Lord made Pharaoh, king of Egypt, stubborn. He followed and chased the Israelites, but The Israelites were leaving with boldness.

9The Egyptians with their war-chariots and the soldiers came near the Israelites, who were camping at the sea at PiHahiroth near BaalZephon.

10When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very afraid and cried to the Lord for help.

11They said to Moses, Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?

12We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians. It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.

13But Moses answered the children of Israel, Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again.

14You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The Lord will do the fighting for you.”

15Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you still crying to me? Tell the Israelites to start moving.

16You must lift up your staff and hold it out over the sea. The water will separate and there will be dry ground for the Israelites to walk on.

17I will make the Egyptians stubborn and they will go after you. I will show that I am God who can do what I want to do with Pharaoh and his army and his war-chariots and all his men.

18Then Egypt will know that I am the Lord. They will honor me when I defeat Pharaoh and his horse soldiers and chariots.

19Then the angel of God moved to the back of the people. (The angel was usually in front of the people, leading them.) So the tall cloud moved from in front of the people and went to the back of the people.

20In this way the cloud stood between the Egyptians and the Israelites. There was light for the Israelites. But there was darkness for the Egyptians. So the Egyptians did not come any closer to the Israelites that night.

21Moses raised his hand over the Red Sea, and the Lord caused a strong wind to blow from the east. The wind blew all night long. The sea split, and the wind made the ground dry.

22The children of Israelites went through the sea on dry land. The water was like a wall on their right and on their left.

23Then all of Pharaoh’s chariots and horse soldiers followed them into the sea.

24Early that morning the Lord looked down from the tall cloud and column of fire at the Egyptian army. Then he made them panic.

25The wheels of the chariots became stuck. It was very hard to control the chariots. The Egyptians shouted, Let’s get out of here! The Lord is fighting against us. He is fighting for the Israelites.

26Then the Lord told Moses, Raise your hand over the sea to make the water fall and cover the Egyptian chariots and horse soldiers.

27Then Moses put up his hand over the sea and the water of the sea flowed back to where it had been before. The Egyptians wanted to run away but the flood of water went over them and that is how God drowned the Egyptians in the sea

28The water returned to its normal level and covered the chariots and horse soldiers. Pharaoh’s army had been chasing the Israelites, but that army was destroyed. None of them survived!

29But the Israelites crossed the sea on dry land. The water was like a wall on their right and on their left.

30So that day the Lord saved the Israelites from the Egyptians. Later, the Israelites saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians on the shore of the Red Sea.

31The Israelites saw the great power of the Lord when he defeated the Egyptians. So, the people feared and respected the Lord, and they began to trust the Lord and his servant Moses.