1Then the LORD spoke to Moses.2He said, ‘Tell the people of Israel to turn back. Let them camp near Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the Red Sea. They must camp by the sea, opposite Baal Zephon.3Pharaoh will think, “The Israelites are wandering around the land. They don’t know which way to go. The desert is all around them.”4I will make Pharaoh stubborn. He will chase them. But I will gain glory for myself because of what will happen to Pharaoh and his whole army. And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.’ So the Israelites camped by the Red Sea.5The king of Egypt was told that the people had escaped. Then Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them. They said, ‘What have we done? We’ve let the people of Israel go! We’ve lost our slaves and all the work they used to do for us!’6So he had his chariot made ready. He took his army with him.7He took 600 of the best chariots in Egypt. He also took along all the other chariots. Officers were in charge of all of them.8The LORD made Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, stubborn. So he chased the Israelites as they were marching out boldly.9The Egyptians went after the Israelites. All Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen and troops chased them. They caught up with the Israelites as they camped by the sea. The Israelites were near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.10As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked back. There were the Egyptians marching after them! The Israelites were terrified. They cried out to the LORD.11They said to Moses, ‘Why did you bring us to the desert to die? Weren’t there any graves in Egypt? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?12We told you in Egypt, “Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians.” It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die here in the desert!’13Moses answered the people. He said, ‘Don’t be afraid. Stand firm. You will see how the LORD will save you today. Do you see those Egyptians? You will never see them again.14The LORD will fight for you. Just be still.’15Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people of Israel to move on.16Hold out your walking stick. Reach out your hand over the Red Sea to divide the water. Then the people can go through the sea on dry ground.17I will make the Egyptians stubborn. They will go in after the Israelites. I will gain glory for myself because of what will happen to Pharaoh, his army, chariots and horsemen.18The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. I will gain glory because of what will happen to Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.’19The angel of God had been travelling in front of Israel’s army. Now he moved back and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved away from in front of them. Now it stood behind them.20It came between the armies of Egypt and Israel. All through the night the cloud brought darkness to one side and light to the other. Neither army went near the other all night long.21Then Moses reached out his hand over the Red Sea. All that night the LORD pushed the sea back with a strong east wind. He turned the sea into dry land. The waters were divided.22The people of Israel went through the sea on dry ground. There was a wall of water on their right side and on their left.23The Egyptians chased them. All Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.24Near the end of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud. He saw the Egyptian army and threw it into a panic.25He jammed the wheels of their chariots. That made the chariots hard to drive. The Egyptians said, ‘Let’s get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for Israel against Egypt.’26Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said, ‘Reach out your hand over the sea. The waters will flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.’27So Moses reached out his hand over the sea. At sunrise the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians tried to run away from the sea. But the LORD swept them into it.28The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen. It covered the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the people of Israel into the sea. Not one of the Egyptians was left.29But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground. There was a wall of water on their right side and on their left.30That day the LORD saved Israel from the power of Egypt. The Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.31The Israelites saw the amazing power the LORD showed against the Egyptians. So the Israelites had great respect for the LORD and put their trust in him. They also put their trust in his servant Moses.
Exodus 14
English Standard Version
Crossing the Red Sea
1Then the Lord said to Moses,2“Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. (Ex 13:18; Ex 13:20; Nu 33:7; Jer 44:1)3For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. (Ex 4:21; Ex 7:5; Ex 9:16; Ro 9:17; Ro 9:22)5When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” (Ps 105:25)6So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him,7and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. (Ex 15:4; Isa 31:1)8And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. (Ex 3:19; Ex 6:1; Ex 13:3; Ex 13:9; Ex 13:16; Ex 14:4; Nu 33:3; De 26:8; Ac 13:17)9The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. (Ex 14:2; Ex 15:9; Jos 24:6)10When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. (Jos 24:7; Ne 9:9)11They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? (Ex 13:17; Ps 106:7)12Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Ex 5:21; Ex 6:9)13And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. (Ex 14:30; 2Ch 20:15; 2Ch 20:17; Isa 41:10; Isa 41:13)14The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Ex 14:25; De 1:30; De 3:22; De 20:4; Jos 10:14; Jos 10:42; Jos 23:3; 2Ch 20:15; 2Ch 20:29; Ne 4:20; Isa 30:15)15The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.16Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. (Ex 7:19)17And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Ex 14:4; Ex 14:8)18And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” (Ex 7:5; Ex 14:17)19Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, (Ex 13:21; Ex 23:20; Ex 32:34; Nu 20:16; Isa 63:9)20coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night[1] without one coming near the other all night.21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Ex 14:16; Ex 15:8; Ex 15:10; Jos 3:16; Jos 4:23; Ne 9:11; Ps 66:6; Ps 74:13; Ps 78:13; Ps 106:9; Ps 114:3; Isa 10:26; Isa 11:15; Isa 51:10; Isa 63:12)22And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (Ex 14:29; Ex 15:19; Nu 33:8; Ps 66:6; Ps 77:19; Ps 78:13; Isa 63:13; Hab 3:10; 1Co 10:1; Heb 11:29)23The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.24And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,25clogging[2] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” (Ex 14:14)26Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” (Ex 14:16; Ex 14:21)27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw[3] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. (Ex 14:21; Ex 15:1; Ex 15:7; De 11:4; Jos 4:18; Ps 78:53; Heb 11:29)28The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. (Ps 106:11; Hab 3:8)29But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. (Ex 14:22)30Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. (Ps 106:8; Ps 106:10)31Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (Ex 14:13; Ps 92:9; Ps 106:12; Joh 2:11; Joh 11:45)