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The Song of Moses

15

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the L ord:

“I will sing to the L ord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

2

The L ord is my strength and my might,

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 L ord is a warrior;

the L ord is his name.

 

4

“Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;

his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

5

The floods covered them;

they went down into the depths like a stone.

6

Your right hand, O L ord, glorious in power—

your right hand, O L ord, shattered the enemy.

7

In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;

you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.

8

At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,

the floods stood up in a heap;

the deeps 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 have its fill of them.

I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’

10

You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

 

11

“Who is like you, O L ord, among the gods?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

12

You stretched out your right hand,

the earth swallowed them.

 

13

“In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;

you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.

14

The peoples heard, they trembled;

pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

15

Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;

trembling seized the leaders of Moab;

all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

16

Terror and dread fell upon them;

by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone

until your people, O L ord, passed by,

until the people whom you acquired passed by.

17

You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,

the place, O L ord, that you made your abode,

the sanctuary, O L ord, that your hands have established.

18

The L ord will reign forever and ever.”

19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the L ord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

The Song of Miriam

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. 21And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the L ord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Bitter Water Made Sweet

22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah. 24And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25He cried out to the L ord; and the L ord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the L ord made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. 26He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the L ord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the L ord who heals you.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.


22. So Moses brought. Moses now relates that, from the time, of their passage through the sea, they had been suffering for three days from the want of water, that the first they discovered was bitter, and that thence the name was given to the place. This was indeed no light temptation, to suffer thirst for three days in a dry land, and nowhere to meet with relief or remedy. No wonder, then, that they should have groaned with anxiety; but grief, when it is full of contumacy, deserves no pardon. In such an emergency, they should have directed their prayers to God; whereas they not only neglected to pray, but violently assailed Moses, and demanded of him the drink which they knew could only be given them by God. But because they had not yet learnt to trust in Him, they fly not to Him for aid, except by imperiously commanding Him, in the person of His servant, to obey their wishes; for this interrogation, “What shall we drink?” is as much as to say, “Arrange with God to supply us with drink.” But they do not directly address God, of whose assistance they feel that they have need, because unbelief is ever proud.


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