Exodus

the LORD spoke to Moses and said,

"Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Camp right by the sea, opposite Baal-zephon."

"Pharaoh will think to himself, 'The Israelites are lost in the land; the desert has trapped them!'"

"I will make Pharaoh’s heart stubborn once more so that he will chase after you. But through Pharaoh and his entire army, I will be honoured, and the Egyptians will finally know that I am the LORD." So the Israelites did as they were told.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had actually fled, he and his officials changed their minds. They said, "What have we done? Why did we let the Israelites go? We have lost our slaves!"

So Pharaoh had his chariot prepared and took his army with him.

He took 600 of his best chariots, along with all the other chariots in Egypt, each with an officer on board.

the LORD allowed the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to be stubborn, and he chased after the Israelites, who were leaving with a sense of triumph.

The Egyptians, with all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, horsemen, and troops, pursued them and caught up with them as they were camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.

As Pharaoh drew closer, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching toward them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD for help.

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

"Didn't we tell you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone! Let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to be slaves in Egypt than to die here in the desert!"

But Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid! Stand firm and you will see the [1] (salvation) the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today, you will never see again."

"the LORD will fight for you; you only need to [2] (be quiet)."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you still crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move forward!"

"Raise your staff, reach out your hand over the sea, and divide it, so that the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground."

"I will make the Egyptians stubborn so that they will chase you into the sea. Then I will receive honour through Pharaoh, his army, his chariots, and his horsemen."

"The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I am honoured through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them,

coming between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. The cloud brought darkness to the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites. Throughout the entire night, the two armies did not come near each other.

Then Moses reached out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD pushed the sea back with a [3] (strong east wind). He turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

The Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen followed them into the middle of the sea.

Just before dawn, the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic.

He caused their chariot wheels to come off so that they could hardly move. The Egyptians shouted, "Let's get away from the Israelites! the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!"

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand over the sea so that the waters come back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and their horsemen."

Moses reached out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak, the sea returned to its normal level. The Egyptians tried to run away from the water, but the LORD swept them into the middle of the sea.

The water returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and Pharaoh's entire army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not a single one of them survived.

But the Israelites had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.

That day the LORD saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.

When the Israelites saw the great power the LORD had shown against the Egyptians, the people stood in awe of the LORD. They put their trust in the LORD and in His servant Moses.