Exodus

Song of Moses

Then Moses and the people sang this song to the Lord:

I will sing to the Lord, the glorious one,

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and my song,

and he is my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him;

the God of my father: I will extol him.

The Lord is a warrior;

Lord is his name.

The chariots of Pharaoh and his army

he has hurled into the sea;

his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.

The deep covers them;

they went down like a stone.

Your hand, O Lord, glorious and powerful,

your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.

In the splendor of your majesty, you crush your foes;

you send forth your fury, which devours them like stubble.

At the blast of your nostrils, the waters piled up,

the surging waters stood firm in a heap;

the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said, “I will give chase and overtake,

I will divide the spoil and make a feast of it.

I shall draw my sword, and my hand will destroy them.”

A breath of yours and the sea covered them;

they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Who among the gods is like you, Lord?

Who is like you, majestic in holiness,

awesome in power, doing wonders?

You stretched out your right hand;

the earth swallowed them.

In unfailing love, you guided the people you redeemed,

in strength, you led them to your holy house.

Hearing this, the nations tremble;

anguish grips the people of Philistia.

The chieftains of Edom are dismayed;

the leaders of Moab are seized with trembling;

the people of Canaan melted away.

Terror and dread fall upon them,

your powerful arm leaves them still as stone

until your people pass by, O Lord!

till the people you have purchased pass by.

You will bring them in and plant them

on the mountain of your inheritance,

the place you chose to dwell in, O Lord,

the sanctuary prepared by your hands.

The Lord will reign forever!

When Pharaoh’s chariots, horses, and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters over them, while the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea.

Then Miriam, the prophetess, sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, dancing and playing tambourines.

Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, the glorious one,

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

Murmurings About the Lack of Water

Moses then led Israel from the Red Sea toward the wilderness of Shur. They walked in the desert for three days without finding water.

They reached Marah but could not drink the bitter water there, which is why the place is called Marah.

The people grumbled against Moses and said:

“What shall we drink?”

Moses then cried out to the Lord, who showed him a piece of wood, and when he threw it in the water, the water became sweet. There, the Lord gave the people statutes and laws. There he tested them

and said:

“If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord, your God, and if you do what is right in his eyes if you obey his commands and statutes, I will not inflict on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, the One who heals you.”

Then they came to Elim, where there are twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and there they pitched their camp beside the water.