Daily Text and Bible Reading: Wednesday, January 22 [Press play below]

14.1 Jehovah now said to Moses:
14.2 “Tell the Israelites that they should turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, within view of Baal-zephon. You are to encamp facing it by the sea.
14.3 Then Pharaoh will say about the Israelites, ‘They are wandering in confusion in the land. The wilderness has closed in on them.’
14.4 I will allow Pharaoh’s heart to become obstinate, and he will chase after them, and I will glorify myself by means of Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah.” So that is what they did.
14.5 Later it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had run away. Immediately, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart regarding the people, and they said: “Why did we do this and release Israel from serving as slaves for us?”
14.6 So he made his war chariots ready, and he took his people with him.
14.7 He took 600 chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt, with warriors on every one of them.
14.8 Thus Jehovah allowed the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt to become obstinate, and he chased after the Israelites, while the Israelites were going out with confidence.
14.9 The Egyptians chased after them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh and his cavalrymen and his army were catching up with them while they were camping by the sea, by Pihahiroth, facing Baal-zephon.
14.10 When Pharaoh got closer, the Israelites raised their eyes and saw the Egyptians pursuing them. The Israelites became terrified and began to cry out to Jehovah.
14.11 They said to Moses: “Is it because there are no burial places in Egypt that you have brought us here to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by leading us out of Egypt?
14.12 Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt when we said, ‘Let us alone, so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
14.13 Then Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see the salvation of Jehovah that he will perform for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never ever see again.
14.14 Jehovah himself will fight for you, and you will keep silent.”
14.15 Jehovah now said to Moses: “Why do you keep crying out to me? Tell the Israelites that they should break camp.
14.16 As for you, lift up your rod and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the midst of the sea on dry ground.
14.17 As for me, I am allowing the hearts of the Egyptians to become obstinate, so that they will go in after them; thus I will glorify myself by means of Pharaoh and all his army, his war chariots, and his cavalrymen.
14.18 And the Egyptians will certainly know that I am Jehovah when I glorify myself by means of Pharaoh, his war chariots, and his cavalrymen.”
14.19 Then the angel of the true God who was going ahead of the camp of Israel departed and went to their rear, and the pillar of cloud that was in front of them moved to the rear and stood behind them.
14.20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. On the one side, it was a dark cloud. On the other side, it was lighting up the night. So the one camp did not come near the other camp all night long.
14.21 Moses now stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah drove the sea back with a strong east wind all night long, turning the sea basin into dry ground, and the waters divided.
14.22 So the Israelites went through the midst of the sea on dry ground, while the waters formed a wall on their right hand and on their left.
14.23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his war chariots, and his cavalrymen began going after them into the midst of the sea.
14.24 During the morning watch, Jehovah looked at the camp of the Egyptians from within the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion.
14.25 He kept taking wheels off their chariots so that they were driving them with difficulty, and the Egyptians were saying: “Let us flee from any contact with Israel, because Jehovah is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”
14.26 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, their war chariots, and their cavalrymen.”
14.27 Moses at once stretched out his hand over the sea, and as morning approached, the sea returned to its normal condition. As the Egyptians fled from it, Jehovah shook the Egyptians off into the midst of the sea.
14.28 The returning waters covered the war chariots and the cavalrymen and all of Pharaoh’s army who had gone into the sea after them. Not so much as one among them was allowed to survive.
14.29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground in the midst of the seabed, and the waters formed a wall on their right hand and on their left.
14.30 Thus Jehovah saved Israel on that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
14.31 Israel also saw the great power that Jehovah wielded against the Egyptians, and the people began to fear Jehovah and to put faith in Jehovah and in his servant Moses.
15.1 At that time Moses and the Israelites sang this song to Jehovah: “Let me sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.
15.2 My strength and my might is Jah, since he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
15.3 Jehovah is a powerful warrior. Jehovah is his name.
15.4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea, And his finest warriors have sunk into the Red Sea.
15.5 The surging waters covered them; down into the depths they sank like a stone.
15.6 Your right hand, O Jehovah, is great in power; Your right hand, O Jehovah, can shatter an enemy.
15.7 In your great majesty you can throw down those who rise up against you; You send out your burning anger, it eats them up like stubble.
15.8 By a breath from your nostrils waters massed together; They stood still, holding back the floods; The surging waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
15.9 The enemy said: ‘I will pursue! I will overtake! I will divide spoil until I am satisfied! I will draw my sword! My hand will subdue them!’
15.10 You blew with your breath, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in majestic waters.
15.11 Who among the gods is like you, O Jehovah? Who is like you, showing yourself mighty in holiness? The One to be feared with songs of praise, the One doing wonders.
15.12 You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.
15.13 In your loyal love you have led the people whom you have redeemed; In your strength you will guide them to your holy place of dwelling.
15.14 Peoples must hear; they will shudder; Anguish will seize the inhabitants of Philistia.
15.15 At that time the sheikhs of Edom will be terrified, And trembling will take hold of the mighty rulers of Moab. All the inhabitants of Canaan will be disheartened.
15.16 Fear and dread will fall upon them. Because of the greatness of your arm they will be as motionless as a stone Until your people pass by, O Jehovah, Until the people whom you produced pass by.
15.17 You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, The established place that you have prepared for yourself to inhabit, O Jehovah, A sanctuary, O Jehovah, that your hands have established.
15.18 Jehovah will rule as king forever and ever.
15.19 When Pharaoh’s horses with his war chariots and his cavalrymen went into the sea, Then Jehovah brought back the waters of the sea upon them, But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the midst of the sea.”
15.20 Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and with dances.
15.21 Miriam sang in response to the men: “Sing to Jehovah, for he has become highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.”
15.22 Moses later led Israel away from the Red Sea, and they went out to the wilderness of Shur and marched on for three days in the wilderness, but they did not find water.
15.23 They came to Marah, but they were not able to drink the water from Marah because it was bitter. That is why he named it Marah.
15.24 So the people began to murmur against Moses, saying: “What are we to drink?”
15.25 He cried out to Jehovah, and Jehovah directed him to a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became sweet. There He established for them a regulation and a case for judgment, and there He put them to the test.
15.26 He said: “If you will strictly listen to the voice of Jehovah your God and will do what is right in his eyes and will pay attention to his commandments and keep all his regulations, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I, Jehovah, am healing you.”
15.27 After that they came to Elim, where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. So they camped there by the water.