Exodus 14

Pharaoh in Pursuit

1Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before 1Pi-hahiroth, between 2Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4Thus 3I will 4harden Pharaoh’s heart, and 5he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and 6the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, 7Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; 7and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 88The Lord 9hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out 1011boldly. 9Then 12the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, 13beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel 14looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; 15so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11Then 16they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, 17bringing us out of Egypt? 1218Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘19Leave 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.”

The Sea Is Divided

13But Moses said to the people, “20Do not fear! 21Stand by and see 22the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 1423The Lord will fight for you while 24you keep silent.”

15Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16As for you, lift up 25your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall 26go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17As for Me, behold, 27I will 28harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 1829Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

1930The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud 31along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

2132Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord 33swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into 34dry land, so 35the waters were divided. 2236The sons of Israel 37went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and 38the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23Then 39the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24At the morning watch, 40the Lord looked down on the 41army of the Egyptians 42through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the 43army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25He 44caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let 45us flee from Israel, 46for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26Then the Lord said to Moses, “47Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and 48the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing 49right into it; then the Lord 5051overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, 52even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; 53not even one of them remained. 29But the sons of Israel walked on 54dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

3055Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel 56saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31When Israel saw the great 57power which the Lord had 58used against the Egyptians, the people 59feared the Lord, and 60they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.