Exodus 17

Water in the Rock

1Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by 1stages from the wilderness of 2Sin, according to the 3command of the Lord, and camped at 4Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2Therefore the people 5quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “6Why do you quarrel with me? 7Why do you test the Lord?” 3But the people thirsted there for water; and 8they 9grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill 10us and 11our children and 1213our livestock with thirst?” 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A 14little more and they will stone me.” 5Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of 15the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which 16you struck the Nile, and go. 6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at 17Horeb; and 18you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He named the place 1920Massah and 2122Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they 23tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Amalek Fought

8Then 24Amalek came and fought against Israel at 25Rephidim. 9So Moses said to 26Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with 27the staff of God in my hand.” 10Joshua did as Moses 28told him, 29and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and 30Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand 31down, Amalek prevailed. 12But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur 32supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13So Joshua 33overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14Then the Lord said to Moses, “34Write this in 35a book as a memorial and 36recite it to Joshua, 37that 38I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15Moses built an 39altar and named it 40The Lord is My Banner; 16and he said, “4142The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”