Exodus 14

The Red Sea Crossing

1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, *Ex. 13:18that they turn and camp before *Num. 33:7Pi Hahiroth, between *Jer. 44:1Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, *Ps. 71:11‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then *Ex. 4:21; 7:3; 14:17I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I *Ex. 9:16; 14:17, 18, 23; Rom. 9:17, 22, 23will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, *Ex. 7:5; 14:25that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord." And they did so.

5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and *Ps. 105:25the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?" 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. 7 Also, he took *Ex. 15:4six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. 8 And the Lord*Ex. 14:4hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and *Ex. 6:1; 13:9; Num. 33:3; Acts 13:17the children of Israel went out with boldness. 9 So the *Ex. 15:9; Josh. 24:6Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel *Josh. 24:7; Neh. 9:9; Ps. 34:17; 107:6cried out to the Lord. 11 *Ex. 5:21; 15:24; 16:2; 17:3; Num. 14:2, 3; 20:3; Ps. 106:7, 8Then they said to Moses, "Because therewere no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 *Ex. 5:21; 6:9Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For itwouldhavebeen better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness."

13 And Moses said to the people, *Gen. 15:1; 46:3; Ex. 20:20; 2 Chr. 20:15, 17; Is. 41:10, 13, 14"Do not be afraid. *Ps. 46:10, 11Stand still, and see the *Ex. 14:30; 15:2salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall *Deut. 28:68see again no more forever. 14 *Ex. 14:25; 15:3; Deut. 1:30; 3:22; Josh. 10:14, 42; 23:2; 2 Chr. 20:29; Neh. 4:20; Is. 31:4The Lord will fight for you, and you shall *(Is. 30:15)hold your peace."

15 And the Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But *Ex. 4:17, 20; 7:19; 14:21, 26; 17:5, 6, 9; Num. 20:8, 9, 11; Is. 10:26lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will *Ex. 14:8harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will *Ex. 14:4gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

19 And the Angel of God, *Ex. 13:21, 22; (Is. 63:9)who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness totheone, and it gave light by night totheother, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and *Ps. 66:6; 106:9; 136:13, 14made the sea into dry land, and the waters were *Ex. 15:8; Josh. 3:16; 4:23; Neh. 9:11; Ps. 74:13; 78:13; 114:3, 5; Is. 63:12, 13divided. 22 So *Ex. 15:19; Josh. 3:17; 4:22; Neh. 9:11; Ps. 66:6; 78:13; Is. 63:13; 1 Cor. 10:1; Heb. 11:29the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were*Ex. 14:29; 15:8; Hab. 3:10a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 Now it came to pass, in the morning *Judg. 7:19watch, that *Ex. 13:21the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord*Ex. 7:5; 14:4, 14, 18fights for them against the Egyptians."

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen." 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea *Josh. 4:18returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord*Ex. 15:1, 7; Deut. 11:4; Neh. 9:11; Ps. 78:53; Heb. 11:29overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then *Ps. 78:53; 106:11the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But *Ex. 14:22; Ps. 66:6; 78:52, 53; Is. 11:15the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 So the Lord*Ex. 14:13; Ps. 106:8, 10; Is. 63:8, 11saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel *Ps. 58:10; 59:10saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and *Ex. 4:31; 19:9; Ps. 106:12; John 2:11; 11:45believed the Lord and His servant Moses.