Study Desk

Pharaoh received a report that the Israelites had escaped. When he heard this, he and his officials changed their minds about what they had done. Pharaoh said, "Why did we let the Israelites leave? Why did we let them run away? Now we have lost our slaves!"

The Egyptian army had many horse soldiers and chariots. They chased the Israelites and caught up with them while they were camped near the Red Sea at Pi Hahiroth, east of Baal Zephon.

When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help.

I have made the Egyptians brave, so they will chase you. But I will show you that I am more powerful than Pharaoh and all of his horses and chariots.

Then Egypt will know that I am the Lord . They will honor me when I defeat Pharaoh and his horse soldiers and chariots."

So just before daylight, Moses raised his hand over the sea. And the water rushed back to its proper level. The Egyptians were running as fast as they could from the water, but the Lord swept them away with the sea.

The Israelites saw the great power of the Lord when he defeated the Egyptians. So the people feared and respected the Lord , and they began to trust the Lord and his servant Moses.

The deep water covered them, and they sank to the bottom like rocks.

But you blew on them and covered them with the sea. They sank like lead into the deep sea.

"The other nations will hear this story, and they will be frightened. The Philistines will shake with fear.

Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea and into the desert of Shur. They traveled for three days in the desert. They could not find any water.

Then all the Israelites left Elim. They reached the western Sinai desert, between Elim and Mount Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month after leaving Egypt.

Then the whole community of Israelites began complaining again. They complained to Moses and Aaron in the desert.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will cause food to fall from the sky. This food will be for you to eat. Every day the people should go out and gather the food they need that day. I will do this to see if they will do what I tell them.

So Aaron spoke to all the Israelites. While he was talking, the people turned and looked into the desert. And they saw the Glory of the Lord appear in a cloud.

But when they measured what they had gathered, there was no shortage and there was none left over. Everyone gathered just what they needed.

But some of the people did not obey Moses. They saved their food for the next day. But worms got into the food and it began to stink. Moses was angry with the people who did this.

Every morning the people gathered as much food as they could eat, but by noon the food melted and was gone.

So they turned against Moses and started arguing with him. They said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why have you turned against me? Why are you testing the Lord ?"

But the people were very thirsty, so they continued complaining to Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here so that we, our children, and our cattle will all die without water?"