Study Desk

When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had left, he and his officers changed their minds about them. They said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites leave. We have lost our slaves!"

The Egyptians—with all the king's horses, chariot drivers, and army—chased the Israelites. They caught up with them while they were camped by the Red Sea, near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon.

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

I will make the Egyptians stubborn so they will chase the Israelites, but I will be honored when I defeat the king and all of his chariot drivers and chariots.

When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord , and they trusted him and his servant Moses.

The deep waters covered them, and they sank to the bottom like a rock.

But you blew on them with your breath and covered them with the sea. They sank like lead in the raging water.

Terror and horror will fall on them. When they see your strength, they will be as still as a rock. They will be still until your people pass by, Lord . They will be still until the people you have taken as your own pass by.

The whole Israelite community left Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which was between Elim and Sinai; they arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt.

They said to them, "It would have been better if the Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt. There we had meat to eat and all the food we wanted. But you have brought us into this desert to starve us to death."

Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will cause food to fall like rain from the sky for all of you. Every day the people must go out and gather what they need for that day. I want to see if the people will do what I teach them.

The whole Israelite community left the Desert of Sin and traveled from place to place, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.

So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why are you testing the Lord ?"

But the people were very thirsty for water, so they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us, our children, and our farm animals with thirst?"

Later, when Moses' arms became tired, the men put a large rock under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands—Aaron on one side and Hur on the other. They kept his hands steady until the sun went down.

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. After the two men asked about each other's health, they went into Moses' tent.

Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to the king and the Egyptians to help Israel. He told about all the problems they had faced along the way and how the Lord had saved them.

When people have a disagreement, they come to me, and I decide who is right. I tell them God's laws and teachings."

Warn them about the laws and teachings, and teach them the right way to live and what they should do.

He chose capable men from all the Israelites and made them leaders over the people; they were officers over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.