Study Desk

Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their impatience and despondency, and because of their forced labor.

So all the Egyptians dug near the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the Nile.

Then the LORD did so. And there came heavy and oppressive swarms of [bloodsucking] insects into the house of Pharaoh and his servants' houses; in all the land of Egypt the land was corrupted and ruined because of the [great invasion of] insects.

The magicians (soothsayer-priests) could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.

(Now the flax and the barley were battered and ruined [by the hail], because the barley was in the ear (ripe, but soft) and the flax was in bud,

but the wheat and spelt (coarse wheat) were not battered and ruined, because they ripen late in the season.)

Pharaoh said to them, "The LORD be with you [to help you], if I ever let you go with your children [because you will never return]! Look [be forewarned], you have an evil plan in mind.

'[In the celebration of the Passover in future years,] seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove the leaven from your houses [because it represents the spread of sin]; for whoever eats leavened bread on the first day through the seventh day, that person shall be cut off and excluded from [the atonement made for] Israel.

'You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your hosts [grouped according to tribal armies] out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an ordinance forever.

"You shall explain this to your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'

Then they said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What is this that you have done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?

Terror and dread fall on them; Because of the greatness of Your arm they are as still as a stone; Until Your people pass by and [into Canaan], O LORD, Until the people pass by whom You have purchased.

Then they came to Marah, but they could not drink its waters because they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah (bitter).

Moses said, "This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning [enough] bread to be fully satisfied, because the LORD has heard your murmurings against Him; for what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD."

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to all the congregation of Israel, 'Approach the LORD, because He has heard your murmurings.'"

So they gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed, because when the sun was hot it melted.

He named the place [where this miracle occurred] Massah (test) and Meribah (contention) because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the [patience of the] LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?"

Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to ask [about the will] of God.

"You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you [to bear]; you cannot do it alone.

and be ready by the third day, because on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai [in the cloud] in the sight of all the people.