1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. 3Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.
5When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28 and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
10As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
13Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
15Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25He jammed14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
26Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward14:27 Or from it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
過紅海
1耶和華對摩西說： 2「你吩咐以色列人改變方向，在比·哈希錄附近的海邊紮營，在紅海和密奪之間，對面是巴力·洗分。 3法老必定以為以色列人走迷了路，被困在曠野。 4我要使法老的心剛硬，使他派兵追趕他們。我要在法老和埃及軍兵身上得榮耀，好叫埃及人知道我是耶和華。」於是，以色列人遵命而行。
5有人向埃及王報信，說以色列百姓逃走了。法老和他的臣僕便改變主意，說：「我們怎麼可以讓以色列人就這樣離開我們，不再服侍我們呢？」 6法老便吩咐人預備戰車，他親自領軍， 7率領埃及所有的戰車，包括六百輛最精銳的戰車，每輛車上都有戰車長。 8耶和華使埃及王法老的心剛硬，法老就追趕毫無懼色地離開埃及的以色列人。 9埃及大軍的戰車騎兵傾巢而出，在巴力·洗分對面、比·哈希錄附近的海邊，追上了安營的以色列人。
10法老漸漸逼近，以色列人抬頭看見埃及人追了上來，非常害怕，便呼求耶和華。 11他們對摩西說：「難道埃及沒有墳地，要你帶我們出來死在曠野嗎？為什麼要帶我們出埃及呢？ 12我們在埃及豈不是對你說過，別管我們，就讓我們服侍埃及人嗎？服侍埃及人總比死在曠野好啊！」 13摩西對百姓說：「你們不要害怕，站穩了，看耶和華今天怎樣解救你們。你們再也看不到你們今天看到的埃及人了。 14耶和華必為你們爭戰，你們要保持安靜。」 15耶和華對摩西說：「為什麼向我呼求呢？吩咐以色列人往前走吧。 16你舉手向海伸出手杖，把海水分開，以色列人可以從中間的乾地走過去。 17我要使埃及人的心剛硬，他們會尾隨你們下到海中。我要在法老及其大軍、戰車和騎兵身上得榮耀。 18當我在法老及其戰車和騎兵身上得到榮耀時，埃及人就知道我是耶和華。」
19這時，在以色列隊伍前面領路的上帝的天使，轉到百姓後面，雲柱也隨著移到後面立住。 20雲柱停在埃及隊伍和以色列隊伍的中間，埃及人這邊一片黑暗，以色列人那邊卻有光，彼此整夜都無法接近對方。
21摩西向海伸出手，耶和華便整夜用強勁的東風吹退海水，將海底變成乾地。海水分開後， 22以色列人踏著乾地走入海中，海水在他們左右形成水牆。 23法老的軍兵車馬緊追不捨，都跟著下到海中。 24到了破曉時分，耶和華從雲柱火柱中俯視埃及軍隊，使他們陷入混亂。 25祂使他們戰車的輪子脫落，難以前行。於是，埃及人說：「我們逃命吧，因為耶和華在幫助以色列人攻擊我們！」
26耶和華對摩西說：「你向海伸出手，使海水回流，淹沒埃及人及其戰車和馬兵。」 27天剛亮的時候，摩西向海伸出手，海水便恢復原狀。埃及人紛紛向岸上逃命，耶和華卻使大水把他們捲回海中。 28海水回流，法老的戰車和人馬都淹沒在大海之中，全軍覆沒。 29以色列人卻在乾地上走過紅海，海水在他們左右形成水牆。 30那天，耶和華就這樣從埃及人手中拯救了以色列人。以色列人看見埃及人的屍體橫在海邊。 31以色列百姓親眼看見耶和華怎樣以大能對付埃及人，他們就敬畏耶和華，又信服祂和祂的僕人摩西。
