Exodus 14

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the children of Israel to turn back and camp in front of the farmstead, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-zephon. You are to camp facing it, by the sea. [a] 3 And Pharaoh will say to his people: These children of Israel are wandering lost in the land — the wilderness has shut them in. 4 And I will make Pharaoh’s heart hard, and he will chase after them; and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through his whole army, and all the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 And it was reported to the king of the Egyptians that the people had run off. And the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants turned against the people, and they said, “What have we done, sending the children of Israel away from working as our slaves?” 6 So Pharaoh harnessed his chariots and took all his people with him. 7 He took six hundred chosen chariots and all the cavalry of the Egyptians, with captains over all of them. [b] 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and of his servants, and he chased after the children of Israel — and the children of Israel were marching out with a raised hand. 9 And the Egyptians chased after them and found them camped by the sea: all Pharaoh’s cavalry and chariots and horsemen and his army, in front of the farmstead, opposite Baal-zephon. 10 And Pharaoh came on. And the children of Israel looked up and saw the Egyptians camped behind them, and they were terrified; and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 And they said to Moses, “Was it for lack of graves in Egypt that you brought us out to die in the wilderness? What is this you have done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt — leave us alone, let us work as slaves for the Egyptians? It would be better for us to work as slaves for the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Take courage. Stand still and see the rescue that comes from God, which he will work for us today; for the Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you will keep still.”

15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the children of Israel to break camp and move. 16 And you — lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and split it, and let the children of Israel go into the middle of the sea on dry ground. 17 And look, I am hardening the heart of Pharaoh and of all the Egyptians, and they will go in after them; and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and through his whole army and through his chariots and his horses. 18 And all the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am glorified through Pharaoh and through his chariots and horses.” 19 And the messenger of God who went in front of the camp of the children of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and stood behind them. [c] 20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel and stood there; and there was darkness and gloom, and the night passed, and the one did not come near the other all night long. 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back with a strong south wind all night, and made the sea dry ground, and the water was split. 22 And the children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on dry ground, and the water was a wall for them on their right and a wall on their left. 23 And the Egyptians chased them and went in after them — all Pharaoh’s cavalry and the chariots and the riders — into the middle of the sea. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord looked out at the camp of the Egyptians in the pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 And he locked the axles of their chariots and made their going hard. And the Egyptians said, “Let us run from Israel — the Lord is fighting the Egyptians for them!” 26 And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, and let the water come back and cover the Egyptians, the chariots and the riders.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and toward daybreak the water came back to its place; and the Egyptians fled under the water, and the Lord shook the Egyptians off into the middle of the sea. [d] 28 And the water turned back and covered the chariots and the riders and the whole army of Pharaoh that had gone into the sea after them; not one of them was left. 29 But the children of Israel walked through on dry ground in the middle of the sea, and the water was a wall for them on their right and a wall on their left. 30 And the Lord rescued Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. 31 And Israel saw the great hand — the things the Lord did to the Egyptians; and the people feared the Lord, and they believed God and Moses his servant.