Exodus 14

 ¹  Then the LORD gave these instructions to Moses:  ²  "Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon.  ³  Then Pharaoh will think, `The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!'  ⁴  And once again I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after you. [4]  I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!" So the Israelites camped there as they were told.

The Egyptians Pursue Israel
 ⁵  When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. "What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?" they asked.  ⁶  So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops.  ⁷  He took with him 600 of Egypt's best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander.  ⁸  The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance.  ⁹  The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh's army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.
   ¹⁰  As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD,  ¹¹  and they said to Moses, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?  ¹²  Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, `Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!'"
   ¹³  But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again."  ¹⁴  "The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Escape through the Red Sea
 ¹⁵  Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!  ¹⁶  Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.  ¹⁷  And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers.  ¹⁸  When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!"
   ¹⁹  Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them.  ²⁰  The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night.
   ²¹  Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the LORD opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land.  ²²  So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!
   ²³  Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea.  ²⁴  But just before dawn the LORD looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion.  ²⁵  He twisted [25]  their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. "Let's get out of here—away from these Israelites!" the Egyptians shouted. "The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!"
   ²⁶  When all the Israelites had reached the other side, the LORD said to Moses, "Raise your hand over the sea again. Then the waters will rush back and cover the Egyptians and their chariots and charioteers."  ²⁷  So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the LORD swept them into the sea.  ²⁸  Then the waters returned and covered all the chariots and charioteers—the entire army of Pharaoh. Of all the Egyptians who had chased the Israelites into the sea, not a single one survived.
   ²⁹  But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, as the water stood up like a wall on both sides.  ³⁰  That is how the LORD rescued Israel from the hand of the Egyptians that day. And the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the seashore.  ³¹  When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

Exodus 15

A Song of Deliverance
 ¹  Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD:

"I will sing to the LORD,
  for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
  into the sea.
 ²  The LORD is my strength and my song;
  he has given me victory.
This is my God, and I will praise him—
  my father's God, and I will exalt him!
 ³  The LORD is a warrior;
  Yahweh [3]  is his name!
 ⁴  Pharaoh's chariots and army
  he has hurled into the sea.
The finest of Pharaoh's officers
  are drowned in the Red Sea. [4] 
 ⁵  The deep waters gushed over them;
  they sank to the bottom like a stone.

 ⁶  "Your right hand, O LORD,
  is glorious in power.
Your right hand, O LORD,
  smashes the enemy.
 ⁷  In the greatness of your majesty,
  you overthrow those who rise against you.
You unleash your blazing fury;
  it consumes them like straw.
 ⁸  At the blast of your breath,
  the waters piled up!
The surging waters stood straight like a wall;
  in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard.

 ⁹  "The enemy boasted, `I will chase them
  and catch up with them.
I will plunder them
  and consume them.
I will flash my sword;
  my powerful hand will destroy them.'
 ¹⁰  But you blew with your breath,
  and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
  in the mighty waters.

 ¹¹  "Who is like you among the gods, O LORD—
  glorious in holiness,
awesome in splendor,
  performing great wonders?
 ¹²  You raised your right hand,
  and the earth swallowed our enemies.

 ¹³  "With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home."  ¹⁴  The peoples hear and tremble;
  anguish grips those who live in Philistia.
 ¹⁵  The leaders of Edom are terrified;
  the nobles of Moab tremble.
All who live in Canaan melt away;
 ¹⁶    terror and dread fall upon them.
The power of your arm
  makes them lifeless as stone
until your people pass by, O LORD,
  until the people you purchased pass by.
 ¹⁷  You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain—
  the place, O LORD, reserved for your own dwelling,
  the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
 ¹⁸  The LORD will reign forever and ever!"

   ¹⁹  When Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the LORD brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground!
   ²⁰  Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.  ²¹  And Miriam sang this song:

"Sing to the LORD,
  for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
  into the sea."

Bitter Water at Marah
 ²²  Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water.  ²³  When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means "bitter").
   ²⁴  Then the people complained and turned against Moses. "What are we going to drink?" they demanded.  ²⁵  So Moses cried out to the LORD for help, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. Moses threw it into the water, and this made the water good to drink.
  It was there at Marah that the LORD set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him.  ²⁶  He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you."    ²⁷  After leaving Marah, the Israelites traveled on to the oasis of Elim, where they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.

<<  14:4 Hebrew after them.
<<  14:25 As in Greek version, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac version; Hebrew reads He removed.
<<  15:3 Yahweh is a transliteration of the proper name YHWH that is sometimes rendered "Jehovah"; in this translation it is usually rendered "the L<%=ftSC%>ORD" (note the use of small capitals).
<<  15:4 Hebrew sea of reeds; also in 15:22.

Matthew 17 : 1-26

The Transfiguration
 ¹  Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone.  ²  As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light.  ³  Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.
   ⁴  Peter exclaimed, "Lord, it's wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I'll make three shelters as memorials [4] —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
   ⁵  But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him."  ⁶  The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground.
   ⁷  Then Jesus came over and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid."  ⁸  And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus.
   ⁹  As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man [9]  has been raised from the dead."
   ¹⁰  Then his disciples asked him, "Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? [10] "
   ¹¹  Jesus replied, "Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready.  ¹²  But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn't recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer."  ¹³  Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
 ¹⁴  At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said,  ¹⁵  "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.  ¹⁶  So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't heal him."
   ¹⁷  Jesus said, "You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."  ¹⁸  Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.
   ¹⁹  Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?"
   ²⁰  "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. [20] "

Jesus Again Predicts His Death
 ²²  After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.  ²³  He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead." And the disciples were filled with grief.

Payment of the Temple Tax
 ²⁴  On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax [24]  came to Peter and asked him, "Doesn't your teacher pay the Temple tax?"
   ²⁵  "Yes, he does," Peter replied. Then he went into the house.
  But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, "What do you think, Peter? [25]  Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered? [25] "
   ²⁶  "They tax the people they have conquered," Peter replied.
  "Well, then," Jesus said, "the citizens are free!

<<  17:4 Greek three tabernacles.
<<  17:9 "Son of Man" is a title Jesus used for himself.
<<  17:10 Greek that Elijah must come first?
<<  17:20 Some manuscripts add verse 21, But this kind of demon won't leave except by prayer and fasting. Compare Mark 9:29.
<<  17:24 Greek the two-drachma [tax]; also in 17:24b. See Exod 30:13-16; Neh 10:32-33.
<<  17:25a Greek Simon? 17:25b Greek their sons or others?