Daily Bread

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?^(A) Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff^(B) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water^(C) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts^(D) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.^(E) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord^(F) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

¹⁹ Then the angel of God,^(G) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud^(H) also moved from in front and stood behind^(I) them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness^(J) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand^(K) over the sea,^(L) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind^(M) and turned it into dry land.^(N) The waters were divided,^{(O) 22} and the Israelites went through the sea^(P) on dry ground,^(Q) with a wall^(R) of water on their right and on their left.

²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen^(S) followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud^(T) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.^{(U) 25} He jammed^[a] 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^(V) for them against Egypt.”^(W)

²⁶ Then 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.” ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.^(X) The Egyptians were fleeing toward^[b] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.^{(Y) 28} The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.^(Z) Not one of them survived.^(AA)

²⁹ But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,^(AB) with a wall^(AC) of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰ That day the Lord saved^(AD) Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹ And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand^(AE) of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared^(AF) the Lord and put their trust^(AG) in him and in Moses his servant.