Exodus 17

Water at Massa and Meribah

1 s The whole communityt of the Israelites traveled on their journeyt from the Desert of Sin according to the Lord’s instruction, and they pitched camp in Rephidim.s Nowt there was no water for the people to drink.t2 So the people contendedt with Moses, and they said, “Give us water to drink!”ts Moses said to them, “Why do you contendt with me? Why do you testt the Lord?”

3 But the people were very thirstyt there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the worldt did you bring us up out of Egypt – to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”s
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do witht this people? – a little moret and they will stone me!”t5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people;t take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go.

6 I will be standingts before you there ont the rock in Horeb, and you will striket the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.”ts And Moses did so in plain viewt of the elders of Israel.

7 He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the Lord,ss saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Victory over the Amalekites

8 s Amalek camet and attackedt Israel in Rephidim.

9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of ourt men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him;tand Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.11 Whenever Moses would raise his hands,t then Israel prevailed, but whenever he would restt his hands, then Amalek prevailed.12 Whent the hands of Moses became heavy,t they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other,t and so his hands were steadyt until the sun went down.

13 So Joshua destroyedt Amalek and his armyt with the sword.t
14 The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in thet book, and rehearset it in Joshua’s hearing;t for I will surely wipe outt the remembrances of Amalek from under heaven.15 Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,”s

16 for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lordt – that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”s

Exodus 18

The Advice of Jethro

1 s Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, thatt the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.s
2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back,3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (for Mosest had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”),

4 and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said,t “The God of my father has been my helpt and delivereds me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’t sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping byt the mountain of God.s6 He saids to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.”7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him;s they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent.

8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardshipt that had come on themt along the way, and howt the Lord had delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoicedt because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt.10 Jethro said, “Blessedt be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control!t11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”t

12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, broughtt a burnt offering and sacrifices for God,s and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat foodt with the father-in-law of Moses before God.
13 On the next dayt Moses sat to judges the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.

14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is thist that you are doing for the people?s Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”
15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquiret of God.

16 When they have a dispute,t it comes to me and I decidet between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”t
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “Whatt you are doing is not good!18 You will surely wear out,t both you and these people who are with you, for this is toot heavy a burdent for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.19 Now listen to me,t I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God,t and you bringt their disputest to God;20 warnt them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walkt and the work they must do.t21 But you chooset from the people capable men,t God-fearing,t men of truth,t those who hate bribes,t and put them over the peoplet as rulerss of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.22 They will judget the people under normal circumstances,t and every difficult caset they will bring to you, but every small caset they themselves will judge, so thatt you may make it easier for yourself,t and they will bear the burdent with you.

23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you,t then you will be ablet to endure,t and all these peoplet will be able to got homet satisfied.”ts
24 Moses listened tot his father-in-law and did everything he had said.25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bringt to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way,t and so Jethrot wentt to his own land.s

Exodus 19

Israel at Sinai

1 s In the third month after the Israelites went outt from the land of Egypt, on the very day,t they came to the Desert of Sinai.

2 After they journeyedt from Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.s
3 Mosest went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the peoplet of Israel:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wingst and brought you to myself.s5 And now, if you will diligently listen to met and keept my covenant, then you will be myt special possessiont out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,

6 and you will be to met a kingdom of priestst and a holy nation.’t These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him,

8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!”t So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to comet to you in a dense cloud,t so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.”t And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify themt today and tomorrow, and make them washt their clothes11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.12 You must set boundariest for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heedt to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death!

13 No hand will touch hims – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being;t he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they mayt go up on the mountain.”
14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.”ts
16 Ont the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a denset cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loudt horn;t all the people who were in the camp trembled.17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain.18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace,s and the whole mountain shookt violently.

19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder,t Moses was speakingt and God was answering him with a voice.t
20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warnt the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish.t

22 Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break throught against them.”
23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us,t ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’”t24 The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.”

25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.s