Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Moses and the Israelites sang to the Lord, saying, "I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously by throwing the horse and his rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation; he is my God, whom I will exalt as the God of my father.

The Lord is a warrior, known for his great power; his name is the Lord. Pharaoh's chariots and his host have been cast into the sea; his chosen captains are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have engulfed them, and they sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, Lord, has become glorious in power; your right hand, Lord, has shattered the enemy.

In your greatness, you have overthrown those who rose up against you, sending forth your wrath to consume them like stubble. And with the blast of your nostrils, the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright like a towering heap, and the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy boasted, "I will pursue, I will overtake, and divide the spoils; my desire will be satisfied on them." But you blew with your wind, and the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? You are glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, and do wonders. You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. You have shown mercy to the people you have redeemed, guiding them in your strength to your holy dwelling, where you will establish them as a sanctuary.

The people will hear and be afraid; sorrow will take hold of those who live in Philistia. The leaders of Edom will be amazed, and the mighty men of Moab will tremble with fear; all the inhabitants of Canaan will melt away in terror. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm they will be still as a stone until your people pass over.

You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, which you have established with your own hands. The Lord will reign forever and ever. The horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and horsemen into the sea, but the waters returned upon them, while the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.

Miriam, a prophetess and Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand; all the women followed her with timbrels and dances. They sang to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Shur, where they journeyed three days without finding water.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink from its waters because they were bitter. The people murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" But he cried out to the Lord, who showed him a tree that made the waters sweet; there he established a statute and an ordinance, testing their obedience.

If you diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, do what is right in his sight, and obey all his commands and keep all his laws, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians. You are the Lord who heals them, a gracious and compassionate God. They came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped by the waters.