the Fourth Week of Advent
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New Century Version
Exodus 15
The Song of Moses
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
"I will sing to the Lord,
because he is worthy of great honor.
He has thrown the horse and its rider
into the sea.
2 The Lord gives me strength and makes me sing;
he has saved me.
He is my God,
and I will praise him.
He is the God of my ancestors,
and I will honor him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 The chariots and soldiers of the king of Egypt
he has thrown into the sea.
The king's best officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep waters covered them,
and they sank to the bottom like a rock.
6 Your right hand, Lord,
is amazingly strong.
Lord, your right hand
broke the enemy to pieces.
7 In your great victory
you destroyed those who were against you.
Your anger destroyed them,
like fire burning straw.
8 Just a blast of your breath,
and the waters piled up.
The moving water stood like a wall;
the deep waters became solid in the middle of the sea.
9 "The enemy bragged,
‘I'll chase them and catch them.
I'll take all their riches;
I'll take all I want.
I'll pull out my sword,
and my hand will destroy them.'
10 But you blew on them with your breath
and covered them with the sea.
They sank like lead
in the raging water.
11 "Are there any gods like you, Lord?
There are no gods like you.
You are wonderfully holy,
amazingly powerful,
a worker of miracles.
12 You reached out with your right hand,
and the earth swallowed our enemies.
13 You keep your loving promise
and lead the people you have saved.
With your strength you will guide them
to your holy place.
14 "The other nations will hear this and tremble with fear;
terror will take hold of the Philistines.
15 The leaders of the tribes of Edom will be very frightened;
the powerful men of Moab will shake with fear;
the people of Canaan will lose all their courage.
16 Terror and horror will fall on them.
When they see your strength,
they will be as still as a rock.
They will be still until your people pass by, Lord.
They will be still until the people you have taken as your own pass by.
17 You will lead your people and place them
on your very own mountain,
the place that you, Lord, made for yourself to live,
the temple, Lord, that your hands have made.
18 The Lord will be king forever!"
19 The horses, chariot drivers, and chariots of the king of Egypt went into the sea, and the Lord covered them with water from the sea. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry land. 20 Then Aaron's sister Miriam, a prophetess, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam told them:
"Sing to the Lord,
because he is worthy of great honor;
he has thrown the horse and its rider
into the sea."
Bitter Water Becomes Good
22 Moses led the Israelites away from the Red Sea into the Desert of Shur. They traveled for three days in the desert but found no water. 23 Then they came to Marah, where there was water, but they could not drink it because it was too bitter. (That is why the place was named Marah.[a]) 24 The people grumbled to Moses and asked, "What will we drink?"
25 So Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw the tree into the water, the water became good to drink.
There the Lord gave the people a rule and a law to live by, and there he tested their loyalty to him. 26 He said, "You must obey the Lord your God and do what he says is right. If you obey all his commands and keep his rules, I will not bring on you any of the sicknesses I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord who heals you."
27 Then the people traveled to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. So the people camped there near the water.
New Century Version
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
