Exodus 17

Modern

Literal

Water from the Rock

¹Then the whole congregation of Israel left the Desert of Sin,^a moving from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

¹And all the congregation of the sons of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sin on their journeys, according to the mouth of YHWH. And they camped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.

²So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”

²And the people contended with Moses and said, “Give to us water, that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you test YHWH?”

³But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: “Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

³And the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is this—you have brought us up from Egypt to kill me and my sons and my livestock with thirst?”

⁴Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”

⁴And Moses cried out to YHWH, saying, “What shall I do for this people? A little longer and they will stone me!”

⁵And the LORD said to Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take along in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.

⁵And YHWH said to Moses, “Pass on before the face of the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel. And your staff with which you struck the River, take in your hand and go.

⁶Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.^a And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.”

So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

⁶Behold, I am standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so in the eyes of the elders of Israel.

⁷He named the place Massah^a and Meribah^b because the Israelites quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

⁷And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the sons of Israel, and because of their testing of YHWH, saying, “Is YHWH among us, or not?”

The Defeat of the Amalekites

⁸After this, the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

⁸And Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

⁹So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.”

⁹And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men and go out—fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, and the staff of God will be in my hand.”

¹⁰Joshua did as Moses had instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

¹⁰And Joshua did as Moses said to him, to fight with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

¹¹As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.

¹¹And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, that Amalek prevailed.

¹²When Moses’ hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side, so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down.

¹²And the hands of Moses became heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands—one from this, and one from that—and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

¹³So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his army with the sword.

¹³And Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the mouth of the sword.

¹⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”

¹⁴And YHWH said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and put it in the ears of Joshua, that I will surely blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.”

¹⁵And Moses built an altar and named it The LORD Is My Banner.^a

¹⁵And Moses built an altar and called its name YHWH-Nissi.

¹⁶“Indeed,” he said, “a hand was lifted up toward the throne of the LORD. The LORD will war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

¹⁶And he said, “Because a hand is on the throne of YAH, war belongs to YHWH with Amalek from generation to generation.”