Exodus 14; Exodus 15; Matthew 17

1 Then the Lord said to Moses,

2 "Tell the Isra- elites to turn back to Pi Hahiroth and to camp between Migdol and the Red Sea. Camp across from Baal Zephon, on the shore of the sea.

3 The king will think, 'The Israelites are lost, trapped by the desert.'

4 I will make the king stubborn again so he will chase after them, but I will defeat the king and his army. This will bring honor to me, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord." The Israelites did just as they were told.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had left, he and his officers changed their minds about them. They said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites leave. We have lost our slaves!"

6 So the king prepared his war chariot and took his army with him.

7 He took six hundred of his best chariots, together with all the other chariots of Egypt, each with an officer in it.

8 The Lord made the king of Egypt stubborn, so he chased the Israelites, who were leaving victoriously.

9 The Egyptians -- with all the king's horses, chariot drivers, and army -- chased the Israelites. They caught up with them while they were camped by the Red Sea, near Pi Hahiroth and Baal Zephon.

10 When the Israelites saw the king and his army coming after them, they were very frightened and cried to the Lord for help.

11 They said to Moses, "What have you done to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? There were plenty of graves for us in Egypt.

12 We told you in Egypt, 'Let us alone; we will stay and serve the Egyptians.' Now we will die in the desert."

13 But Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Stand still and you will see the Lord save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again after today.

14 You only need to remain calm; the Lord will fight for you."

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Command the Israelites to start moving.

16 Raise your walking stick and hold it over the sea so that the sea will split and the people can cross it on dry land.

17 I will make the Egyptians stubborn so they will chase the Israelites, but I will be honored when I defeat the king and all of his chariot drivers and chariots.

18 When I defeat the king, his chariot drivers, and chariots, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord."

19 Now the angel of God that usually traveled in front of Israel's army moved behind them. Also, the pillar of cloud moved from in front of the people and stood behind them.

20 So the cloud came between the Egyptians and the Israelites. This made it dark for the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites. So the cloud kept the two armies apart all night.

21 Then Moses held his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind, making the sea become dry ground. The water was split,

22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

23 Then all the king's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers followed them into the sea.

24 When morning came, the Lord looked down from the pillar of cloud and fire at the Egyptian army and made them panic.

25 He kept the wheels of the chariots from turning, making it hard to drive the chariots. The Egyptians shouted, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them and against Egypt."

26 Then the Lord told Moses, "Hold your hand over the sea so that the water will come back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and chariot drivers."

27 So Moses raised his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its place. The Egyptians tried to run from it, but the Lord swept them away into the sea.

28 The water returned, covering the chariots, chariot drivers, and all the king's army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29 But the Israelites crossed the sea on dry land, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

30 So that day the Lord saved the Israelites from the Egyptians, and the Israelites saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore.

31 When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord, and they trusted him and his servant 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 fathers, 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."

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.n)

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.

1 Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, the brother of James, up on a high mountain by themselves.

2 While they watched, Jesus' appearance was changed; his face became bright like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

3 Then Moses and Elijahn appeared to them, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you want, I will put up three tents here -- one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

5 While Peter was talking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice came from the cloud and said, "This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him. Listen to him!"

6 When his followers heard the voice, they were so frightened they fell to the ground.

7 But Jesus went to them and touched them and said, "Stand up. Don't be afraid."

8 When they looked up, they saw Jesus was now alone.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

10 Then his followers asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

11 Jesus answered, "They are right to say that Elijah is coming and that he will make everything the way it should be.

12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him. They did to him whatever they wanted to do. It will be the same with the Son of Man; those same people will make the Son of Man suffer."

13 Then the followers understood that Jesus was talking about John the Baptist.

14 When Jesus and his followers came back to the crowd, a man came to Jesus and bowed before him.

15 The man said, "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has epilepsyn and is suffering very much, because he often falls into the fire or into the water.

16 I brought him to your followers, but they could not cure him."

17 Jesus answered, "You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong. How long must I put up with you? How long must I continue to be patient with you? Bring the boy here."

18 Jesus commanded the demon inside the boy. Then the demon came out, and the boy was healed from that time on.

19 The followers came to Jesus when he was alone and asked, "Why couldn't we force the demon out?"

20 Jesus answered, "Because your faith is too small. I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. All things will be possible for you."

21

22 While Jesus' followers were gathering in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man will be handed over to people,

23 and they will kill him. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead." And the followers were filled with sadness.

24 When Jesus and his followers came to Capernaum, the men who collected the Temple tax came to Peter. They asked, "Does your teacher pay the Temple tax?"

25 Peter answered, "Yes, Jesus pays the tax." Peter went into the house, but before he could speak, Jesus said to him, "What do you think? The kings of the earth collect different kinds of taxes. But who pays the taxes -- the king's children or others?"

26 Peter answered, "Other people pay the taxes." Jesus said to Peter, "Then the children of the king don't have to pay taxes.

27 But we don't want to upset these tax collectors. So go to the lake and fish. After you catch the first fish, open its mouth and you will find a coin. Take that coin and give it to the tax collectors for you and me."