1 Then Moses and the people sang this song to Yahweh: I will sing to Yahweh, the glorious one,
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 Yahweh is my strength and my song,
and he is my salvation.
He is my God and I will praise him;
the God of my father: I will extol him.
3 Yahweh is a warrior; Yahweh is his name.
4 The chariots of Pharaoh and his army
he has hurled into the sea;
his chosen officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep covers them;
they went down like a stone.
6 Your hand, O Yahweh, glorious and powerful,
your right hand, O Yahweh, shatters the enemy.
7 In the splendor of your majesty you crush your foes;
you send forth your fury, which devours them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
the surging waters stood firm in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, “I will give chase and overtake,
I will divide the spoil and make a feast of it.
I shall draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.”
10 A breath of yours and the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods is like you, Yahweh?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in power, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
13 In unfailing love you guided the people you redeemed,
in strength you led them to your holy house.
14 Hearing this, the nations tremble;
anguish grips the people of Philistia.
15 The chieftains of Edom are dismayed;
the leaders of Moab are seized with trembling;
the people of Canaan melt away.
16 Terror and dread fall upon them,
your powerful arm leaves them still as stone
until your people pass by, O Yahweh!
till the people you have purchased pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
on the mountain of your inheritance,
the place you chose to dwell in, O Yahweh,
the sanctuary prepared by your hands.
18 Yahweh will reign forever!
19 When Pharaoh’s chariots, hors es and horsemen went into the sea, Yahweh brought back the waters over them, while the people of Isra el walked on dry ground through the sea.
20 Then Miriam, the prophetess, sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand and all the women followed her dancing and playing tambourines.
21 Miriam sang to them, “Sing to Yahweh the glorious one; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Through the desert
22 Moses then led Israel from the Red Sea towards the wilderness of Shur. They walked in the desert for three days without finding water.
23 They reached Marah but could not drink the water there as it was bitter. That is why the place is called Marah.
24 The people grumbled against Moses and said, “What shall we drink?”
25 Moses then cried out to Yahweh who showed him a piece of wood, and when he threw it in the water, the water became sweet.
There Yahweh gave the people statutes and laws. There he tested them
26 and said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh, your God, and if you do what is right in his eyes, if you obey his commands and statutes, I will not inflict on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am Yahweh, the One who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim where there are twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and there they pitched their camp beside the water.
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Comments Exodus, Chapter 15
• 15.1 The first canticle of Moses is a shout of joyful thanksgiving. It is, at the same time, a profession of faith. The psalmist says: “Happy are the people who know how to praise.”
The liberated people had no reason to glory in themselves at this victory which belonged to God and to Moses, the man of faith. It is proper for them only to give thanks to God.
Revelation will recall this canticle (Rev 15:3) in the vision of the elect and martyrs of Christ, saved from their weakness and crowned with glory.
The ancient religions (and also modern people) celebrate feasts in accordance with the rhythm of nature: feasts of the moon, of summer, of rain, of birth. On the other hand, the feasts in the Bible celebrate the marvels which God did to save them. If it is good to praise God for the wonders of nature, even more should we recognize him in the events of history. Let us give thanks to God, before any thing else, for the great and small events that show his Reign coming among us.
• 22. The Israelites definitely left behind the most brilliant and impressive civilization of their times, with its products, irrigation camps and prestigious culture. Had they not left, they would have disappeared as a people. But now like any na tion or social class that achieves its indepen dence, they have to become responsible for their own destiny.
Moses knows that freedom is not a continual joy: this is but the beginning of a diffi cult way involving sacrifice. On this way, however, God manifests his Providence and allows us to walk with self- confidence. Unexpected wonders may happen but God is not concerned with multiplying miracles in order to better our situation.
The fugitives have reason to be worried: they are threatened by hunger, thirst, and the in habitants of the desert. In the following pages, the author graphically describes the dangers and recalls certain interventions by Providence. But he relates the story with much liberty, adapting these teachings to his contemporaries who were continually tempted by the easy life, who were avaricious and attracted by the promises of foreign countries in which they would have lost their own identity and mission.
I am Yahweh, the One who heals you. Each god had his specialty, but Yahweh, the God of our ancestors is not only liberator. He also knows our infirmities and his word is power ful for healing and for keeping us healthy.