HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 438
EX O D U S 1 7
listen and kept some of it until morning. But by
then it was full of maggots and had a terrible
smell. Moses was very angry with them.
21 After this the people gathered the food
morning by morning, each family according to
its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes
they had not picked up melted and disappeared.
22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much
as usual—four quarts* for each person instead
of two. Then all the leaders of the community
came and asked Moses for an explanation. 23 He
told them, “This is what the Lord commanded:
Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy
Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or
boil as much as you want today, and set aside
what is left for tomorrow.”
24 So they put some aside until morning, just
as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good,
without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, “Eat this
food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated
to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground
today. 26 You may gather the food for six days,
but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will
be no food on the ground that day.”
27 Some of the people went out anyway
on the seventh day, but they found no food.
28 The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these
people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? 29 They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he
gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day,
so there will be enough for two days. On the
Sabbath day you must each stay in your place.
Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh
day.” 30 So the people did not gather any food
on the seventh day.
31 The Israelites called the food manna.* It
was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like
honey wafers.
32 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord
has commanded: Fill a two-quart container
with manna to preserve it for your descendants.
Then later generations will be able to see the
food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you
free from Egypt.”
33 Moses said to Aaron, “Get a jar and fill it
with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the Lord to preserve it for
all future generations.” 34 Aaron did just as the
Lord had commanded Moses. He eventually
placed it in the Ark of the Covenant—in front of
the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the
covenant.* 35 So the people of Israel ate manna
for forty years until they arrived at the land
where they would settle. They ate manna until
they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 The container used to measure the manna
was an omer, which was one-tenth of an ephah;
it held about two quarts.*
page 68
Water from the Rock
At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of
Sin* and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was
no water there for the people to drink. 2 So once
more the people complained against Moses.
“Give us water to drink!” they demanded.
“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing
the Lord?”
3 But tormented by thirst, they continued to
argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out
of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children,
and our livestock with thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What
should I do with these people? They are ready
to stone me!”
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front
of the people. Take your staff, the one you used
when you struck the water of the Nile, and call
some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will
stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.*
Strike the rock, and water will come gushing
out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So
Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water
gushed out as the elders looked on.
7 Moses named the place Massah (which
means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued
with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is
the Lord here with us or not?”
17
Israel Defeats the Amalekites
8 While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them.
9 Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some
men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for
us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill,
holding the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded
and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile,
Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a
nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff
in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage.
But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms
soon became so tired he could no longer hold
them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for
him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of
Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held
steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
14 After the victory, the Lord instructed
Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua:
16:22 Hebrew 2 omers [4.4 liters]. 16:31 Manna means
“What is it?” See 16:15. 16:34 Hebrew He placed it in front
of the Testimony; see note on 25:16. 16:36 Hebrew An omer
is one-tenth of an ephah. 17:1 The geographical name Sin is
related to Sinai and should not be confused with the English
word sin. 17:6 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.