The Second Book of Moses: Exodus

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- Chapter 17 -

(Numbers 20:1–13)

Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israelite people moved from the wilderness of Sin. They traveled from one place to another. They camped at a place called Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.

So the people complained to Moses again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses replied to them, “Why are you speaking against me? And why are you trying to test whether Yahweh has the power to give you what you need?”

But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses. They were saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and animals to die from thirst?”

So Moses prayed to Yahweh. He said, “How shall I deal with these people? They are almost ready to kill me by throwing stones at me!”

Yahweh said to Moses, “Lead the people and walk in front of them. Take some of the elders of the Israelite people with you. Carry in your hand the staff you used to strike the Nile River.

Listen to me! I will stand in front of you on top of a large rock at the foot of Mount Sinai. Strike the rock with your stick. When you do that, water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” Moses did what God had said, and the elders were there with him when the water flowed out of the rock.

Moses gave that place two names in the Hebrew language, Masseh, which means ‘testing,’ and Meribah, which means ‘complaining.’ He gave it the name Massah because the Israelite people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us and able to help us, or not?” And Moses gave it the name Meribah because they were complaining all the time to him.

The Defeat of the Amalekites

Then the people of Amalek came and fought against the Israelite people at Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight against the people of Amalek tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the staff that God told me to carry.”

So Joshua obeyed Moses. He took some men to fight against the people of Amalek. While they were fighting, Aaron, Hur, and Moses went up to the top of the hill so that they could see the whole battle area.

Whenever Moses lifted up his arms, the Israelite men started to win the battle; whenever he lowered his arms, the people of Amalek started to win.

But Moses’ arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur rolled a large stone for him to sit on. While he was sitting on it, those two held up his arms, one man on either side of him. In that way, they kept his arms lifted up until the sun went down.

In this way Joshua and the men with him defeated the people of Amalek in battle.

Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Write an account of this battle and then read it to Joshua. Also write that I will completely destroy the people of Amalek.”

Then Moses built a stone altar there and named it “Yahweh is my flag.”

He said, “A promise was made in front of the throne of Yahweh: Yahweh will fight against the people of Amalek forever!”

(Numbers 20:1–13)

All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, starting according to the LORD’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.

Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”

The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

The LORD said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

He called the name of the place Massah,(a) and Meribah,(b) because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

The Defeat of the Amalekites

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out to fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God’s rod in my hand.”

So Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

But Moses’ hands were heavy; so they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. His hands were steady until sunset.

Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

The LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky.”

Moses built an altar, and called its name “The LORD our Banner”.(c)

He said, “The LORD has sworn: ‘The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’”

Footnotes

(a)17:7 Massah means testing.

(b)17:7 Meribah means quarreling.