1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and let them turn backwards and encamp before the ‘Mouths-of-the-Prostrate- Licentious-Things that were created like human beings, male and female, with their eyes open. That is the region of Tanis that is between Migdol and the sea, before the idol Zephon that remained of all the idols of Egypt, so that the Egyptians would say, ‘Baal Zephon is more glorious than all the idols, because it has survived and has not been struck down They will go and worship it, and they will find that you are encamping opposite it, by the shore of the sea. 3 And Pharaoh will say to Dathan and Abiram, Israelites who had remained in Egypt, ‘The people of the house of Is rael are wandering around in the land. The idol Zephon has closed the passes of the wilderness on them.’ 4 I will harden the inclination o/Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his soldiers, and the Egyptians will know that it is I who am the Lord.” And they did so. 5 The guards who had gone with Israel told that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was changed to malice against the people. And they said, “What is this that we have done, letting Israel go from our service?” 6 He himself, in person, harnessed his chariot, and with persuasive words he brought his people with him. 7 He took six hundred picked chariots and the chari ots of the Egyptians, his servants who had feared the word of the Lord and who had not died of the plague or in the hail; and to each chariot he added a third mule to pull (it) and to pursue (them) in haste. 8 And the Lord hardened the inclination of the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel were going out with uplifted hand, prevailing over the Egyptians. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, and they overtook them while they were encamped at the sea gathering pearls and precious stones which the Pishon had taken from the garden of Eden into the Gihon, and which the Gihon had taken to the Sea of Reeds, and which the Sea of Reeds had cast up on its shore. All the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his soldiers were at the “Mouths-of-the Rocks,” which is opposite the idol Zephon. 10 Pharaoh saw that the idol Zephon had been saved, and he offered offerings before it. The children of Israel raised their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were on the move after them; and they feared greatly. And the children of Israel prayed before the Lord. 11 And the wicked of (that) generation said to Moses, “Is it because there was no grave for us in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt—May the Lord be re vealed to you and judge—saying: ‘Leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness’?” 13 The children of Israel were formed into four groups at the shore of the Sea of Reeds. One said: 'Let us go down into the sea!' Another said, 'Let us return to Egypt!'' An other said, “Let us arrange battle lines against them!” Another said, “Let us shout at them and confuse them!” To the group that said, “Let us go down into the sea,” Moses said: “Do not be afraid! Stand by, and see the redemption of the Lord which he will perform for you today.” To the group that said: “Let us return to Egypt,” Moses said: “Do not return, for as you have seen the Egyptians today, you shall not see them again forever.” 14 To the group that said, “Let us arrange battle lines against them,” Moses said: 'Do not fight, for it is from before the Lord that your vic torious battles will be conducted.' To the group that said, “Let us shout at them,” Moses said. “Be silent, and give glory and praise and exaltation to your God.” 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why are you standing (there), praying before me? Behold the prayer of my people has preceded yours. Speak to the children of Israel, and let them go forward. 16 And you, lift up your rod, and incline your hand with it over the sea and split it, and let the children of Israel go into the sea on dry ground. 17 As for me, behold I will harden the inclination of the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after them, and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his soldiers, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians will know that it is I who am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.” 19 And the angel of the Lord who was leading before the camp of Israel moved and came behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and settled behind them because of the Egyptians who were throwing arrows and stones against Israel, and the cloud intercepted them. 20 It came between the camp of Israel and the camp of the Egyptians, and it was part light and part darkness; on one side it cast darkness over the Egyptians, and on the other side it gave light over Israel all the night. And through the whole night one camp did not approach against the other to engage in battle. 21 And Moses in clined his hand over the sea, holding the great and glorious rod that had been cre ated in the beginning, and on which the great and glorious Name was clearly in scribed, as well as the ten signs with which he had smitten the Egyptians, the three fathers of the world, the six matriarchs, and the twelve tribes of Jacob. And imme diately the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind all the night, and he turned the sea into dry land. And the waters were split into twelve divisions, corre sponding to the twelve tribes of Jacob. 22 The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, and the water became solid like walls,29 three hun dred mils high, to their right and to their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen. 24 At the morning watch, at the time when the hosts from on high come to praise, the Lord looked with anger on the camps of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire to throw burning coals on them, and from the pillar of cloud to throw hail on them, and he threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion.⁠a 25 He sawed the wheels of the armed chariots of Pharaoh so that they drove them with dif ficulty, and they were gradually leaving (them) behind. The Egyptians said one to another, “Let us flee before the people of the children of Israel, because it is the Memra of the Lord who engages in battle for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Incline your hand over the sea, and let the wa ters come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and horsemen.” 27 So Moses inclined his hand over the sea, and at morning time the sea returned to its normal state. The Egyptians were fleeing in front of its waves, and the Lord strengthened the Egyptians in the middle of the sea so that they would not die in the middle of it but would receive the (full) punishment that was sent to them. 28 The waves of the sea returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the camp of Pharaoh that had gone in after them into the sea; not even one of them re mained. 29 But the children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground, and the waters were like walls for them on their right and on their left. 30 On that day the Lord redeemed and saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dying but not (yet) dead, thrown upon the seashore. 31 And when Israel saw the strength of the mighty hand with which the Lord had per formed miracles against Egypt, the people feared from before the Lord, and they be lieved in the name of the Memra of the Lord, and in the prophecy of his servant Moses.