Exodus 17
1 Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israeli people moved from the Sin Desert. They/We traveled from one place to another. They/We camped at [a place named] Rephidim, but there was no water there for (the people/us) to drink.
The whole community of the Israelites journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, following Yahweh's instructions. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 So the people complained to Moses/me again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses/I replied to them, “Why are you (criticizing/arguing with) me [RHQ]? And why are you trying to determine whether Yahweh [has the power to provide for you]?”
So the people blamed Moses for their situation and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?”
3 But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses/me. They were saying things like “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”, and “Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and livestock to die (from thirst/because we had no water to drink) [RHQ]?”
The people were very thirsty, and they complained against Moses. They said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”
4 So Moses/I prayed earnestly to Yahweh. He/I said, “(How shall I deal with these people?/I do not know how to deal with these people!) [RHQ] They are almost ready to [kill me by throwing] stones at me!”
Then Moses cried out to Yahweh, “What should I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 Yahweh replied to Moses/me, “Take some of the elders/leaders of the Israeli people with you and [tell the rest of] the people to follow you [to Sinai Mountain]. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile [River].
Yahweh said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take with you some elders of Israel. Take with you the staff with which you struck the river, and go.
6 Listen carefully: I will stand in front of you on top of a [large] rock at the foot of the mountain. Strike the rock with your stick. [When you do that], water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” [When they/we arrived at the mountain], Moses/I did that while the Israeli elders were watching, [and water flowed from the rock].
I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you will strike the rock. Water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Then Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 Moses/I gave that place two names [in the Hebrew language: ] Massah, [which means ‘testing’], and Meribah, [which means ‘complaining’]. He/I gave it the name Massah because the Israeli people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us [and able to help us], or not?”, and he/I gave it the name Meribah because they were [continually] complaining.
He called that place Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites' complaining, and because they had tested the Lord by saying, “Is Yahweh among us or not?”
8 Then the descendants of the Amalek people-group came and fought against the Israeli people at Rephidim.
Then an army of the Amalek people came and attacked Israel at Rephidim.
9 Moses/I said to Joshua, [who was one of our army/Israeli leaders], “Choose some men to go out and fight against the Amalek people-group tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the stick that God told me to carry.”
So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men and go out. Fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua did what Moses/I told him to do. He took some men to fight against the Amalek people-group. [While they were fighting], Aaron, Hur, and Moses/I went up to the top of the hill [so that they/we could see the whole battle area].
So Joshua fought Amalek as Moses had instructed, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 Whenever Moses/I lifted up his/my arms, the Israeli men started to win [the battle]. And whenever he/I lowered his/my arms, the Amalek people-group started to win.
While Moses was holding his hands up, Israel was winning; when he let his hands rest, Amalek would begin to win.
12 But his/my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur [rolled] a [large] stone for Moses/me to sit on. [While he/I was sitting on it], those two held up his/my arms, [one on one side and the other on the other side]. In that way, they kept his/my arms lifted up, and his/my arms held steady until the sun went down.
When Moses' hands became heavy, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under him for him to sit on. At the same time, Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one person on one side of him, and the other person on the other side. So Moses' hands were held steady until the sun went down.
13 So Joshua and the men with him completely defeated the Amalek people-group, using their swords [to fight against them].
So Joshua defeated the people of Amalek with the sword.
14 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Write an account of this battle, and then read it to Joshua. [Also write that some day] I will completely get rid of the Amalek people-group.”
Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this in a book and read it in Joshua's hearing, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under the skies.”
15 Then Moses/I built a [stone] altar there and named it ‘Yahweh is [like] my flag’.
Then Moses built an altar and he called it “Yahweh is my banner.”
16 He/I said, “Hold high Yahweh’s flag! Yahweh will continue to fight against the Amalek people-group (forever/in all future generations)!”
He said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of Yahweh—that Yahweh will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
