Exodus 17
1 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.
And the children of Israel went on from the waste land of Sin, by stages as the Lord gave them orders, and put up their tents in Rephidim: and there was no drinking-water for the people.
2 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?”
So the people were angry with Moses, and said, Give us water for drinking. And Moses said, Why are you angry with me? and why do you put God to the test?
3 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?”
And the people were in great need of water; and they made an outcry against Moses, and said, Why have you taken us out of Egypt to send death on us and our children and our cattle through need of water?
4 Then Moses cried out to Yahweh, “What should I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
And Moses, crying out to the Lord, said, What am I to do to this people? they are almost ready to put me to death by stoning.
5 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.
And the Lord said to Moses, Go on before the people, and take some of the chiefs of Israel with you, and take in your hand the rod which was stretched out over the Nile, and go.
6 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.
See, I will take my place before you on the rock in Horeb; and when you give the rock a blow, water will come out of it, and the people will have drink. And Moses did so before the eyes of the chiefs of Israel.
7 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?”
And he gave that place the name Massah and Meribah, because the children of Israel were angry, and because they put the Lord to the test, saying, Is the Lord with us or not?
8 Then an army of the Amalek people came and attacked Israel at Rephidim.
Then Amalek came and made war on Israel in Rephidim.
9 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.”
And Moses said to Joshua, Get together a band of men for us and go out, make war on Amalek: tomorrow I will take my place on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.
10 So Joshua fought Amalek as Moses had instructed, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and went to war with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 While Moses was holding his hands up, Israel was winning; when he let his hands rest, Amalek would begin to win.
Now while Moses' hand was lifted up, Israel was the stronger: but when he let his hand go down, Amalek became the stronger.
12 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.
But Moses' hands became tired; so they put a stone under him and he took his seat on it, Aaron and Hur supporting his hands, one on one side and one on the other; so his hands were kept up without falling till the sun went down.
13 So Joshua defeated the people of Amalek with the sword.
And Joshua overcame Amalek and his people with the sword.
14 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.”
And the Lord said to Moses, Make a record of this in a book, so that it may be kept in memory, and say it again in the ears of Joshua: that all memory of Amalek is to be completely uprooted from the earth.
15 Then Moses built an altar and he called it “Yahweh is my banner.”
Then Moses put up an altar and gave it the name of Yahweh-nissi:
16 He said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of Yahweh—that Yahweh will wage war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
For he said, The Lord has taken his oath that there will be war with Amalek from generation to generation.
