Exodus 15:1-21

The song of Moses

1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to praise the Lord:

‘I will sing to the Lord, because he has shown his great power.

He threw horses and their riders into the sea.

2 The Lord makes me strong. He is the reason for my song.

He is the one who has saved me.

He is my God and I will praise him.

He is my father's God and I will praise his name.

3 The Lord is like a brave soldier.

The Lord is his name.

4 He threw Pharaoh's chariots and his army into the sea.

Pharaoh's best officers drowned in the Red Sea.

5 The deep waters have covered them.

They fell to the floor of the sea, like a stone.

6 Your right hand, Lord, was great and powerful.

Your right hand, Lord, destroyed the enemy.

7 With your powerful authority, you killed your enemies.

You were very angry with them.

You killed them, like a fire burns dry grass.

8 You blew on the water and it became like a wall.

The deep waters stood up in a big heap.

9 The enemy said, “We will go after them. We will catch them.

We will destroy them with our swords.

We will do whatever we want to them.

We will take all their valuable things for ourselves.”

10 But Lord, you blew on the waters

so that the sea covered your enemies.

They went down like heavy metal in the great waters.

11 Lord, there is nobody like you among all the gods!

There is nobody like you anywhere!

You are great and holy.

Everyone should respect you and praise you.

You do great miracles.

There is nobody like you!

12 You lifted up your right hand.

A big hole opened in the ground and our enemies fell into it.

13 You have promised to love your people.

So you have saved them and you lead them.

With your strength, you show them the way to your holy home.

14 The people of other nations will hear what you have done.

They will be very afraid.

The people who live in Philistia will shake with fear.

15 The rulers of Edom will be afraid.

The leaders of Moab will shake with fear.

The people who live in Canaan will become weak.

16 They will all be afraid.

Because of your great power they will want to run away.

But they cannot move!

They will remain still, like stones, until your people go on past them.

They will stand and watch as the people you have saved, Lord, pass by.

17 You will bring your people in safely.

You will bring them to live on your own mountain.

Lord, that is the place that you have prepared for your home.

It is the holy place that you have built, Lord.

18 The Lord will rule as king for ever!

19 Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his soldiers went into the sea.

Then the Lord made the waters of the sea come back over them.

But the Israelites walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground.’

20 Then Miriam, Aaron's sister, who was a prophet, took a tambourine in her hand. All the other women followed her, with tambourines in their hands. They danced while Miriam sang to them.

21 This is the song that she sang:

‘Sing to the Lord, because he has shown his great power.

He threw horses and their riders into the sea.’