Exodus 17

Water from the Rock

1 The whole Israelite crew left the Desert of Sin, moving from spot to spot as the Lord directed. They set up camp at Rephidim, but there was no water to drink.

2 So the people started pressing Moses, saying, ‘Listen, give us some water!’ Moses said, ‘Why are you all pressing me, And why are you all testing the Lord?’

3 But the people were mad thirsty and kept whining, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, To kill us, our kids, and our animals with thirst?’

4 Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What am I supposed to do with these folks, They are about to stone me!’

5 The Lord told Moses, ‘Grab your staff, the one you used to strike the Nile, and take some of the elders with you.’

6 ‘Go stand in front of the rock at Horeb. I am going to be right there with you. Hit the rock with your staff, and water will flow out so the people can drink.’ Moses did exactly that, in front of the elders.

7 Moses named that place Massah (which means ‘testing’) and Meribah (which means ‘arguing’), because the Israelites tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord with us or not?’

The Fight Against Amalek

8 Then Amalek rolled up and started beefing with Israel at Rephidim.

9 Moses told Joshua, ‘Pick some men and go fight Amalek. Tomorrow, I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.’

10 So Joshua and his crew went to fight, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the hilltop.

11 As long as Moses kept his hands up, Israel was winning. But when he got tired and dropped them, Amalek started winning.

12 Moses’ arms got heavy, so Aaron and Hur found a rock for him to sit on. Then they each held up one of his arms, one on each side, so his hands stayed steady until sunset.

13 With that, Joshua and his squad wiped out Amalek’s army.

God’s Command Against Amalek

14 Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Write this down and tell Joshua: I am going to erase Amalek’s name from the earth.’

15 Moses built an altar and named it ‘The Lord is My Banner.’

16 He said, ‘Because Amalek raised their hand against the Lord’s throne, the Lord will be at war with them forever.’