Pgs. 483-504

Ch.13-17

SECTION XVI.

BESHALACH.

 

AND it was when Pharoh bad released the people, that the Lord did not conduct, them by the way of the land of the Phelishtaee though. that was the near one; for the Lord said, Lest the people be affrighted in seeing their brethren who were killed in war, two hundred thousand men of strength of the tribe of Ephraim, who took shields, and lances, and weapons of war, and went down to Gath to carry off the flocks of the Phelishtaee; and because the transgressed against the statute of the Word of the Lord, and went forth from Mizraim three years before the (appointed) end of their servitude, they were delivered into the hand of the Phelishtaee, who slew them. These are the dry bones which the Word of the Lord restored to life by the ministry (hand) of Yechezekel the prophet, in the vale of Dura; but which, if they (now) saw them, they would be afraid, and return into Mizraim. But the Lord led the people round by the way of the desert of the sea of Suph; and every one of the sons of Israel, with five children, went up from the land of Mizraim. Arid Mosheh carried up the ark in which were the bones of Joseph, from out of the Nilos, and took them with him; because, adjuring, he adjured the sons of Israel, saving, The Lord will surely remember you, and you shall carry up my bones with you.

 

And they journeyed from Succoth, the place where they had been covered with the clouds of glory, and sojourned in Ethan, which is on the side of the desert. [[JERUSALEM. IS. And the Word of the Lord conducted the people by the way of the desert of the sea of Suph; armed in good works went up the sons of Israel, free from the land of Mizraim. 19. For, adjuring, he adjured the sons of Israel, saving, The Lord remembering; will remember you in is Word, and in His good mercies. 20. Which cometh upon the end of the desert.] And the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord went before them by day in the column of the Cloud to lead them in the way, and at night the column of the Cloud removed behind them to darken on their pursuers behind them ; but to be a column of fire to enlighten them before, that they might go forward by day and by night. The column of the Cloud departed not by day, nor the column of fire by night, in leading on before the people. [[JERUSALEM. It ceased not.]

 

XIV. And the Lord spake to Mosheh, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, that they return back, and encamp before the Mouths of Hiratha,[1] as they lie, created after the manner (likeness) of the children of men, male and female, and their eyes open to them: it is the place of Tanes, which is between Migdol and the sea, before the idol Zephon (Typhon), that is left of all the idols of Mizraim. For the Mizraee will say, More excellent is Baal Zephon than all idols, because it is left, and not smitten; and therefore will they come to worship it, and will find that you are encamped nigh unto it, on the border of the sea.

 

And Pharoh said to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Israel, who had remained in Mizraim, The people of the house of Israel are bewildered in the land: the idol Zephon hath shut them in close upon the desert. [JERUSALEM. 2. And they shall return and encamp before the caravansaries of Hiratha, between Migdol and the sea, before the idol of Zephon, ye shall encamp over against it. And Pharoh will say concerning the people of the sons of Israel, They are losing themselves in the wilderness: the idol of Peor hath shut them in before the desert.] And I will strengthen the design of Pharoh's heart to pursue after them, and I will be glorified upon Pharoh and upon his hosts, and the Mizraee shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

 

And the officers[2] who went with Israel announced that the people had fled. [[JERUSALEM. And it was declared to the king.] And the heart of Pharoh and his servants was turned unto evil against the people; and they said, What is this that we have done? for we have released Israel from serving us. And he himself prepared his chariot, and his people led he with him by soft words. And he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of the Mizraee his servants, who were afraid of the Word of the Lord, lest they should be killed with pestilence, if not with hail: and a third mule, for drawing and following swiftly, he added to each chariot. And the Lord hardened the design of the heart of Pharoh king of Mizraim, and he pursued after the sons of Israel. But the sons of Israel, going out with a high hand, were stronger than the Mizraee. And the Mizraee followed after them, and came upon them as they were encamped by the sea, gathering of pearls and goodly stones, which the river Pishon had carried from the garden of Eden into the Gihon, and the Gihon had carried into the sea of Suph, and the sea of Suph bad cast upon its bank. But all the chariot horses of Pharoh, and his horsemen, and his hosts (were coming) towards the Mouths of Hiratha, which are before the idol Zephon. And Pharoh saw the idol Zephon (still) preserved, and offered oblations before it. And the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, beheld, the Mizraee were pursuing them; and they were sorely afraid, and the children of Israel prayed before the Lord. But the wicked generation said to Mosheh, Because there were no places of burial for us in Mizraim, hast thou led us forth to die in the wilderness ? What hast thou done to us, in bringing us out of Mizraim? Was as not this the word that we spake to thee in Mizraim, Let the Lord manifest Himself over us and judge, saying, Desist from us, and we will serve the Mizraee? for it is better for us to serve the Mizraee than to perish in the desert. [JERUSALEM. 9. But the sons of Israel had gone out free.... Before the caravansaries of Hiratha, before the idol Zephon.]

 

Four parties were made (among) the sons of Israel on the shore of the Weedy Sea: one said, Let us go down into the sea; another said, Let us return into Mizraim; another said Let us set against them the line of battle; and another said Let us raise a cry against them, and confound them. Unto the company which said, Let us go down to the sea, spake Mosheh, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which will be wrought for you to‑day. To the company which said, Let us return into Mizraim Mosheh said, You shall not return; for, though you see the Mizraee to‑day, you will see them no more for ever. To the company who said, Let us set against them the line of battle, said Mosheh, Contend not; for the victory shall be wrought among you from the presence of the Lord. And to the company who said. Let us raise a cry against them, Mosheh said, Be silent; and give the glory, and praise, and exaltation to your God.

 

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Why standest thou praying before Me? Behold, the prayers of My people have come before thy own: speak to the sons of Israel, that they go forward; and thou, lift up thy rod, and stretch forth thy hand with it over the sea, and divide it: and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of ,the sea upon the ground. For, behold, I will harden the design of the heart of the Mizraee, and they will go in after them; and I will be glorified upon Pharoh and upon all his hosts, upon his chariots and his horsemen; that the Mizraee may know that I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharoh, upon his chariots and horsemen.

[JERUSALEM. 13. Four companies made the sons of Israel, standing by the Weedy Sea. One said, Let us fall upon the sea; another said, Let us return to Mizraim; another said, Let us array battle against them; and another said, Let us shout against them to confuse them. To that company who said, Let us fall upon the sea, Mosheh said, Fear not; stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord which shall be wrought for you this day. To the company who said, We will return unto Mizraim, Mosheh said, Fear not; for as you have seen the Mizraee to‑day, you will see them no more in bondage for ever. To the company who said, We will array battle against them, Mosheh said, Fear not; the Lord, in the glory of His Shekinah, will work the victory for your hosts. To the company who had said, Let us shout against them to confound them, Mosheh said, Fear not; stand and be silent; and give the glory, and praise, and exaltation unto Eloha. 15. And the Word of the Lord said to Mosheh, How long standest thou praying before Me ? Heard before Me are thy prayers; but the prayers of My people have preceded thine. Speak to the sons of Israel that they go forward; and thou, lift, up thy rod and stretch forth thy hand.]

 

And the Angel of the Lord who led the way before the hosts of Israel went and came behind them; and the column of the Cloud went from before and stood behind them: because the Mizraee threw darts and stones at the Israelites, but the Cloud intercepted them and it came between the host of Israel and the host of the Mizraee; a cloud, one half of which was light and one half darkness. On the one side it darkened upon the Mizraee, and on the other side it shined upon Israel all night; and one host did not attack the other all the night.

 

And Mosheh stretched out his hand over the sea, with the great and glorious rod which was created at the beginning, and on which were engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious Name, and the ten signs which had smitten the Mizraee, and the three fathers of the world, and the six mothers, and the twelve tribes of Jakob: and straightway the Lord brought a vehement east wind upon the sea all night, and made the sea dry; and divided the waters into twelve divisions according to the twelve tribes of Jacob. [JERUSALEM. 20. And the cloud was half light and half darkness: light, it enlightened upon Israel; and darkness, it darkened upon Mizraim. And those came not against these, to set battle in order, all the night. 21. And he stretched forth.] And the children of Israel went through the midst of the sea upon the ground, and the waters were congealed like a wall, three hundred miles on their right hand and on their left.

 

And the Mizraee followed and went in after them, all the horses of Pharoh, and his chariots and horsemen, into the midst of the sea. And it was that in the morning watch, at the time that the powers on high come to offer praise, the Lord looked forth with anger upon the hosts of the Mizraee from the column of fire, to hurl upon them flakes of fire and hail, and from the column of cloud, and confounded the host of the Mizraee and He brake (or, made rough) the wheels of Pharoh's carriages, so that they drave them with hardship, and that they went on and left them behind. And the Mizraee said one to another, Let us flee from the people of the house of Israel; for this is the Word of the Lord who fought for them in Mizraim.

 

And the Lord said to Mosheh, Stretch forth thy band over the sea, that the waters may return upon the Mizraee, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen. And Mosheh stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at the time of the morning unto its strength; and the Mizraee fled from before its waves. And the Lord strengthened the Mizraee in the midst of the sea, that they should not (soon) die in the midst of it, that they might receive the punishment which had been sent to them. [JERUSALEM. 24. And it was in the time of the morning that the Word of the Lord looked upon the host of the Mizraee, and hurled upon them bitumen (naphtha), and fire, and stones of hail, and conturbed the host of the Mizraee. And he unloosed the wheels of their carriages, so that they went, dragging them after them: the mules, going after their way before the wheels, were turned, so as that the wheels went before the mules, and they were cast into the sea. The Mizraee answered and said on to another, Let us flee from before the people of the sons of Israel; for this is the Word of the Lord who worketh victory for them in their battles; so that they set the back against Mizraim. 26. Stretch forth. 27. And Mosheh stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at the time of the morning to its place.] And the waves of the sea returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen.. and all the host of Pharoh who had gone in after them, into the sea, not one among them was left. But the sons of Israel walked on the ground in the midst of the sea, and the waters to them were as walls on their right band and on their left. That day the Lord redeemed and saved Israel from the hand of the Mizraee; and Israel saw the Mizraee, dead and not dead, cast upon the shore of the sea. And Israel saw the power of the mighty hand by which the Lord had wrought the miracles in Mizraim; and the people feared before the Lord, and believed in the Name of the Word of the Lord, and in the prophecies of Mosheh His servant.

 

XV. Behold: then sang, Mosheh and the sons of Israel this song of praise before the Lord and saying they said:

 

Thanksgiving and praise we bring before the Lord Most High, who is glorified above the glorious, and exalted above the exalted; who punisheth by His Word whomsoever glorifieth himself before Him.

 

Therefore when Pharoh the wicked bare himself proudly before the Lord, and, being uplifted in his heart, followed after the people of the sons of Israel, their horses and their chariots He threw and buried in the sea of Suph.

 

[JERUSALEM. Then sang Mosheh and the sons of Israel the praise of this song, before the Lord, saying, to say: Thanksgiving and praise bring we before the Lord, who is high above the highest, and glorified above the glorious, and who punisheth by His Word whom. whomsoever glorifieth himself before Him. The horses and their riders, because they bare themselves proudly and followed after the people of the house of Israel, He hath thrown and buried in the sea of Suph.]

 

The Lord is Mighty, and greatly to be feared over all the world. He spake in His Word, and became to me a God of salvation.

 

From their mothers' breasts even the children have given signs with their fingers to their fathers, and said This is our God, who nourished us with honey from the rock, and with oil from the stone of clay, at the time when our mothers went forth upon the face of the :geld to give us birth, and leave us there; and He sent an angel who washed us and enwrapped us; and now will we praise Him: He is the God of our fathers, and we will exalt Him.

 

The sons of Israel said, The Lord is a man making war for us: from generation to generation He maketh known His power unto the people of the house of Israel. The Lord is His Name; according to His Name, so is His power; His Name shall be blessed for ever and ever.

 

The chariots of Pharoh and his hosts He hath cast into the sea; the goodliest of his young men hath He thrown and drowned in the sea of Suph. The deep covered them over, they wenr down and are buried in the depths of the sea, and are as silent as a stone.

 

Thy right hand, 0 Lord, how glorious is it in power? Thy right hand, 0 Lord, hath cut off the adversaries of Thy people who rose against them to do them hurt. And in the plenitude and greatness of Thy majesty Thou hast destroyed the walls of the enemies of Thy people.

 

Thou wilt pour upon them Thy fierce anger, Thou wilt consume them as the burning fire prevails over the stubble. For by the Word from before Thee the waters became heaps; they stood, as if bound like skins that confine flowing water, and the depths were congealed in the flood of the great sea.

 

Pharoh the wicked, the hater and adversary, did say, I will follow after the people of the sons of Israel, and will lay waste their camp on the bank of the sea: I will set war in array against them, and kill them, small and great, despoil them of much spoil, bring them back into great captivity, and divide their substance among my people who make war: and when my soul is satisfied with the blood of their slain, I will sheathe my sword, having, destroyed them with my right hand.

 

[JERUSALEM. The Lord is Mighty, and greatly to be praised and feared over all the world. He spake in His Word, and for us became salvation.

 

[From their mothers' breasts have even the children given signs with their fingers unto the fathers, and have said to them, This is our Father, who nourished us with honey from the rock, and gave us oil from the stone of clay.

 

[The sons of Israel answered and said one to another, He is our God, and we will praise Him; the God of our fathers, and we will exalt Him.

 

[The Lord in the glory of His Shekinah is He who worketh victory for your arms. From one generation to another He maketh known His power to the people of the house of Israel.

 

[His Name is the Lord: as is His Name, so is His power; let His name be glorified for ever and ever.

 

[Upon the chariots of Pharoh and his host He shot arrows in the sea; his goodly young men and his men of strength He hath drowned in the sea of Suph. How glorious is Thy right hand, 0 Lord, in power, which bath broken and shattered the walls of the enemies of Thy people!

 

[Pharoh the wicked, the hater and adversary, did say, I will follow after the people of the sons of Israel and will overtake them encamped at the side of the sea. I will lead them captive into great captivity, and despoil, them of great spoil; I will divide their substance among my men of war; and when my soul shall be satisfied with them, I will sheathe my sword, when I shall have destroyed them with my right hand.]

 

Thou didst blow with the wind from before Thee, 0 Lord, and the waves of the sea covered them; they went down, and sank as lead in the proud waters.

 

Who is like Thee among the exalted gods, 0 Lord, who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders and manifestations for Thy people, the house of Israel ?

 

The sea spake to the earth, Receive but the earth spake to the sea, Receive thy murderers. And the sea was not willing to overwhelm them, and the earth was not willing to swallow them up. The earth was afraid to receive them, lest they should be required from her in the day of the great judgment in the world to come, even as the blood of Habel will be required of her: whereupon Thou, 0 Lord, didst stretch forth Thy right hand in swearing to the earth that in the world to come they should not be required of her. And the earth opened her mouth and consumed them.

 

[JERUSALEM. The sea and the earth had controversy one with the other. The sea said to the earth, Receive thy children; and the earth said to the sea, Receive thy murderers. But the earth willed not to swallow them, and the sea willed not to overwhelm them. And by the Word from before Thee Thou. didst stretch forth Thy right hand in oath., and didst swear unto the earth that Thou wilt not require them of her in the world to come. Then did the earth open her mouth and swallow them up.]

 

Thou hast led in Thy mercy the people whom Thou hast redeemed, and given them the heritage of the mountain of Thy sanctuary, the place of the dwelling of Thy holy Shekinah.

 

The nations will hear and be afraid; terror will lay hold upon them, even upon all the pillars of the inhabitants of the Palestinian land. Behold, then will the princes of the Edomaee be confounded, the strong ones of Moaba will be seized with fear, their heart within them will melt away, even all the pillars of the inhabitants of the Kenaanian land.

 

Through the power of Thy mighty arm, let the terrors of death fall upon them, let them be silent as a stone, till the time when Thy people, 0 Lord, shall have passed the streams of Arnona, till the time when Thy people whom Thou didst ransom shall have crossed the dividing current of Jabeka.

 

Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them on the mountain of Thy sanctuary, the place which Thou hast provided before the throne of Thy glory, the house of Thy holy Shekinah, which Thou, 0 Lord, hast prepared, Thy sanctuary that with both hands Thou hast established.

 

When the people of the house of Israel beheld the signs and manifestations which the Holy One, whose Name be praised, had done at the sea of Suph, and the power of His hand, the children of the captives answering said one to the other, Come, and let us set the crown of majesty on the head of our Redeemer, who maketh to pass over, and passeth not; who changeth, and is not changed; whose is the crown of the kingdom; the King of kings in this world; whose, too, is the kingdom in the world to come, for ever and ever.

 

[JERUSALEM. 16. Thou wilt make the terror of death to fall upon them and undoing, by the power of Thy mighty arm, that they shall be as silent as a stone, until this people whom Thou hast redeemed shall have gone over the dividing stream of Jobeka and that of Jardena; till this people shall have passed over whom Thou hast ransomed for Thy Name. 17. Thou wilt bring them in, and wilt plant them in the mountain of Thy inheritance, the dwelling of the glory of Thy holiness, which Thou 0 Lord, hast prepared for Thyself, the sanctuary of the Lord that with both hands He hath established. 18. When the house of Israel had beheld the signs and wonders that the Holy One, Blessed be He, had wrought for them at the border of the sea, let His great Name be blessed for ever and ever,­ they gave glory and thanksgiving and exaltation unto their God. The sons of Israel answered and said one to another, Come, let us set the crown upon the bead of the Redeemer, who causeth to pass over, but is not passed; who changeth, but is not changed; the King of kings in this world; whose, too, is the crown of the kingdom of the world to come, and whose it will be for ever and ever.]

 

For Pharoh's horses with his chariots and horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord made the waters of the sea to return upon them; but the sons of Israel walked upon the land in the midst of the sea, and there did spring up sweet fountains and trees yielding food and verdure and ripe fruits, (even) on the ground of the sea.

 

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aharon, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out after her, dancing with tambourines and playing on instruments. [JERUSALEM. With tambourines dancing.] And Miriam sang to them, Let us give thanks and praise before the Lord, for might and supremacy are His; above the proud He is glorified, and above the lofty He is exalted. When the wicked, Pharoh in his pride followed after the people of the sons of Israel, his horses and his chariots did He cast and drown in the sea of Suph.

 

And Mosheh made Israel go forward from the sea of Suph, and they went forth into the wilderness of Chalutsa. [JERUSALEM. The way of Chalutsa.] And they journeyed three days in the desert, empty of instruction, and found no water. And they came to Marah, but could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter; therefore he called the name of it Marah. And the people murmured against Mosheh, saying, What shall we drink? [JERUSALEM. And the people contended.] And he prayed before the Lord, and the Lord showed him the bitter tree of Ardiphne;[3] and lie wrote upon it the great and glorious Name, and cast it into the midst of the waters, and the waters were rendered sweet. And there did the Word of the Lord appoint to him the ordinance of the Sabbath, and the statute of honouring father and mother, the judgments concerning wounds and bruises., and the punishments wherewith offenders are punished; and there he tried (them) with the tenth trial, and said, If you will truly hearken to the Word of the Lord your God, and do that which is right before Him, and will listen to His precepts and keep all His statutes, all those evil things that I laid upon the Mizraee I will not lay upon thee: but if thou wilt transgress against the word of the law, upon thee shall they be sent. If thou convert, I will remove them from thee; for I am the Lord thy Healer. [JERUSALEM. 25. And Mosheh prayed before the Lord, and the Word of the Lord showed him the tree of Ardiphne, and he cast it into the midst of the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There did the Word of the Lord show unto him statutes and orders of judgment, and there He tried him with trials in the tenth trial. 26. For I am the Lord who healeth thee by My Word.] And they came to Elim; and in Elim were twelve fountains of water, a fountain for each tribe; and seventy palm‑trees, corresponding with the seventy elders of Israel: and they encamped there by the waters. [JERUSALEM. And they came to Elim, where were twelve fountains of water, answering to the twelve tribes of Israel, and seventy palm‑trees, answering to the seventy elders of the sanhedrin of Israel.]

 

               XVI. And the whole congregation of Israel jour­neyed from Elim, and came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the month of Ijar, the second month from their going forth from the land of Mizraim. And on that day the bread which they had brought out of Mizraim was finished. And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Mosheh and against Aharon in the desert. And the sons of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by the Word of the Lord in the land of Mizraim, when we sat by the cisterns of meat, and ate bread and had enough! Why hast thou brought us out into this wilderness to kill all this congregation with hunger? And the Lord said to Mosheh, Behold, I will cause the bread which hath been laid up for you from the beginning to descend from heaven: and the people shall go out and gather the matter of a day by the day, that I may try them whether they will keep the commandments of My law or not. And on the sixth day they shall prepare what they set before them to eat on the day of the Sabbath; and they shall mix in the houses and communicate in their dwellings, so that by carrying th)is to that, they may have double of that which they gather from day to day.

 

And Mosheh and Aharon said to all the sons of Israel, At evening you shall know that the Lord hath brought you out free from the land of Mizraim; and in the morning will be revealed to you the glory of the Shekinah of the Lord; and we, what are we accounted, that you complain against us? [JERUSALEM. And we, what are we accounted?] And Mosheh said, By this you shall know, when the Lord prepareth you at evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to satisfy, that your complainings wherewith you complain against Him are heard before the Lord. And we, what are we accounted? Your complaints are not against us, but against the Word of the Lord. Mosheh said to Aharon, Bid all the congregation of the sons of Israel draw nigh before the Lord; for your murmuring are heard before Him.

 

And it was while Aharon was speaking with all the congregation of Israel that they turned towards the desert, and, behold, the glory of the majesty of the Lord was revealed in the cloud of glory. And the Lord spake to Mosheh, saying Hearing I have heard the murmurings of the sons of Israel before Me. Speak thou with them, saying, Between the evenings (suns) you shall eat flesh, and in the morning shall you eat bread, and shall know that I am the Lord your God.

 

And it came to pass, that in the evening the pheasants[4] came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a fall of holy dew, prepared as a table, round about the camp: and the clouds ascended and caused manna to descend upon the dew; and there was upon the face of the desert a minute (substance) in lines,[5] minute as the hoar frost upon the ground. [JERUSALEM. As hoar frost.] And the sons of Israel beheld, and wondered, and said, a man to his companion, Man Hu?[6] for they knew not what it was. And Mosheh said to them, It is the bread which hath been laid up for you from the beginning in the heavens on high, and now the Lord will give it you to eat. This is the word which the Lord hath dictated: You are to gather of it, every man according to the number Of Your souls; every man according to the mouth of the number of the persons of his tabernacle, are you to take. And the sons of Israel did so, and gathered manna said to them, Let no man make a reserve of it till the morning. But (some of them) hearkened not to Mosheh: Dathan and Abiram, men of wickedness, did reserve of it till the morning; but it produced worms and putrefied; and Mosheh was angry with them. And they gathered from the time of the dawn until the fourth hour of the day, every man according to his eating; but at the fourth hour, when the sun had waxed hot upon it, it liquefied, and made streams of water, [JERUSALEM. Became as streams,] which flowed away into the Great Sea; and wild animals that were clean, and cattle, came to drink of it, and the sons of Israel hunted, and ate them. And it came to pass on the sixth day they gathered double bread, two homers a man; and all the princes of the congregation came and told Mosheh. And Mosheh said to them, This which the Lord hath told you, do. To‑morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath before the Lord: That which is needful to have to bake for to‑morrow, bake to‑day; and what is needful to boil for to‑morrow, boil to‑day: and all whatever remaineth of that which on eat to‑day lay it up, and it shall be preserved until the morning. And they laid it up until the morning, as Mosheh had directed them; and it did not corrupt, and no worm was in it. And Mosheh said to them, Eat to-day, because this is the Sabbath day before the Lord. This day you will not find any in the feild. Six days you shall gather, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, no manna will come down. And it was that on the seventh day some of the wicked people went forth to gather manna, but they found none. And the Lord said to Mosheh, How long will ye refuse to keep My commandments and My laws ? Behold, because I have given you the Sabbath, I gave you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man abide in his Place, and not wander from one locality to another, beyond four yards;[7] nor let any man go forth to walk beyond two thousand yards on the seventh day; for the people shall repose on the seventh day.

 

And the house of Israel called the name of it Manna; and it was like the seed of coriander,[8] white, and the taste of it like preparations of honey. [JERUSALEM. Like the seed of coriander, and the taste of it like confections of honey.] And Mosheh said, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded to lay up of it a homer full to keep in your generations; that perverse generations may see the bread which you have eaten in the wilderness, in your coming forth out of the land of Mizraim. And Mosheh said to Aharon, Take one earthen vase, and put therein a full homera of manna, and lay it up before the Lord to be kept unto your generations. As the Lord commanded Mosheh, so did Aharon, lay it up before the testimony to be kept. And the children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to ail inhabited land: manna did they eat forty days after his death, until they had passed the Jordena, and entered upon the borders of the land of Kenaan. And a homera is one tenth of three seahs.

 

XVII. And all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed from the desert of Sin by their journeyings according to the word of the Lord, and they encamped in Rephidim, a place where their bands were idle in the commandments of the law, and the fountains were dry, and there was no water for the people to drink. And the wicked of the, people contended with Mosheh, and said, Give us water, that we may drink. And Mosheh said to them, Why contend you with me? and why tempt you before the Lord? But the people were athirst for water, and the people murmured against Mosheh, and said, Why hast thou made us come up out of Mizraim, to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst ? And Mosheh prayed before the Lord, saying What shall I do for this people? Yet a very little, and they will stone me. And the Lord said to Mosheh, Pass over before the people, and take with thee some of the elders of Israel, and the rod with which thou didst smite the river take in thy hand, and go from the face of their murmuring. Behold, I will stand before thee there, on the spot where thou sawest the impress[9] of the foot on Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock with thy rod, and therefrom shall come forth waters for drinking, and the people shall drink. And Mosheh did so before the elders of Israel. And he called the name of that place Temptation and Strife; because there the sons of Israel contended with Mosheh, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Doth the glory of the majesty of the Lord trul dwell among us, or not?

 

And Amalek came from the land of the south and leaped on that night a thousand and six hundred miles; and on account of the disagreement which had been between Esau and Jakob, he came and waged war with Israel in Rephidim, and took and killed (some of the) men of the house of Dan; for the cloud did not embrace them, because of the strange worship that was among them. And Mosheh said to Jehoshua, Choose such men as are strong in the precepts, and victorious in fight; and go, under the Cloud of glory, and set battle in array against the hosts of Amalek. To‑morrow I will stand, prepared with fasting, with the righteous fathers of the chiefs of the people, and the righteous mothers who are like the hills, with the rod with which the miracles have been wrought from before the Lord, in my hand. And Jehoshua did as Mosheh bad bidden him, to wage war with Amalek. And Mosheh, and Aharon, and Hur went up to the top of the height. And it was, when Mosheh lifted up his hands in prayer, that the house of Israel prevailed; and when he rested his hand from praying, that the house of Amalek prevailedand. And the hands of Mosheh were heavy, because the conflict was prolonged till the morrow, and the deliverance of Israel was not prepared on that day; and he could not hold them up in prayer; on which account he would have afflicted his soul. And they took a stone, and placed it under him, and he sat upon it; and Aharon and Hur supported his hand, this the one, and that the other; and his hands were outstretched with firmness, (or, fidelity,) in prayer and fasting, until the going down of the sun. And Jehoshua shattered Amalek, and cut off the heads, of the strong men of his people, by the mouth of the Word of the Lord, with the slaughter of the sword. [Jerusalem. 11. And it was that when Mosheh lifted up his hands in prayer, the house of Israel prevailed; and when his hands declined from prayer, Amalek prevailed; and (Israel) fell. in the line of battle. 12. And the hands of Mosheh were lifted up in prayer.]

 

And the Lord said unto Mosheh, Write this memorial in the book of the elders that were of old, and these words in the hearing, of Jehoshua, that blotting, I will blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. And Mosheh builded an altar, and called the name of it, The Word of the Lord is my banner; for the sign which He hath wrought (in this) place was on my behalf. And he said, Because the Word of the Lord hath sworn by the throne of His glory, that He by His Word will fight against those of the house of Amalek, and destroy them unto three generations; from the generation of this world, from the generation of the Meshiha, and from the generation of the world to come. [JERUSALEM. 16. And he said, The oath hath come forth from beneath the throne of the Great One, of all the world the Lord; the first king who will sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the sons of Israel, Shaul, the son of Kish, will set the battle in array against the house of Amalek, and will slay them; and those of them that remain will Mardekai and Esther destroy. The Lord hath said by His Word that the memory of Amalek shall perish to the age of ages.]

 

 

[1] They were two lofty rocks, with a defile between them, called the (pi) mouth of the rocks.-- R.S. Izhaki, in loco.

[1] Oktaraia: "Octarions, prafecti militares."

[1] The Ardiphne, Hirdoph, and sometimes Rododaphne, is described in Shemoth Rabba as a tree which grows beside water and bears flowers like lilies, of a bitter taste. The name us given also to the bitter herbs eaten with the passover. (Tr. Pesachim, 39.) The old commentator in the Yalkut says, "This was one miracle within another, --bitter waters made sweet by a bitter tree."

[1] Phisyonin.

[1] Mesargal.

[1] "What is it?"

[1] Garmidee.

[1] Kusebar.

[1] Roshem.