Exodus 17

And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

1All the people of Israel left the desert of Sin. They moved from place to place, just as the LORD told them. They camped at a place called Rephidim. But there was no water there for the people to drink.

2Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

2So the people argued with Moses. They said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the LORD?"

3And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

3The people were very thirsty there. They complained about Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us with thirst? Will our children and our animals die too?"

4And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

4Moses called out to the LORD. He said, "What should I do with these people? They are almost ready to throw stones at me."

5And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

5The LORD said to Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take some of the leaders of Israel with you. Carry the walking stick you used to hit the river in Egypt. Now go."

6Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

6"I will stand in front of you there, on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock, and water will come out of it. Then the people can drink." Moses did this while the leaders of Israel watched.

7And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

7Moses named that place Massah and Meribah. He named it that because the people argued there. They also tested the LORD. They asked, "Is the LORD here with us or not?"

NoteMassah means "testing." Meribah means "arguing." The names remember what the people did there.

8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

8Then a people called the Amalekites came. They fought against Israel at Rephidim.

9And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

9Moses said to Joshua, "Pick out some men for us. Go and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill. I will hold the walking stick God gave me."

10So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

10Joshua did what Moses told him. He fought against the Amalekites. Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill.

11And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

11When Moses held his hands up, Israel was winning. When he let his hands down, the Amalekites were winning.

12But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

12But Moses' arms grew tired and heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him. He sat down on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side. His hands stayed steady until the sun went down.

13And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

13So Joshua beat the Amalekites and their army. His men fought them with swords.

14And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.

14Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book so it will be remembered. Read it out loud to Joshua. I will completely wipe out the memory of Amalek from the earth."

15And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

15Moses built an altar there. An altar is a stone table for giving gifts to God. He named the altar Jehovah-nissi.

NoteJehovah-nissi means "The LORD is my banner." A banner was a flag an army carried into battle.

16For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

16He said, "The LORD has made a promise. He will fight against Amalek for a long, long time. He will fight them for many, many years."

NoteThe first words of this verse are hard to read in the old Hebrew. Some Bibles say, "A hand was lifted up toward the LORD's throne."