1På Herrens befaling forlod Israels folk nu Sins ørken og flyttede fra sted til sted. På et tidspunkt kom de til Refidim, men der var intet vand der.2Igen klagede folket til Moses. „Giv os vand!” forlangte de. „Hvorfor anklager I mig!” spurgte Moses. „Hvorfor udfordrer I Guds tålmodighed?”3Men folket led af tørst, så de blev ved at klage: „Hvorfor førte du os ud af Egypten? Var det, for at vi skulle dø af tørst sammen med vores familier og husdyr?”4Da bad Moses til Herren: „Hvad skal jeg stille op med dette folk? De er jo lige ved at stene mig!”5Herren svarede: „Tag nogle af Israels ledere med dig og tag den stav, du slog Nilen med, i din hånd og kom så.6Jeg vil stå foran dig på klippen ved Horebs bjerg. Og når du slår på klippen, vil der strømme vand ud af den, så alle kan få noget at drikke.” Det gjorde Moses så for øjnene af Israels ledere, og vandet strømmede frem.7Moses gav derfor det pågældende sted navnet Massa,[1] men det blev også kaldt Meriba, for det var her, Israels folk skændtes med Herren og provokerede ham ved at sige: „Vil Herren sørge for os—eller vil han ikke?”
Slaget mod amalekitterne
8Mens israelitterne opholdt sig ved Refidim, gjorde nogle amalekitiske krigere sig klar til at angribe dem.9Moses sagde da til Josva: „Udvælg dig nogle mænd og gå i morgen imod amalekitterne. Jeg stiller mig oppe på toppen af højen med Guds stav i hånden.”10Så rykkede Josva ud for at kæmpe imod amalekitterne. Og Moses, Aron og Hur gik op på toppen af højen.11Så længe Moses løftede hænderne med staven op i luften, fik israelitterne overtaget, men så snart han sænkede hænderne for at hvile, fik amalekitterne overtaget.12Da Moses blev træt af at holde armene i vejret, fandt Aron og Hur en sten, som han kunne sidde på, og så stillede de sig på hver sin side af Moses og holdt hans arme i vejret. På den måde var hans arme løftet lige til solnedgang.13Sådan besejrede Josva og hans mænd amalekitternes hær.14Derefter sagde Herren til Moses: „Nedskriv beretningen om denne begivenhed i en bog, så den altid vil huskes, og lad aldrig Josva glemme, at jeg fuldstændig vil udslette amalekitterne.”15Moses byggede et alter her, som han kaldte „Herren kæmper for mig.”[2]16„Amalekitterne satte sig op mod Herren,” sagde Moses. „Derfor vil Herren kæmpe mod dem fra slægt til slægt.”
1All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. (2.Mos 16,1; 4.Mos 33,12; 4.Mos 33,14)2Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” (4.Mos 20,3; 5.Mos 6,16; Salm 78,18; Salm 78,41; Salm 95,8; Es 7,12; Matt 4,7; 1.Kor 10,9; Heb 3,8)3But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (2.Mos 15,24; 2.Mos 16,2)4So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” (4.Mos 14,10; Josva 9,25; 1.Sam 30,6; 1.Kong 21,13; 2.Krøn 24,21; Matt 23,37; Luk 13,34; Joh 8,59; Joh 10,31; Joh 11,8; Ap G 7,58; Ap G 14,5; Ap G 14,19; 2.Kor 11,25; Heb 11,37)5And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. (2.Mos 7,20)6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (4.Mos 20,8; 5.Mos 8,15; Neh 9,15; Salm 78,15; Salm 78,20; Salm 105,41; Salm 114,8; Es 43,20; Es 48,21; 1.Kor 10,4)7And he called the name of the place Massah[1] and Meribah,[2] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (4.Mos 20,13; Salm 81,7; Salm 95,8)
Israel Defeats Amalek
8Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. (5.Mos 25,17; 1.Sam 15,2)9So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” (2.Mos 4,20; 2.Mos 24,13; 2.Mos 32,17; 2.Mos 33,11)10So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. (2.Mos 17,9; 2.Mos 24,14; 2.Mos 31,2)11Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. (1.Tim 2,8)12But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. (2.Mos 17,10)13And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. (2.Mos 17,9)14Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” (2.Mos 17,9; 4.Mos 24,20; 5.Mos 25,19; 1.Sam 15,3; 1.Sam 15,7; 1.Sam 30,1; 1.Sam 30,17; 2.Sam 8,12)15And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, (Dom 6,24)16saying, “A hand upon the throne[3] of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (2.Mos 17,14)