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.”
2. Mosebog 17
King James Version
1And 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.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?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?4And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone 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.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.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?8Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in 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.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.11And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.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.13And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.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.15And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:16For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.