When the Israelites came into Goshen, they numbered only seventy people. Now when they were returning again to Canaan they numbered many thousands.
This great army was divided into twelve companies, or tribes, and these tribes were called after the names of Israel’s sons. There was the tribe of Reuben, Israel’s eldest son, in which every one was a descendant of Reuben: and the tribe of Simeon, Israel’s second son, in which every one was a descendant of Simeon. And so it Was in each of the twelve tribes, which bore the names of Israel’s sons.
After this great company left Goshen, with their flocks and herds, God led them by the cloud to the shore of the Red Sea. Here they camped. Then they planned to rest from their march.
But suddenly a cry rose in the camp, “Pharaoh’s army is coming upon us! We shall be taken as prisoners or else be killed!” The people looked, and sure enough, Pharaoh’s army was coming behind them and shutting them away front the only road to safety. They could not swim across the sea. Neither could they fight against! Pharaoh’s skilful soldiers, for they had never been trained for battle. How frightened they were!
At first the people blamed Moses for bringing greater trouble upon them than they had ever known before. But Moses was not to blame. He had only followed the cloud in which God’s presence dwelt, and the cloud had led them here. God wished to show his great power once more to the proud king who refused to obey him.
When Moses cried to God for help, the Lord told him to speak to the people and quiet them. They were all crying out in fear. He commanded them to stand still and see the wonderful path God was making for their escape. Then the cloud moved backward and stopped between their camp and Pharaoh’s army. To the Israelites the cloud be-came a pillar of fire and lightened their camp all the night, but to the Egyptians the cloud became all darkness.
God told Moses to stretch his rod over the water of the Red Sea and divide it into two seas. Moses obeyed, and God sent a strong wind, which swept a wide path through the waters and dried the ground. On each side of this path the waters rose like a high wall, and stood still until every one of the Israelites and their flocks and herds had crossed in safety to the other side.
Now, Pharaoh’s heart, had hardened again after he sent the Israelites out of Goshen. And Pharaoh said, “I have made a great mistake by letting all my slaves go free. I must send my army after them and bring them back.” So he had followed the Israelites. When the cloud lifted and he and his army saw the Israelites walking through the sea upon a dry path between two walls of water, they rushed after them. For a while all went well, but when Pharaoh’s army was far out from the shore, trouble came upon him and his soldiers. The horses became tangled in the harness and their feet began to sink in the sand. The chariot-wheels came off. “Let us go back!” the soldiers cried. “Israel’s God is fighting against us!” But it was too late; they could not go back, for the walls of water on either side fell down and the whole army was drowned.
This was a great deliverance to the Israelites. They saw that God had saved them from their enemies, and that he had even destroyed the ones who troubled them so many years. Now they were free from slavery.
Moses wrote a beautiful song about this deliverance, and all the people sang and rejoiced together. The Women played musical instruments called timbrels, and followed Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, through the camp, singing praises to God.