Water from the Rock
(Numbers 20:1–13)

1And all the congregation of the sons of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sin† on their journeys, according to the mouth of YHWH. And they camped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2And the people contended with Moses and said, “Give to us water, that we may drink.”

And Moses said to them, “Why do you⁺ contend with me? Why do you⁺ test YHWH?”

3And the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is this—you have brought us up from Egypt to kill me and my sons and my livestock with thirst?”

4And Moses cried out to YHWH, saying, “What shall I do for this people? A little longer and they will stone me!”

5And YHWH said to Moses, “Pass on before the face of the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel. And your staff with which you struck the River, take in your hand and go. 6Behold, I am standing before you there on the rock in Horeb,† and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink.”

And Moses did so in the eyes of the elders of Israel. 7And he called the name of the place Massah† and Meribah,† because of the contention of the sons of Israel, and because of their testing of YHWH, saying, “Is YHWH in our midst, or not?”

The Defeat of the Amalekites

8And Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men and go out—fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, and the staff of God will be in my hand.”

10And Joshua did as Moses said to him, to fight 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 his hand down, that Amalek prevailed. 12And the hands of Moses became heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands—one from this, and one from that—and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

13And Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the mouth of the sword.

14And YHWH said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and put it in the ears of Joshua, that I will surely blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.”

15And Moses built an altar and called its name YHWH-Nissi.† 16And he said, “Because a hand is on the throne of YAH, war belongs to YHWH with Amalek from generation to generation.”