But Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see what God will show you. God is on your side, and not an Egyptian shall be able to hurt you.” So the sun went down, and night came on. And with the night came the fog, and the moon, and the wind. And the fog settled down on the Egyptians so that they could not see the Children of Israel. And upon the sea the strong wind from the east blew and blew, so that it drove away the fog from the Children of Israel, and the clear moon shone upon them. So it was like a pillar of cloud behind them, and a pillar of fire before them. And harder and harder blew the strong wind upon the shallow sea, till clear across from shore to shore there was a place where they could see the bottom, like a narrow path of land across the sea. And Moses cried, “Go forward!” And into the sea marched the Children of Israel, along the path of land, in the great gale of wind, with water on the left and water on the right, and the spray dashing upon them.
And when the Egyptian army got out of the fog, and came in sight of the sea, there were the Children of Israel more than half across. And the captains commanded the drivers of the chariots, and in they went, as fast as the horses could carry them, chasing the Children of Israel. But it was a bad road for chariots. Deeper and deeper, the wheels sank in the mud. And then, as day began to dawn, the wind changed. Instead of blowing from the east, it blew from the west, and the water came back with it, and the path was covered, and the sea returned to its strength. And when the sun arose, there were the Children of Israel safe on the shore of Arabia, but the Egyptians were nowhere to be seen. The sea had covered them. They had sunk like lead in the mighty waters.
And on the shore the Children of Israel sang a song of praise and thanksgiving. Moses led the voices of the men, and Miriam and all the women, with timbrels in their hands, joined in the chorus. “Sing ye to the Lord,” they sang, “for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.” Thus God overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea, and the Children of Israel were saved from their enemies.
XII
THE GOLDEN CALF
FTER the great adventure of the Red Sea, the Children of Israel started on their way to the Mountain of the Burning Bush. They had never been away from home before, and they did not know how to behave. So when they were uncomfortable, as people are likely to be on a long journey, instead of taking it cheerfully, they complained and cried.
One time, they were very thirsty, and there was no water. And they all said, “Oh, that we had stayed in Egypt, where there was plenty of water!” And they said to Moses, “Why did you not let us alone? You have brought us into this desert to kill us with thirst.” But Moses found a spring of water coming out of a great rock, and gave them to drink.
Another time, they were very hungry, and there was nothing to eat. And they cried out against Moses, and said, “Oh, that we had stayed in Egypt, by the fleshpots! You have brought us into this desert to kill us with hunger!” But Moses said, “Be patient. God is taking care of you. He will feed you.” And when they waked up the next morning, the ground was covered with something which looked like frost. And they gathered it, and ground it, and baked it, and it was very nice to eat. And the name of it was manna.
So they ate the manna, and they liked it so much that they said it was good enough even for angels. But as day after day passed and there was manna for breakfast, and manna for dinner, and manna for supper, and nothing else, they came to hate the sight of it. Again they wished that they were back in Egypt. “When we were in Egypt,” they said, “we had fish to eat, and cucumbers to eat with it, and melons and leeks and onions and garlic. Now we have nothing but manna.” So they went on their way complaining, and Moses had a very hard time with them.
But at last they came to the mountain where they were to meet God. And there they pitched their tents, and put out their flocks and herds to pasture. And on the morning of the third day, there was a great storm of thunder and lightning, and the mountain, which was called Sinai, was covered with black clouds, and smoked like a volcano, and out of the smoke and cloud came a sound like the blowing of a mighty wind, and like the rolling of thunder, and like the voice of a loud trumpet. And the Children of Israel were exceedingly afraid. But Moses said, “I am going to climb the mountain. I am going up into the cloud and smoke and thunder. God told me that He would speak to us in this place. I am going up to meet Him.” And he took with him a young man named Joshua.