Exodus 17

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The whole community of Israelites left the desert of Sin, travel ing by stages as Yahweh ordered. Theypitched camp at Rephidim where there was no water for the people to drink.	1 And so, the entire multitude of the sons of Israel, having set out from the desert of Sin in stages, according to the word of the Lord, made camp at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.
2 The people took issue with Moses for this and said, 'Give us water to drink.' Moses replied, 'Why takeissue with me? Why do you put Yahweh to the test?'	2 And arguing against Moses, they said, “Give us water, so that we may drink.” And Moses answered them: “Why argue against me? For what reason do you tempt the Lord?”
3 But tormented by thirst, the people complained to Moses. 'Why did you bring us out of Egypt,' theysaid, 'only to make us, our children and our livestock, die of thirst?'	3 And so the people were thirsty in that place, due to the scarcity of water, and they murmured against Moses, saying: “Why did you cause us to go out of Egypt, so as to kill us and our children, as well as our cattle, with thirst?”
4 Moses appealed to Yahweh for help. 'How am I to deal with this people?' he said. 'Any moment nowthey will stone me!'	4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, saying: “What shall I do with this people? A little while more and they will stone me.”
5 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go on ahead of the people, taking some of the elders of Israel with you;in your hand take the staff with which you struck the River, and go.	5 And the Lord said to Moses: “Go before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. And take in your hand the staff, with which you struck the river, and advance.
6 I shal be waiting for you there on the rock (at Horeb). Strike the rock, and water wil come out for thepeople to drink.' This was what Moses did, with the elders of Israel looking on.	6 Lo, I will stand in that place before you, on the rock of Horeb. And you shall strike the rock, and water will go forth from it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 He gave the place the names Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites' contentiousness andbecause they put Yahweh to the test by saying, 'Is Yahweh with us, or not?'	7 And he called the name of that place ‘Temptation,’ because of the arguing of the sons of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying: “Is the Lord with us, or not?”
8 The Amalekites then came and attacked Israel at Rephidim.	8 And Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.
9 Moses said to Joshua, 'Pick some men and tomorrow morning go out and engage Amalek. I, for mypart, shal take my stand on the hil top with the staff of God in my hand.'	9 And Moses said to Joshua: “Choose men. And when you go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”
10 Joshua did as Moses had told him and went out to engage Amalek, while Moses, Aaron and Hurwent up to the top of the hil .	10 Joshua did as Moses had spoken, and he fought against Amalek. But Moses and Aaron and Hur ascended to the top of the hill.
11 As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, theadvantage went to Amalek.	11 And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel prevailed. But when he released them a little while, Amalek overcame.
12 But Moses' arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, withAaron and Hur supporting his arms on each side. Thus his arms remained unwavering til sunset,	12 Then the hands of Moses became heavy. And so, taking a stone, they placed it beneath him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur sustained his hands from both sides. And it happened that his hands did not tire until the setting of the sun.
13 and Joshua defeated Amalek, putting their people to the sword.	13 And Joshua put to flight Amalek and his people by the edge of the sword.
14 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Write this down in a book to commemorate it, and repeat it over toJoshua, for I shal blot out al memory of Amalek under heaven.'	14 Then the Lord said to Moses: “Write this, as a memorial in a book, and deliver it to the ears of Joshua. For I will wipe away the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
15 Moses then built an altar and named it Yahweh-Nissi	15 And Moses built an altar. And he called its name, ‘The Lord, my Exaltation.’ For he said:
16 meaning, 'Lay hold of Yahweh's banner! Yahweh wil be at war with Amalek generation aftergeneration.'	16 “The hand of the throne of the Lord, and the war of the Lord, will be against Amalek from generation to generation.”