Yahweh provided water gushing from a rock
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1 Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israeli people moved from the Sin desert. We traveled from one place to another. We camped at a place named Rephidim, but there was no water there for us to drink. 2 So the people complained to me again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” I replied to them, “Why are you criticizing me? And why are you trying to determine whether Yahweh has the power to provide for you?” 3 But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to me. They were saying things like “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt?”, and “Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and livestockto die of thirst?”4 So I prayed earnestly to Yahweh. I said, “I do not know how to deal with these people! They are almost ready to kill me by throwing stones at me!” 5 Yahweh replied to me, “Take some of the leaders of the Israeli people with you and tell the rest of the people to follow you to Sinai mountain'. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile River. 6 Listen carefully: I will stand in front of you on top of a large rock at the foot of the mountain. Strike the rock with your stick. When you do that, water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” When we arrived at the mountain, I did that while the Israeli elders were watching, and water flowed from the rock! 7 I gave that place two names in the Hebrew language: Massah, which means 'testing', and Meribah, which means 'complaining'. I gave it the name Massah because the Israeli people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us and able to help us, or not?”, and I gave it the name Meribah because they were continually complaining.
God enabled the Israeli men to defeat the Amalekites
8 Then the descendants of the Amalek **people-group came and fought against the Israeli people at Rephidim. 9 I said to Joshua, who was one of our Israeli leaders, “Choose some men to go out and fight against the Amalek** people-group tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the stick that God told me to carry.” 10 So Joshua did what I told him to do. He took some men to fight against the Amalek people-group. While they were fighting, Aaron, Hur, and I went up to the top of the hill so that we could see the whole battle area. 11 Whenever I lifted up my arms, the Israeli men started to win the battle. And whenever I lowered my arms, the Amalek people-group started to win. 12 But my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur rolled a large stone for me to sit on. While I was sitting on it, those two held up my arms, one on one side and the other on the other side. In that way, they kept my arms lifted up steadily until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua and the men with him completely defeated the Amalek people-group, using their swords to fight against them. 14 Then Yahweh said to me, “Write an account of this battle, and then read it to Joshua. Also write that some day I will completely get rid of the Amalek people-group.” 15 Then I built a stone altar there and named it 'Yahweh is like my flag.' 16 I said, “Hold high Yahweh's flag! Yahweh will continue to fight against the Amalek people-group forever!”