¹All the congregation of the children of Israel travelled from the wilderness of Sin , starting according to the LORD ’s commandment , and encamped in Rephidim ; but there was no water for the people to drink .

²Therefore the people quarrelled with Moses , and said, “Give us water to drink .”

Moses said to them , “Why do you quarrel with me ? Why do you test the LORD ?”

³The people were thirsty for water there ; so the people murmured against Moses , and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt , to kill us , our children , and our livestock with thirst ?”

⁴Moses cried to the LORD , saying, “What shall I do with these people ? They are almost ready to stone me .”

⁵The LORD said to Moses , “Walk on before the people , and take the elders of Israel with you , and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile , and go .

⁶Behold , I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb . You shall strike the rock , and water will come out of it , that the people may drink .” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel .

⁷He called the name of the place Massah , and Meribah , because the children of Israel quarrelled, and because they tested the LORD , saying, “Is the LORD amongst us , or not ?”[#17:7 Massah means testing.; #17:7 Meribah means quarrelling.]

⁸Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim .

⁹Moses said to Joshua , “Choose men for us , and go out to fight with Amalek . Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God ’s rod in my hand .”

¹⁰So Joshua did as Moses had told him , and fought with Amalek ; and Moses , Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill .

¹¹When Moses held up his hand , Israel prevailed . When he let down his hand , Amalek prevailed .

¹²But Moses ’ hands were heavy ; so they took a stone, and put it under him , and he sat on it . Aaron and Hur held up his hands , the one on the one side , and the other on the other side . His hands were steady until sunset .

¹³Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword .

¹⁴The LORD said to Moses , “Write this for a memorial in a book , and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua : that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky .”

¹⁵Moses built an altar , and called its name “The LORD our Banner”.[#17:15 Or, The Nissi. or GOD in all caps is from the Hebrew יהוה Yahweh except when otherwise noted as being from the short form יה Yah.]

¹⁶He said, “The LORD has sworn : ‘The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation .’”[#17:16 Hebrew: יה Yah; #17:16 or GOD in all caps is from the Hebrew יהוה Yahweh except when otherwise noted as being from the short form יה Yah.]