²¹ By day the Lord went ahead^(A) of them in a pillar of cloud^(B) to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left^(C) its place in front of the people.

¹⁹ Then the angel of God,^(A) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud^(B) also moved from in front and stood behind^(C) them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness^(D) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand^(E) over the sea,^(F) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind^(G) and turned it into dry land.^(H) The waters were divided,^{(I) 22} and the Israelites went through the sea^(J) on dry ground,^(K) with a wall^(L) of water on their right and on their left.

²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen^(M) followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud^(N) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.^{(O) 25} He jammed^[a] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting^(P) for them against Egypt.”^(Q)