20 The prophet Miriam, Aaron's sister, took her tambourine, and all the women followed her, playing tambourines and dancing.
21 Miriam sang for them:“Sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory;he has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.”
22 Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they walked through the desert, but found no water.
23 Then they came to a place called Marah, but the water there was so bitter that they could not drink it. That is why it was named Marah.
24 The people complained to Moses and asked, “What are we going to drink?”
25 Moses prayed earnestly to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood, which he threw into the water; and the water became fit to drink.There the Lord gave them laws to live by, and there he also tested them.
26 He said, “If you will obey me completely by doing what I consider right and by keeping my commands, I will not punish you with any of the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord, the one who heals you.”