Georgius Syncellus, Chronographical Selection

and to the firstborn of the captive woman who is in the pit, and to the firstborn of every beast. And Pharaoh arose, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in all the land of Egypt. For there was not a house in which there was not someone dead. And Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron by night, and said to them: 'Arise and go out from my people, you and the sons of Israel; go and serve the Lord your God, as you say. And taking your flocks and your herds, go, as you have said. Bless me also.' And the Egyptians urged the people on, to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We are all dying.” And the people took up their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders, and they asked from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing. And the Lord gave his people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And they lent to them, and they despoiled the Egyptians. And the sons of Israel departed from Rameses to Succoth, about 600 thousand men on foot, besides the baggage, and a great mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and herds, and very much cattle. And they baked the dough, which they brought out of Egypt, unleavened cakes; for it was not leavened. For the Egyptians drove them out, and they were not able to tarry, nor did they make for themselves provisions for the way. And the sojourning of the sons of Israel, which they and their fathers dwelt in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, was 430 years. And it came to pass after 430 148 years, all the host of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night of watching to the Lord, so as to bring them out from the land of Egypt. That very night is a watching to the Lord, so that it should be for all the sons of Israel throughout their generations. When God had brought these people out of Egypt, he did not lead them by the short way to the Philistines, or the even shorter one through the middle of the Serbonian lake and the sea by Egypt, but round about through the more southern land and the Red Sea, so that the disobedient people might not turn back, having changed their minds, to Egypt. And when they were three days distant from Egypt, from Rameses to Succoth and from Succoth to Etham by the wilderness and from Etham between Migdol and between the Red Sea opposite the settlement and over against Baal-zephon, they seemed to the Egyptians to be wandering, although they were guided by a pillar of fire by night, and by a pillar of cloud by day, not the usual kind formed from vapors and exhalations, with the air being thickened from a misty constitution by the winds against itself, but some other kind, loftier than human conception, wonderfully walling them in, by day the flame of the sun's ray, being great according to the habitation of that country, and casting a dew-like shadow over the people, but from evening until dawn shining brightly, guided by which they came to the Red Sea. Pharaoh, having overtaken these people with chariots and horses and the chosen captains of Egypt, held them between himself and the waters of the sea, at a loss for any escape, crying out only to the Lord, as the oracles say, and murmuring against Moses, because he had delivered them from a profitable slavery and made them to be buried in the desert; but having exhorted them with his lips to be of good courage, while in his mind being greatly distressed, he struck the sea with his rod, as he was commanded by God, at the morning watch of the night, and led the people through it as on dry land, as day was already dawning; which indeed also happened. For when Moses struck the sheer shore of the water, the whole sea was completely split asunder to the edge of the opposite bank, the 149 waves also being congealed with the waters, just as is wont to happen with hot glass, if it should be broken in one part, the break runs in a straight line to the other end. And so with the multitude he passed over the bottom with dry feet, being guarded by walls of sea water and waves. But they

καὶ ἕως πρωτοτόκου τῆς αἰχμαλω τίδος τῆς ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ καὶ ἕως πρωτοτόκου παντὸς κτήνους. καὶ ἀνέστη Φαραῶ καὶ πάντες οἱ θεράποντες αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ ἐγενήθη κραυγὴ μεγάλη ἐν πάσῃ γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ. οὐ γὰρ ἦν οἰκία ἐν ᾗ οὐκ ἦν ἐν αὐτῇ τεθνηκός. καὶ ἐκάλεσε Φαραῶ Μωυσῆν καὶ Ἀαρὼν νυκτός, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἀνάστητε καὶ ἐξέλθετε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ ὑμεῖς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραήλ· βαδίζετε καὶ λατρεύσατε κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ὑμῶν, καθὰ λέγετε. καὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας ὑμῶν ἀναλαβόντες πορεύεσθε, καθάπερ εἰρή κατε. εὐλογήσατε δὴ κἀμέ. Καὶ κατεβιάζοντο οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸν λαὸν σπουδῇ ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς γῆς. εἶπον γὰρ ὅτι «πάντες ἡμεῖς ἀποθνήσκομεν.» ἀνέλαβε δὲ ὁ λαὸς τὸ στέας αὐτῶν πρὸ τοῦ ζυμωθῆναι, τὰ φυράματα αὐτῶν ἐνδεδεμένα ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων αὐτῶν, καὶ ᾔτησαν παρὰ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων σκεύη ἀργυρᾶ καὶ σκεύη χρυσᾶ καὶ ἱματισμόν. καὶ κύριος ἔδωκε χάριν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ ἐναντίον τῶν Αἰγυπτίων. καὶ ἔχρησαν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐσκύλευ σαν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους. Ἀπάραντες δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ Ῥαμεσσῆ εἰς Σοκχὼθ εἰς χʹ χιλιάδας πεζῶν οἱ ἄνδρες πλὴν τῆς ἀποσκευῆς, καὶ ἐπίμικτος πολὺς συνανέβη αὐ τοῖς καὶ πρόβατα καὶ βόες καὶ κτήνη πολλὰ σφόδρα. καὶ ἔπεψαν τὸ στέας, ὃ ἐξήνεγκαν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ἐγκρυφίας ἀζύμους· οὐ γὰρ ἐζυμώθη. ἐξέβαλον γὰρ αὐτοὺς οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν ἐπιμεῖναι, οὐδὲ ἐπισιτισμὸν ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς εἰς τὴν ὁδόν. Ἡ δὲ κατοίκησις τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, ἣν κατῴκησαν αὐτοὶ καὶ οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ἐν γῇ Χαναάν, ἔτη υλʹ. καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ υλʹ 148 ἔτη ἐξῆλθε πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις κυρίου ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. νυκτὸς προφυλακή ἐστι κυρίῳ, ὥστε ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου. ἐκείνη ἡ νὺξ αὐτὴ προφυλακή ἐστι τῷ κυρίῳ, ὥστε εἶναι πᾶσι τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς γενεὰς αὐτῶν. Τούτους ὁ θεὸς ἐξαγαγὼν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου οὐκ ἤγαγε τὴν σύντομον ἐπὶ Φυλιστιεὶμ ὁδόν, ἢ τὴν διὰ μέσου τῆς Σερβωνίδος λίμνης καὶ τῆς κατ' Αἴ γυπτον θαλάσσης ἔτι συντομωτέραν, ἀλλὰ κύκλῳ διὰ νοτιωτέρας γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐρυθρᾶς, ὡς ἂν μὴ παλινδρομήσωσι μεταμεληθέντες εἰς Αἴγυ πτον οἱ ἀπειθεῖς. Τριῶν δὲ ἡμερῶν ἀποστᾶσιν αὐτοῖς Αἰγύπτου ἐκ Ῥαμεσσῆ εἰς Σοκχὼθ καὶ ἐκ Σοκχὼθ εἰς Νονθὼμ παρὰ τὴν ἔρημον καὶ ἀπὸ Νονθὼμ ἀνὰ μέ σον Μαγδώλου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον θαλάσσης ἐρυθρᾶς ἀπέναντι τῆς ἐπαύλεως καὶ ἐξ ἐναντίας Βεελσεφὼν ἔδοξαν Αἰγυπτίοις πλανᾶσθαι, καίτοι στύλῳ πυρὸς ὁδηγούμενοι νυκτός, ἡμέρας δὲ στύλῳ νεφέλης, οὐ τῆς συνήθους ἐξ ἀτμῶν καὶ ἀναθυμιάσεων συνισταμένης, συμπηλουμένου τοῦ ἀέρος ἐξ ὀμιχλώδους συστάσεως τοῖς πνεύμασι πρὸς ἑαυτόν, ἀλλ' ἄλλης τινὸς ὑψηλοτέρας τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἐννοίας θαυμαστῶς ἐπιτειχιζούσης αὐτοῖς, ἡμέρας τὴν τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος φλόγωσιν, πολλὴν οὖσαν κατὰ τὴν οἴκησιν τῆς χώρας ἐκείνης, καὶ δροσοειδῶς σκιαζούσης τὸν λαόν, ἀφ' ἑσπέρας δὲ ἕως ὄρθρου καταλαμπούσης, ὑφ' ἧς ὁδηγούμενοι πρὸς τὸ ἐρυθραῖον ἦλθον πέλαγος. Τούτους Φαραῶ σὺν ἅρμασι καὶ ἵπποις καὶ τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς Αἰγύπτου τριστάταις καταλαβὼν μέσους ἔσχεν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν θαλαττίων ὑδάτων πάσης φυγῆς ἠπορημένους, βοῶντας δὲ μόνον πρὸς κύριον, ὡς τὰ λόγια, καὶ Μωυσέως καταγογγύζοντας, ὅτι γε συμφερούσης δουλείας ἀπήλλαξε καὶ ἐρημοταφεῖς κατέστησεν· ἀλλὰ θαρρεῖν αὐτοὺς παραινέσας τοῖς χεί λεσι, κατὰ νοῦν δὲ σφόδρα πονούμενος, ἔπληξε ῥάβδῳ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὡς ὑπὸ θεοῦ προστάττεται, κατὰ τὴν ἑωθινὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ὥραν, καὶ τὸν λαὸν ὡς ἐν ἠπείρῳ δι' αὐτῆς διαβιβάσαι, τῆς ἡμέρας ἤδη καταυγαζούσης· ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε. πλήξαντος γὰρ Μωυσέως κατάκρουτον αἰγιαλὸν τοῦ ὕδα τος τὸ πᾶν ὑπερράγη πέλαγος ἕως ἄκρου τῆς ἀντικειμένης ὄχθης, συμ 149 πεπηγότων καὶ τῶν κυμάτων τοῖς ὕδασιν, οἷόν τι συμβαίνειν φιλεῖ περὶ τὴν θερμὴν ὕαλον, εἰ κατὰ ἓν ῥαγείη μέρος, πρὸς τὸ ἕτερον πέρας ἡ ῥῆξις εὐθυτόμως διεξέρχεται. οὕτω τε σὺν τῷ πλήθει ποσὶ διῆλθεν ἀβρόχοις πυθμένα, θαλαττίων τείχεσιν ὑδάτων καὶ κυμάτων περιφρουρούμενος. Οἱ δὲ