Exodus 14:12

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD.

¹¹ They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?

Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

¹³ But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.

¹⁴ The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
KJV: Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
WEB: Isn’t this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
ASV: Is not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
DARBY: Is not this what we told thee in Egypt, when we said, Let us alone, and we will serve the Egyptians? For [it had been] better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
BLB: [Is] this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, and we will serve Egypt.’? For [it is] better for us to serve Egypt than to die in the wilderness.”

ÅB: Var det ikke det vi sa til deg i Egypt: La oss være i fred, vi vil tjene egypterne; det er bedre for oss å tjene egypterne enn å dø i ørkenen?
OTB: Sa vi ikke til deg i Egypt: 'La oss være i fred så vi kan tjene egypterne'? Det hadde vært bedre for oss å tjene egypterne enn å dø i ørkenen!"
B1930: Var det ikke det vi sa til dig i Egypten: La oss være i fred, vi vil tjene egypterne; det er bedre for oss å tjene egypterne enn å dø i ørkenen?

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Jonah 4:3
And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
Read in context
Jonah 4:8
As the sun was rising, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint and wished to die, saying, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
Read in context
Exodus 6:9
Moses relayed this message to the Israelites, but on account of their broken spirit and cruel bondage, they did not listen to him.
Read in context
Exodus 5:21
“May the LORD look upon you and judge you,” the foremen said, “for you have made us a stench before Pharaoh and his officials; you have placed in their hand a sword to kill us!”
Read in context
Exodus 3:9
And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Read in context
Mark 5:7
And he shouted in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God not to torture me!”
Read in context
Hosea 4:17
Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!
Read in context
Mark 5:17–18
And the people began to beg Jesus to leave their region.
Read in context