The chapter starts with God commanding the consecration of every firstborn male, both of man and beast, as a memorial of Egypt's final plague and Israel's deliverance. This act symbolizes the Lord's claim over the nation of Israel. The Israelites are further instructed to commemorate their deliverance annually through the Feast of Unleavened Bread, ensuring that future generations remember the Lord's mighty acts. As they journey, Moses takes Joseph's bones, fulfilling Joseph's dying wish to be buried in the Promised Land. The chapter concludes by emphasizing God's continuous guidance: He leads the Israelites with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night, providing them with direction and assurance of His presence.

Tensions rise as Pharaoh, having second thoughts about releasing the Israelites, mobilizes his army to pursue them. The Israelites, seeing the approaching Egyptian forces and finding themselves trapped between the army and the Red Sea, panic and accuse Moses of leading them to their deaths. However, Moses reassures them of God's imminent intervention. Following God's instructions, Moses stretches out his staff over the sea, causing the waters to part and form a dry path. The Israelites cross safely, but when the Egyptian army attempts to follow, the waters crash back upon them, drowning every soldier. The chapter showcases God's unparalleled power and the Israelites' deliverance from what seemed like an inescapable predicament.

In the aftermath of the miraculous deliverance, Moses and the Israelites break into a song of praise, the "Song of the Sea." This song extols God's unmatched power, celebrates the destruction of the Egyptian foes, and looks forward to the eventual settlement of the Israelites in the Promised Land. Miriam, Aaron's sister, also takes a timbrel and leads the women in dance and song, echoing the opening lines of Moses' song. However, the jubilation is short-lived as the Israelites, three days into their journey in the desert of Shur, cannot find water. When they finally reach Marah, the waters are bitter. In their distress, they complain to Moses, who, guided by God, throws a piece of wood into the water, miraculously making it potable. The chapter concludes with the Israelites reaching Elim, a place with twelve springs and seventy palm trees, where they set up camp.