So Moses extended his hand toward the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state ¹  when the sun began to rise. ²  Now the Egyptians were fleeing ³  before it, but the Lord overthrew ⁴  the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.

Elijah was afraid, ¹  so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there,

I also discovered that the grain offerings for the Levites had not been provided, and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all gone off to their fields.

Woe to them! For they have fled from me! Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me! I want to deliver ¹  them, but they have lied to me.

Then the king said to the messengers ¹  who were stationed beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they too have sided ²  with David! They knew he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to harm ³  the priests of the Lord.

He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought ¹  would happen ²  when I was in my own country. ³  This is what I tried to prevent ⁴  by attempting to escape to Tarshish! ⁵  – because I knew ⁶  that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger ⁷  and abounding ⁸  in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment. ⁹ 

Hearing this, ¹  the men became even more afraid ²  and said to him, “What have you done?” (The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape ³  from the Lord, ⁴  because he had previously told them. ⁵ )

He will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in whom they sought security,

They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook ¹  them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. ² 

What can I say? He has decreed and acted. ¹  I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. ² 

Why will your soldiers ¹  be defeated? ²  They will not stand because I, the Lord, will thrust ³  them down.

When the jailer woke up ¹  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ²  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ³  because he assumed ⁴  the prisoners had escaped.

Jacob also deceived ¹  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ² 

If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated ¹  before its enemies?

Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ¹ 

The Ephraimites ¹  were armed with bows, ²  but they retreated in the day of battle. ³ 

He drove his enemies back; he made them a permanent target for insults. ¹ 

But Ishmael son of Nethaniah managed to escape from Johanan along with eight of his men, and he went on over to Ammon.

Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word.

King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, ¹  the supervisor of the work crews, ²  out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. ³