It was a narrow escape. Moses and Pharaoh had been locked in a test of wills, but plague after plague wore the Egyptian king down. He finally relented and set the Israelites free. Not long after issuing his decree, however, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to recapture the Israelites. When the Egyptians caught up with them, the Israelites were camped by the Sea of Reeds. With an army on one side and treacherous waters on the other, the people were trapped.