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Exodus 12

The first Passover meal

12 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the country of Egypt. 2 He said, ‘This month will be the first month of each year for you. 3 Tell all the Israelite people to do this on the tenth day of this month: Each man must choose a lamb to kill as a sacrifice for his family. That will be one lamb for each home. 4 But the family may be too small to eat a whole lamb. Then they must share a lamb with another family that lives near. You must decide how much each person can eat and then count the number of people. 5 The lamb that you choose must have nothing wrong with it. It must be a male lamb that is one year old. It can be either a young sheep or a young goat.

6 Keep the lamb safe until the 14th day of this month. Then every Israelite family must kill their lamb in the evening. 7 They must take some of its blood. They must put the blood on the wood that is round the door of their house. They must put it on each side of the door and above the door. They must do this in every house where they will eat a lamb. 8 That night, they must cook the meat over the fire. They must eat it immediately, with bitter herbs and with bread that has no yeast in it. 9 You must cook the meat before you eat it. Cook it over the fire. Do not cook it in water. Cook the whole lamb, with its head, its legs and the inside parts of its body. 10 You must eat all the meat before morning arrives. If some of it still remains in the morning, then you must burn it. 11 This is how you must eat the lamb: Dress yourselves so that you are ready to travel. Put your shoes on your feet. Take your stick in your hand. Then eat the food quickly. This is the Passover meal which shows that you obey me, the Lord .

12 On the night that you eat the Passover meal, I will travel through the country of Egypt. I will kill every firstborn son and every firstborn male animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord . 13 When you put the blood round the doors of your houses, that will be a sign to show that you live there. When I see the blood on your house, I will pass over you. [ a ] No trouble will hurt you, when I attack the people of Egypt.

14 In future years, you must remember this day as a special day every year. It will be a festival when you worship me, the Lord . You and your descendants must do this every year, for all time. 15 For seven days, you must eat flat bread that has no yeast in it. On the first day of the Passover festival, you must take all the yeast out of your houses. During those seven days, if anyone eats bread with yeast in it, he will no longer belong to my people, the Israelites.

16 On the first day of the festival, you must bring together all the people to a special meeting. And you must do the same thing on the seventh day. On these special days, you must not do your usual work. You may prepare the food that you need to eat on those days. That is the only work that you may do.

17 This will be the Feast of Flat Bread, when you eat bread with no yeast in it. You will remember that I brought you all out of the country of Egypt on this day. You marched out like an army, family by family! That is why you must enjoy this day as a special day, for all time. This is a rule that you must always obey. 18 In the first month of each year, you must eat bread without yeast in it. Do this from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21st day. 19 For those seven days, you must not have any yeast in your houses. Whoever eats anything with yeast in it will no longer belong to my people, the Israelites. Everyone must obey these rules, those who live among you as strangers, as well as those who have been born in your land. 20 Eat nothing that has yeast in it. Whatever country you live in, you must eat bread without yeast in it.’

21 Then Moses called the leaders of the Israelites to come to him. He said to them, ‘Go immediately and choose a lamb for each of your families. Then kill the animals for the Passover feast. 22 Put the blood into a dish. Then take a branch of hyssop. [ b ] Make it wet with the blood that is in the dish. Then put some of the blood on the wood that is round your door. Nobody must go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 The Lord will pass through the country and he will kill the Egyptians. But when the Lord sees the blood on the wood round the door, he will pass over that house. He will not let the death angel come into your houses. The Lord will not let him kill you.

24 You must obey these rules always, both you and your descendants, for all time. 25 You will go into the land that the Lord promised to give you. Then you must continue to obey these rules. 26 Your children may say to you, “What does this feast mean?” 27 Then you must say to them, “It is the Lord 's Passover sacrifice. The Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites when they were in Egypt. He killed the Egyptians but he saved our families.” ’ Then the people bent their heads down to the ground and they worshipped God.

28 The Israelites did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

29 At midnight, the Lord killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt. The firstborn son of Pharaoh, the king, died. But also, the firstborn son of any man who was in prison died. Every firstborn son in Egypt died. All the firstborn animals also died. 30 Pharaoh and all his officers woke up in the middle of the night. All the Egyptians also woke up in the middle of the night. Everyone was crying loudly everywhere in Egypt. In every home, somebody had died that night.

The Israelites leave Egypt

31 During the night, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron to come to him. He said, ‘Get out of here! Take all the Israelites with you and go away from my people! Go and worship the Lord , as you asked me before. 32 Take all your animals with you, as you have said. Just go away! But also pray that God will bless me.’

33 The Egyptians were telling the Israelites to leave quickly. They wanted them to go out of the country immediately. The Egyptians said, ‘If we do not send them away immediately, we will all die!’

34 So the Israelites took their bread before they had cooked it. They had not even put the yeast into it. They put the bread in dishes and they put clothes round the dishes. Then they carried the dishes on their shoulders. 35 The Israelites obeyed Moses. They asked the Egyptians for silver and gold. They also asked them for clothes. 36 The Lord had caused the Egyptians to be kind to the Israelites. Because of this, the Egyptians gave the Israelites everything that they asked for. In that way, the Israelites took away all the valuable things that belonged to the Egyptians.

37 The Israelites travelled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men who walked. There were also many women and children. 38 Many other people also travelled with them. They had a very large number of sheep, goats and cows. 39 The Israelites cooked the bread that they had brought with them from Egypt. It had no yeast in it, because they had to leave Egypt quickly. The Egyptians did not let them wait. So the Israelites did not have time to prepare any food for themselves. [ c ]

40 The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. 41 It was on the last day of the 430 years that all the Lord 's people left Egypt. They left in family groups, like an army. 42 The Lord carefully watched his people all that night, when he brought them out of Egypt. Because of that, all Israelites must watch carefully during this special night. They and their descendants must do this every year, to thank the Lord .

Rules for the Passover festival

43 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘These are the rules for the Passover festival:

No foreign person may eat the Passover meal. 44 If you buy a foreign slave, you must first circumcise him. Then he may eat the food. 45 But if you pay him money for his work, he must not eat the food. A visitor also must not eat the food.

46 You must eat the meal in one house. You must not take any of the meat outside the house. You must not break any of the bones in the meat. 47 All the Israelites must enjoy the feast together.

48 There may be a foreign person who lives among you. He may want to join you to eat the Lord 's Passover meal. But he must first be circumcised as well as all the men in his house. Then he can join with you and eat the Passover meal. He will be like a man who has been born in Israel. But no male person without circumcision can join the Passover feast. 49 Both the people who were born as Israelites and the foreign people who live among you must obey this rule.’

50 All the Israelites did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 On that same day, the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt, in family groups, like an army.

Footnotes

  1. 12:13 I will pass over you is where the English word ‘Passover’ comes from. God made a promise. He would not kill anyone in a house that had blood on the door. He would ‘pass over’ that house.
  2. 12:22 ‘Hyssop’ is a plant with lots of leaves. They held the hyssop in the hand and they used it like a paint brush. They painted some of the blood on the pieces of wood round the doors.
  3. 12:39 When you make bread with yeast in it, you must wait for the bread to become light and full of air. Then you can cook it. This takes some time. The Israelites were in a hurry. They did not have time for this.

Passover

12 While Moses and Aaron were still in Egypt, the Lord spoke to them. He said, 2 “This month [ a ] will be the first month of the year for you. 3 This command is for the whole community of Israel: On the tenth day of this month each man must get one lamb for the people in his house. 4 If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, then he should invite some of his neighbors to share the meal. There must be enough lamb for everyone to eat. 5 The lamb must be a one-year-old male, and it must be completely healthy. This animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat. 6 You should watch over the animal until the 14th day of the month. On that day all the people of the community of Israel must kill these animals just before dark. 7 You must collect the blood from these animals and put it on the top and sides of the doorframe of every house where the people eat this meal.

8 “On this night you must roast the lamb and eat all the meat. You must also eat bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. 9 You must not eat the lamb raw or boiled in water. You must roast the whole lamb over a fire. The lamb must still have its head, legs, and inner parts. 10 You must eat all the meat that night. If any of the meat is left until morning, you must burn it in the fire.

11 “When you eat the meal, you must be fully dressed and ready to travel. You must have your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat in a hurry, because this is the Lord ’s Passover.

12 “Tonight I will go through Egypt and kill every firstborn man and animal in Egypt. In this way I will judge all the gods of Egypt and show that I am the Lord . 13 But the blood on your houses will be a special sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over [ b ] your house. I will cause bad things to happen to the people of Egypt. But none of these bad diseases will hurt you.

14 “You will always remember tonight—it will be a special festival for you. Your descendants will honor the Lord with this festival forever. 15 For this festival you will eat bread made without yeast for seven days. On the first day, you will remove all the yeast from your houses. No one should eat any yeast for the full seven days of this festival. Anyone who eats yeast must be separated from the rest of Israel. 16 There will be holy assemblies on the first day and the last day of the festival. You must not do any work on these days. The only work you can do is preparing the food for your meals. 17 You must remember the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because on this day I took all of your people out of Egypt in groups. [ c ] All of your descendants must remember this day. This is a law that will last forever. 18 So on the evening of the 14th day of the first month, you will begin eating bread without yeast. You will eat this bread until the evening of the 21st day of the same month. 19 For seven days, there must not be any yeast in your houses. Anyone, either a citizen of Israel or a foreigner living among you, [ d ] who eats yeast at this time must be separated from the rest of Israel. 20 During this festival you must not eat any yeast. You must eat bread without yeast wherever you live.”

21 So Moses called all the elders together and told them, “Get the lambs for your families. Kill the lambs for the Passover. 22 Take bunches of hyssop and dip them in the bowls filled with blood. Paint the blood on the sides and top of each doorframe. No one must leave their house until morning. 23 At the time the Lord goes through Egypt to kill the firstborn, he will see the blood on the sides and top of each doorframe. Then he will protect [ e ] that house and not let the Destroyer come into any of your houses and hurt you. 24 You must remember this command. This law is for you and your descendants forever. 25 You must remember to do this even when you go to the land the Lord is giving you. 26 When your children ask you, ‘Why are we doing this ceremony?’ 27 you will say, ‘This Passover is to honor the Lord , because when we were in Egypt, he passed over the houses of Israel. He killed the Egyptians, but he saved the people in our houses.’”

Then the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 28 The Lord had given this command to Moses and Aaron, so the Israelites did what the Lord commanded.

29 At midnight the Lord killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh (who ruled Egypt) to the firstborn son of the prisoner sitting in jail. Also all the firstborn animals died. 30 That night someone died in every house in Egypt. Pharaoh, his officials, and all the people of Egypt began to cry loudly.

Israel Leaves Egypt

31 So that night Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said to them, “Get up and leave my people. You and your people can do as you say. Go and worship the Lord . 32 Take all of your sheep and cattle with you, just as you said you would. Go! And say a blessing for me too.” 33 The people of Egypt also asked them to hurry and leave. They said, “If you don’t leave, we will all die!”

34 The Israelites did not have time to put the yeast in their bread. They just wrapped the bowls of dough with cloth and carried them on their shoulders. 35 Then the Israelites did what Moses asked them to do. They went to their Egyptian neighbors and asked for clothing and things made from silver and gold. 36 The Lord caused the Egyptians to be kind to the Israelites, so the Egyptians gave their riches to the Israelites.

37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, not counting the small boys. 38 A great number of people who were not Israelites went with them, along with many sheep, cattle, and other livestock. 39 The people did not have time to put yeast in their bread or make any special food for their journey. So they had to bake their bread without yeast.

40 The Israelites had lived in Egypt [ f ] for 430 years. 41 After 430 years, to the very day, all the armies of the Lord [ g ] left Egypt. 42 The night they left, the Lord watched over them to bring them safely out of Egypt. So the Israelites will always celebrate this night each year to remember what the Lord did.

43 The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “These are the rules for Passover: No foreigner [ h ] is allowed to eat the Passover meal. 44-45 A foreigner who is only a hired worker or is only staying in your country is not allowed to eat the meal. But if someone buys a slave and circumcises him, then the slave can eat the Passover meal.

46 “Each family must eat the meal in one house. None of the food is to be taken outside the house. Don’t break any of the lamb’s bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must do this ceremony. 48 If a foreigner living among you wants to share in the Lord ’s Passover, he must be circumcised. Then he can share in the meal like any other citizen of Israel. But a man who is not circumcised cannot eat the Passover meal. 49 The same rules are for everyone. It doesn’t matter if they are citizens or foreigners living among you.”

50 So all the Israelites obeyed the commands that the Lord gave to Moses and Aaron. 51 On that same day the Lord led all the Israelites out of the country of Egypt. The people left in groups.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:2 month Abib (or Nisan). See “ Abib ” in the Word List.
  2. Exodus 12:13 pass over Or “protect.” Also in verse 27.
  3. Exodus 12:17 groups Or “divisions.” This is a military term. It shows that Israel was organized like an army. Also in verse 51.
  4. Exodus 12:19 foreigner living among you That is, someone who has chosen to live among the Israelites and obey their laws and customs. Also in verse 48.
  5. Exodus 12:23 protect Or “pass over.”
  6. Exodus 12:40 Egypt The ancient Greek and Samaritan versions say, “Egypt and Canaan.” This would mean they counted the years from about Abraham’s time, not from Joseph’s. See Gen. 15:12-16 and Gal. 3:17.
  7. Exodus 12:41 armies of the Lord The Israelites.
  8. Exodus 12:43 foreigner Here, this means someone who has not agreed to follow the laws and customs of Israel.

12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying,

2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:

4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord 's passover.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord .

13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14 And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.

22 And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord 's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

28 And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

31 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord , as ye have said.

32 Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

36 And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

40 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

42 It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

43 And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

44 But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

45 A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

46 In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord , let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

50 Thus did all the children of Israel; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

51 And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

The Passover Lamb

12 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of [ a ] Egypt, 2 ( A ) This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a [ b ] lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a [ c ] lamb for [ d ] each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a [ e ] lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the [ f ] number of persons in them ; in proportion to [ g ] what each one should eat, you are to [ h ] divide the lamb. 5 Your [ i ] lamb shall be ( B ) an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 [ j ] You shall keep it until the ( C ) fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it [ k ] ( D ) at twilight. 7 ( E ) Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel [ l ] of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh ( F ) that same night, ( G ) roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with ( H ) unleavened bread [ m ] ( I ) and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather ( J ) roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with ( K ) its entrails. 10 ( L ) And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall completely burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this way: with your garment [ n ] belted around your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in a hurry—it is ( M ) the Lord s Passover. 12 For ( N ) I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and fatally strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the human firstborn to animals; and ( O ) against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments— ( P ) I am the Lord . 13 ( Q ) The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you [ o ] live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you [ p ] to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

14 ‘Now ( R ) this day shall be ( S ) a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord ; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as [ q ] ( T ) a permanent ordinance. 15 For ( U ) seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove dough with yeast from your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day, ( V ) that [ r ] person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And ( W ) on the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except for what must be eaten by every person—that alone may be [ s ] prepared by you. 17 You shall also keep ( X ) the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this ( Y ) very day I brought your [ t ] multitudes out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as ( Z ) a [ u ] permanent ordinance. 18 ( AA ) In the first month , on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For ( AB ) seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that [ v ] ( AC ) person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything with yeast; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

21 Then ( AD ) Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and ( AE ) take for yourselves [ w ] lambs according to your families, and slaughter ( AF ) the Passover lamb . 22 And ( AG ) you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and [ x ] apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

A Memorial of Redemption

23 For ( AH ) the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will ( AI ) not allow the ( AJ ) destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you . 24 And ( AK ) you shall keep this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [ y ] promised, you shall keep this [ z ] rite. 26 ( AL ) And when your children say to you, ‘ [ aa ] What does this rite mean to you?’ 27 then you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to ( AM ) the Lord because He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but [ ab ] spared our homes.’” ( AN ) And the people bowed low and worshiped.

28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so ; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

29 Now it came about at ( AO ) midnight that ( AP ) the Lord struck all ( AQ ) the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of ( AR ) cattle. 30 And Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was ( AS ) a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then ( AT ) he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, ( AU ) get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, [ ac ] worship the Lord , as you have said. 32 Take ( AV ) both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”

Exodus of Israel

33 ( AW ) The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in a hurry, for they said, “We will all be dead.” 34 So the people took ( AX ) their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.

35 ( AY ) Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Therefore they ( AZ ) plundered the Egyptians.

37 Now the ( BA ) sons of Israel journeyed from ( BB ) Rameses to Succoth, about ( BC ) six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. 38 A ( BD ) mixed multitude also went up with them, [ ad ] along with flocks and herds, a ( BE ) very large number of livestock. 39 And they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had no yeast, since they were ( BF ) driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they [ ae ] prepared any provisions for themselves.

40 Now the time [ af ] that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was ( BG ) 430 years. 41 And at the end of 430 years, on ( BH ) this very day, ( BI ) all the [ ag ] multitudes of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt.

Ordinance of the Passover

42 ( BJ ) It is a night [ ah ] to be observed for the Lord , for having brought them out of the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord , [ ai ] to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of ( BK ) the Passover: no [ aj ] ( BL ) foreigner is to eat it; 44 but as for every ( BM ) slave [ ak ] that someone has purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 ( BN ) A stranger or a hired worker shall not eat it. 46 It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring any of the meat outside of the house, ( BO ) nor are you to break any bone of it. 47 ( BP ) All the congregation of Israel are to [ al ] celebrate this. 48 But ( BQ ) if a stranger resides with you and [ am ] celebrates the Passover to the Lord , all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to [ an ] celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 [ ao ] ( BR ) The same law shall [ ap ] apply to the native as to the stranger who resides among you.”

50 Then all the sons of Israel did so ; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day ( BS ) the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt ( BT ) according to their [ aq ] multitudes.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:1 Lit Egypt, saying
  2. Exodus 12:3 Or kid
  3. Exodus 12:3 Or kid
  4. Exodus 12:3 Lit the
  5. Exodus 12:4 Or kid
  6. Exodus 12:4 Or amount
  7. Exodus 12:4 Lit each man’s eating
  8. Exodus 12:4 Lit compute for
  9. Exodus 12:5 Or kid
  10. Exodus 12:6 Lit It shall be to you for a guarding
  11. Exodus 12:6 Lit between the two evenings
  12. Exodus 12:7 Lit upon
  13. Exodus 12:8 Lit in addition to
  14. Exodus 12:11 I.e., for travel
  15. Exodus 12:13 Lit are
  16. Exodus 12:13 Lit for destruction
  17. Exodus 12:14 Or an eternal
  18. Exodus 12:15 Lit soul
  19. Exodus 12:16 Lit done
  20. Exodus 12:17 Lit armies
  21. Exodus 12:17 Or eternal
  22. Exodus 12:19 Lit soul
  23. Exodus 12:21 Lit sheep
  24. Exodus 12:22 Lit cause to touch
  25. Exodus 12:25 Lit spoken
  26. Exodus 12:25 Lit service
  27. Exodus 12:26 Lit What is this service to you ?
  28. Exodus 12:27 Lit delivered
  29. Exodus 12:31 Or serve
  30. Exodus 12:38 Lit and
  31. Exodus 12:39 Lit made
  32. Exodus 12:40 Or of the sons of Israel who lived
  33. Exodus 12:41 Lit armies
  34. Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
  35. Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
  36. Exodus 12:43 Lit son of a stranger
  37. Exodus 12:44 Lit of a man, an acquisition of money
  38. Exodus 12:47 Lit perform
  39. Exodus 12:48 Lit performs
  40. Exodus 12:48 Lit perform
  41. Exodus 12:49 Lit One law
  42. Exodus 12:49 Lit be
  43. Exodus 12:51 I.e., multitudes in battle formation

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread ( A )

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, ( B ) the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb [ a ] ( C ) for his family, one for each household. ( D ) 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, ( E ) and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, ( F ) when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. ( G ) 7 Then they are to take some of the blood ( H ) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night ( I ) they are to eat the meat roasted ( J ) over the fire, along with bitter herbs, ( K ) and bread made without yeast. ( L ) 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. ( M ) 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; ( N ) if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; ( O ) it is the Lord ’s Passover. ( P )

12 “On that same night I will pass through ( Q ) Egypt and strike down ( R ) every firstborn ( S ) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods ( T ) of Egypt. I am the Lord . ( U ) 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over ( V ) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. ( W )

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; ( X ) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord —a lasting ordinance. ( Y ) 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. ( Z ) On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off ( AA ) from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work ( AB ) at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, ( AC ) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. ( AD ) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. ( AE ) 18 In the first month ( AF ) you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner ( AG ) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off ( AH ) from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, ( AI ) you must eat unleavened bread.” ( AJ )

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover ( AK ) lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, ( AL ) dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood ( AM ) on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike ( AN ) down the Egyptians, he will see the blood ( AO ) on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over ( AP ) that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer ( AQ ) to enter your houses and strike you down.

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance ( AR ) for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land ( AS ) that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ( AT ) ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover ( AU ) sacrifice to the Lord , who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” ( AV ) Then the people bowed down and worshiped. ( AW ) 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded ( AX ) Moses and Aaron.

29 At midnight ( AY ) the Lord ( AZ ) struck down all the firstborn ( BA ) in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock ( BB ) as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing ( BC ) in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

The Exodus

31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship ( BD ) the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, ( BE ) as you have said, and go. And also bless ( BF ) me.”

33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry ( BG ) and leave ( BH ) the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” ( BI ) 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs ( BJ ) wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold ( BK ) and for clothing. ( BL ) 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed ( BM ) toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered ( BN ) the Egyptians.

37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses ( BO ) to Sukkoth. ( BP ) There were about six hundred thousand men ( BQ ) on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people ( BR ) went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out ( BS ) of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt [ b ] was 430 years. ( BT ) 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord ’s divisions ( BU ) left Egypt. ( BV ) 42 Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come. ( BW )

Passover Restrictions

43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal: ( BX )

“No foreigner ( BY ) may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised ( BZ ) him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker ( CA ) may not eat it.

46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. ( CB ) 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.

48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord ’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. ( CC ) No uncircumcised ( CD ) male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner ( CE ) residing among you.”

50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded ( CF ) Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt ( CG ) by their divisions. ( CH )

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:3 The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid ; also in verse 4.
  2. Exodus 12:40 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint Egypt and Canaan
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