Exodus 12

The Passover

1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,2 "This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you.3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household.4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats,6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.t

7 "Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts.10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord.13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

14 "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you.17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever.18 In the first month, from 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 seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land.20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread."

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever.25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service.26 And when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?'27 you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.'" And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

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

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all 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 the livestock.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 someone was not dead.31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!"

The Exodus

33 The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead."34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders.35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years.41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.42 It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

Institution of the Passover

43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it,44 but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.45 No foreigner or hired servant may eat of it.46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you."

50 All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.51 And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

Exodus 12

The Institution of the Passover

1 s The Lord saidt to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,t2 “This month is to be your beginning of months; it will be your first month of the year.s3 Tell the whole community of Israel, ‘In the tenth day of this month they eacht must take a lambt for themselves according to their familiests – a lamb for each household.t4 If any household is too smalls for a lamb,t the mant and his next-door neighbort are to taket a lamb according to the number of people – you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.ts5 Your lamb must bet perfect,t a male, one year old;t you may taket it from the sheep or from the goats.6 You must care for itt until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the whole communityt of Israel will kill it around sundown.t7 They will take some of the blood and put it on the two side posts and top of the doorframe of the houses where they will eat it.8 They will eat the meat the same night;t they will eat it roasted over the fire with bread made without yeasts and with bitter herbs.9 Do not eat it raws or boiled in water, but roast it over the fire with its head, its legs, and its entrails.10 You must leave nothing until morning, but you must burn with fire whatever remains of it until morning.

11 This is how you are to eat it – dressed to travel,t your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover.t
12 I will pass throught the land of Egypt in the samet night, and I will attackt all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals,t and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.t I am the Lord.

13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I seet the blood I will pass over you,t and this plaguet will not fall on you to destroy yout when I attackt the land of Egypt.s
14 This day will becomet a memorialts for you, and you will celebrate it as a festivalt to the Lord – you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting ordinance.t

15 For seven dayst you must eatt bread made without yeast.t Surelyt on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeastt from the first day to the seventh day will be cut offts from Israel.
16 On the first day there will be a holy convocation,s and on the seventh day there will be a holy convocation for you. You must do no work of any kinds on them, only what every person will eat – that alone may be prepared for you.17 So you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this veryt day I brought your regimentst out from the land of Egypt, and so you must keep this day perpetually as a lasting ordinance.t18 In the first month,t from the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you will eat bread made without yeast until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.19 For seven dayst yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what is made with yeast – that persont will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a foreignert or one born in the land.

20 You will not eat anything made with yeast; in all the places where you live you must eat bread made without yeast.’”
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them, “Go and selectt for yourselves a lamb or young goatt for your families, and kill the Passover animals.t22 Take a branch of hyssop,s dip it in the blood that is in the basin,t and apply to the top of the doorframe and the two side posts some of the blood that is in the basin. Not one of you is to go outt the door of his house until morning.23 For the Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he seest the blood on the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the Lord will pass over the door, and he will not permit the destroyert to enter your houses to strike you.t24 You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever.25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give to you, just as he said, you must observet this ceremony.26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’t –27 then you will say, ‘It is the sacrifices of the Lord’s Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struckt Egypt and delivered our households.’” The people bowed down lowt to the ground,

28 and the Israelites went away and did exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.t

The Deliverance from Egypt

29 s It happenedt at midnight – the Lord attacked all 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 prison, and all the firstborn of the cattle.30 Pharaoh got upt in the night,t along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no houses in which there was not someone dead.31 Pharaoht summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Get up, get outt from among my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the Lord as you have requested!ts

32 Also, take your flocks and your herds, just as you have requested, and leave. But bless me also.”ts
33 The Egyptians were urgingt the people on, in order to send them out of the land quickly,t for they were saying, “We are all dead!”34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added,t with their kneading troughs bound up in their clothing on their shoulders.35 Now the Israelites had donet as Moses told them – they had requested from the Egyptianst silver and gold items and clothing.

36 The Lordt gave the people favors in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted,t and so they plundered Egypt.s
37 The Israelites journeyedt from Ramesess to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 ments on foot, plus their dependants.t38 A mixed multitudet also went up with them, and flocks and herds – a very large number of cattle.t

39 They baked cakes of bread without yeast using the dough they had brought from Egypt, for it was made without yeast – because they were thrust outs of Egypt and were not able to delay, theyt could not preparet food for themselves either.
40 Now the length of time the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years.s41 At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regimentss of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt.

42 It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt,t and sot on this night all Israel is to keep the vigilt to the Lord for generations to come.

Participation in the Passover

43 s The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner mayt share in eating it.t44 But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it.45 A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it.46 It must be eaten in one house; you must not bring any of the meat outside the house, and you must not break a bone of it.

47 The whole community of Israel must observe it.
48 “When a foreigner livest with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised,t and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the landt – but no uncircumcised person may eat of it.

49 The same law will applyt to the person who is native-born and to the foreigner who lives among you.”
50 So all the Israelites did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.t

51 And on this very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.