Exodus 11

The Tenth Blow: Death

1 s The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will release you from this place. When he releases you,t he will drive you out completelyt from this place.

2 Instructt the people that each man and each woman is to requestt from his or her neighborts items of silver and gold.”s

3 (Now the Lord granted the people favor witht the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.)ts
4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnightt I will go throughout Egypt,t5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaohs who sits on his throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.6 There will be a great cry throughout the whole land of Egypt, such as there has never been,t nor ever will be again.t7 But against any of the Israelites not even a dog will barkt against either people or animals,t so that you may know that the Lord distinguishest between Egypt and Israel.’

8 All these your servants will come down to me and bow downs to me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who followt you,’ and after that I will go out.” Then Mosest went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonderss may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

10 So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not release the Israelites from his land.

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.

Exodus 13

The Law of the Firstborn

1 s The Lord spoket to Moses:

2 “Set apartts to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every wombt among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.”t
3 Moses said to the people, “Rememberts this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved,t for the Lord brought you out of theret with a mighty hand – and no bread made with yeast may be eaten.t

4 On this day,t in the month of Abib,s you are going out.t
5 Whent the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey,t then you will keept this ceremonyt in this month.6 For seven dayst you must eatt bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to bet a festival to the Lord.

7 Bread made without yeast must be eatent for seven days;t no bread made with yeast shall be seent among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders.
8 You are to tell your sonts on that day,t ‘It ist because of whatt the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’9 s Itt will be a signt for you on your hand and a memorialt on your forehead,ts so that the law of the Lord may bet in your mouth,s fort with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

10 So you must keept this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.t
11 When the Lord brings yout into the land of the Canaanites,s as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives itt to you,12 then you must give overts to the Lord the first offspring of every womb.t Every firstlingt of a beast that you havet – the males will be the Lord’s.t

13 Every firstlingt of a donkey you must redeemt with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck.t Every firstborn ofts your sons you must redeem.
14 s In the future,t when your son asks yout ‘What is this?’t you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty handt the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery.t15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refusedt to release us, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals.t That is why I am sacrificingt to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.’

16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontletst on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”s

The Leading of God

17 s When Pharaoh releasedt the people, God did not lead thems by the way to the landt of the Philistines,s althought that was nearby, for God said,t “Lestt the people change their mindst and return to Egypt when they experiencet war.”

18 So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea,ts and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.t

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Josepht had made the Israelites solemnly swear,t “God will surely attends to you, and you will carryt my bones up from this place with you.”
20 They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert.21 Now the Lord was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,s so that they couldt travel day or night.t

22 He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.s