Exodus — Chapter 12
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1Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2“This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.
3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.
4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.
5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.
6You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.
7They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.
10Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.
11This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
12On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
13The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a sign; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
15For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
16On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.
17So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent statute for the generations to come.
18In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.
19For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
20You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”
21Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.
22Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.
23When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.
25When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.
26When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’
27you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
28And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
29Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.
30During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.
31Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.
32Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”
33And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!”
34So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.
35Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.
36And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.
37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.
38And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
39Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.
40Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years.
41At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.
42Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.
43And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it.
44But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him.
45A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.
46It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.
47The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it.
48If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.
49The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”
50Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
51And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.
1And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak 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:
4And 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.
5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6And 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.
7And 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.
8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11And 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.
12For 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.
13And 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.
14And 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.
15Seven 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.
16And 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.
17And 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.
18In 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.
19Seven 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.
20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21Then 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.
22And 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.
23For 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.
24And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25And 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.
26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27That 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.
28And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29And 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.
30And 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.
31And 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.
32Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33And 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.
34And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35And 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:
36And 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.
37And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
38And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39And 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.
40Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
41And 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.
42It 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.
43And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44But every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46In 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.
47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48And 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.
49One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
50Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51And 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.
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak 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 their fathers` houses, a lamb for a household:
4and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man`s eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.
5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:
6and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at even.
7And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it.
8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof.
10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11And 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 Jehovah`s passover.
12For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah.
13And 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 there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to Jehovah: throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15Seven 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.
16And in the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.
17And ye shall observe the [feast of] unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18In 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.
19Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land.
20Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover.
22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
23For Jehovah will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, Jehovah will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
24And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25And it shall come to pass, when ye are come to the land which Jehovah will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Jehovah`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.
28And the children of Israel went and did so; as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29And it came to pass at midnight, that Jehovah smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle.
30And 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.
31And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve Jehovah, as ye have said.
32Take both your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, to send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We are all dead men.
34And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading-troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment.
36And Jehovah gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they despoiled the Egyptians.
37And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children.
38And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39And 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 victuals.
40Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.
41And it came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt.
42It is a night to be much observed unto Jehovah for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of Jehovah, to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
43And Jehovah said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no foreigner eat thereof;
44but every man`s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth aught of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to Jehovah, 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: but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
50Thus did all the children of Israel; as Jehovah commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51And it came to pass the selfsame day, that Jehovah did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.
1The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
2“This month is to be your beginning of months; it will be your first month of the year.
3Tell the whole community of Israel, ‘On the tenth day of this month they each must take a lamb for themselves according to their families—a lamb for each household.
4If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people—you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.
5Your lamb must be perfect, a male, one year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6You must care for it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then the whole community of Israel will kill it around sundown.
7They 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.
8They will eat the meat the same night; they will eat it roasted over the fire with bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs.
9Do not eat it raw or boiled in water, but roast it over the fire with its head, its legs, and its entrails.
10You must leave nothing until morning, but you must burn with fire whatever remains of it until morning.
11This is how you are to eat it—dressed to travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.
12“‘I will pass through the land of Egypt in the same night, and I will attack all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of humans and of animals, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord.
13The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.
14“‘This day will become a memorial for you, and you will celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—you will celebrate it perpetually as a lasting ordinance.
15For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Surely on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel.
16“‘On the first day there will be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there will be a holy convocation for you. You must do no work of any kind on them, only what every person will eat—that alone may be prepared for you.
17So you will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because on this very day I brought your regiments out from the land of Egypt, and so you must keep this day perpetually as a lasting ordinance.
18In the first month, 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.
19For seven days yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what is made with yeast—that person will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a resident foreigner or one born in the land.
20You will not eat anything made with yeast; in all the places where you live you must eat bread made without yeast.’”
21Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel, and told them, “Go and select for yourselves a lamb or young goat for your families, and kill the Passover animals.
22Take a branch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, 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 out the door of his house until morning.
23For the Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees 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 destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.
24You must observe this event as an ordinance for you and for your children forever.
25When you enter the land that the Lord will give to you, just as he said, you must observe this ceremony.
26When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’—
27then you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck Egypt and delivered our households.’” The people bowed down low to the ground,
28and the Israelites went away and did exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.
29It happened 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.
30Pharaoh got up in the night, along with all his servants and all Egypt, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no house in which there was not someone dead.
31Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron in the night and said, “Get up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, serve the Lord as you have requested!
32Also, take your flocks and your herds, just as you have requested, and leave. But bless me also.”
33The Egyptians were urging the people on, in order to send them out of the land quickly, for they were saying, “We are all dead!”
34So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, with their kneading troughs bound up in their clothing on their shoulders.
35Now the Israelites had done as Moses told them—they had requested from the Egyptians silver and gold items and clothing.
36The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they gave them whatever they wanted, and so they plundered Egypt.
37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, plus their dependents.
38A mixed multitude also went up with them, and flocks and herds—a very large number of cattle.
39They baked cakes of bread without yeast using the dough they had brought from Egypt, for it was made without yeast. Because they were thrust out of Egypt and were not able to delay, they could not prepare food for themselves either.
40Now the length of time the Israelites lived in Egypt was 430 years.
41At the end of the 430 years, on the very day, all the regiments of the Lord went out of the land of Egypt.
42It was a night of vigil for the Lord to bring them out from the land of Egypt, and so on this night all Israel is to keep the vigil to the Lord for generations to come.
43The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner may share in eating it.
44But everyone’s servant who is bought for money, after you have circumcised him, may eat it.
45A foreigner and a hired worker must not eat it.
46It 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.
47The whole community of Israel must observe it.
48“When a resident foreigner lives with you and wants to observe the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may approach and observe it, and he will be like one who is born in the land—but no uncircumcised person may eat of it.
49The same law will apply to the person who is native-born and to the resident foreigner who lives among you.”
50So all the Israelites did exactly as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.
51And on this very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their regiments.
1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2“This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.
3Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household;
4and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.
5Your lamb shall be without defect, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:
6and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at evening.
7They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it.
8They shall eat the meat in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.
9Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.
10You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.
11This is how you shall eat it: with your belt on your waist, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh’s Passover.
12For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Yahweh.
13The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
14This day shall be to you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to Yahweh: throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.
15“‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no kind of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.
17You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.
18In 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.
19There shall be no yeast found in your houses for seven days, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a foreigner, or one who is born in the land.
20You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, “Draw out, and take lambs according to your families, and kill the Passover.
22You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.
23For Yahweh will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two door posts, Yahweh will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.
24You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.
25It shall happen when you have come to the land which Yahweh will give you, according as he has promised, that you shall keep this service.
26It will happen, when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’
27that you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Yahweh’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.’” The people bowed their heads and worshiped.
28The children of Israel went and did so; as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
29At midnight, Yahweh struck 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 livestock.
30Pharaoh 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.
31He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said!
32Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!”
33The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We are all dead men.”
34The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.
35The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing.
36Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians.
37The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children.
38A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock.
39They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt; for it wasn’t leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and couldn’t wait, and they had not prepared any food for themselves.
40Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.
41At the end of four hundred thirty years, to the day, all of Yahweh’s armies went out from the land of Egypt.
42It is a night to be much observed to Yahweh for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of Yahweh, to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
43Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it,
44but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it.
45A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.
46It must be eaten in one house. You shall not carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones.
47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
49One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.”
50All the children of Israel did so. As Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
51That same day, Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
Summary
The LORD institutes the Passover, instructing each household to select an unblemished lamb, apply its blood to the doorposts, and eat it roasted with unleavened bread, so that the destroyer will pass over homes marked by the blood (vv. 1-13). This meal is established as a perpetual memorial, alongside the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (vv. 14-20). At midnight the LORD strikes down every firstborn in Egypt, producing a great cry of anguish throughout the land, and Pharaoh finally summons Moses and Aaron and orders Israel to leave immediately (vv. 29-33). The Israelites plunder the Egyptians of silver, gold, and clothing as they depart, and a company of roughly 600,000 men plus women and children, along with a mixed multitude, leaves Rameses after 430 years in Egypt (vv. 34-42). The chapter closes with further regulations for who may eat the Passover meal (vv. 43-51).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Egypt / Goshen: The Passover takes place in Israelite homes throughout Goshen. Death strikes every Egyptian household "from the firstborn of Pharaoh... unto the firstborn of the captive" (v.29).
- Raamses (v.37): The departure point — Israel journeys from Raamses to Succoth. Approximately 600,000 men on foot, plus families.
- Succoth (v.37): First stop after leaving Egypt; in the eastern Delta region.
Places on this map
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
- Gosheneastern Nile Delta, EgyptThe eastern Delta, well watered grazing country on the edge of Egypt rather than in its heart, which is exactly why shepherds were settled there and could stay distinct. Wikipedia
- RamesesQantir, EgyptA Delta royal city usually identified with Qantir, one of the two store cities Israel built and the starting point of the exodus. Wikipedia
- SuccothDeir Alla, JordanIn the Jordan valley near the mouth of the Jabbok, where Jacob stopped after Peniel and where Solomon's bronze was cast. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik provides extensive treatment of every Passover detail as a type of Christ — the lamb, the blood, the hyssop, the unleavened bread, the unbroken bones, and the timing.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the shape of the rescue from Egypt and where the story is going.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Exodus -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Only a Perfect Sacrifice Would Do (v.5) — The Passover lamb had to be without any defect, nothing else would satisfy what the moment required. Are you relying on your own effort as a substitute for something only a perfect sacrifice could accomplish?
- Blood That Had to Be Applied (v.7) — It wasn't enough for the lamb to die; the blood had to be personally placed on the doorposts of each house to matter. Has what Christ accomplished been personally applied to your life by faith, or does it remain something you only believe about in general?
- Eating in Readiness (v.11) — Israel eats the meal already dressed for travel, staff in hand, ready to move the moment God says go. Is there an urgency to your obedience, or do you delay responding to what God has already made clear?
- Safety Under the Blood (v.13) — God's promise of protection rests entirely on seeing the blood, not on the character or worthiness of the household behind the door. Are you trusting in your own performance for security with God, or resting in what He has already provided?
- Telling the Story to the Next Generation (vv.26-27) — When children ask what this observance means, the instruction is simple: tell them. Are you prepared to explain to the next generation what God has done for you?
- A Cry That Reached Every House (v.29) — Death strikes every Egyptian household in a single night, revealing the seriousness of what God had been warning about all along. Do you take God's warnings as seriously as their consequences deserve?