Exodus 10:1-13:16

New King James Version

The Eighth Plague: Locusts^(A)

10 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; ^(B)for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, ^(C)that I may show these signs of Mine before him, ²and that ^(D)you may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may ^(E)know that I am the Lord.”

³So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to ^(F)humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may ^(G)serve Me. ⁴Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring ^(H)locusts into your territory. ⁵And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and ^(I)they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field. ⁶They shall ^(J)fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

⁷Then Pharaoh’s ^(K)servants said to him, “How long shall this man be ^(L)a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

⁸So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are the ones that are going?”

⁹And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for ^(M)we must hold a feast to the Lord.”

¹⁰Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. ¹¹Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven ^(N)out from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹²Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(O)“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and ^(P)eat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.” ¹³So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴And ^(Q)the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; ^(R)previously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them. ¹⁵For they ^(S)covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they ^(T)ate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶Then Pharaoh called ^(U)for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ^(V)“I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ^(W)entreat^[a] the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only.” ¹⁸So he ^(X)went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord. ¹⁹And the Lord turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them ^(Y)into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰But the Lord ^(Z)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

²¹Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(AA)“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, ^[b]darkness which may even be felt.” ²²So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was ^(AB)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt ^(AC)three days. ²³They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. ^(AD)But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

²⁴Then Pharaoh called to Moses and ^(AE)said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your ^(AF)little ones also go with you.”

²⁵But Moses said, “You must also give ^[c]us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ²⁶Our ^(AG)livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the Lord our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.”

²⁷But the Lord ^(AH)hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸Then Pharaoh said to him, ^(AI)“Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”

²⁹So Moses said, “You have spoken well. ^(AJ)I will never see your face again.”

Death of the Firstborn Announced^(AK)

11 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. ^(AL)Afterward he will let you go from here. ^(AM)When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether. ²Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, ^(AN)articles of silver and articles of gold.” ³^(AO)And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man ^(AP)Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴Then Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ^(AQ)‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵and ^(AR)all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals. ⁶^(AS)Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, ^(AT)such as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again. ⁷^(AU)But against none of the children of Israel ^(AV)shall a dog ^[d]move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the Lord does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’ ⁸And ^(AW)all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” ^(AX)Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

⁹But the Lord said to Moses, ^(AY)“Pharaoh will not heed you, so that ^(AZ)My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; ^(BA)and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.

The Passover Instituted^(BB)

12 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ²^(BC)“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. ³Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the ^(BD)tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. ⁴And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. ⁵Your lamb shall be ^(BE)without^[e] blemish, a male ^[f]of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶Now you shall keep it until the ^(BF)fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ⁷And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. ⁸Then they shall eat the flesh on that ^(BG)night; ^(BH)roasted in fire, with ^(BI)unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. ⁹Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but ^(BJ)roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. ¹⁰^(BK)You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. ¹¹And thus you shall eat it: ^[g]with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. ^(BL)It is the Lord’s Passover.

¹²‘For I ^(BM)will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and ^(BN)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: ^(BO)I am the Lord. ¹³Now 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 the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴‘So this day shall be to you ^(BP)a memorial; and you shall keep it as a ^(BQ)feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast ^(BR)by an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁵^(BS)Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, ^(BT)that ^[h]person shall be ^[i]cut off from Israel. ¹⁶On the first day there shall be ^(BU)a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. ¹⁷So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for ^(BV)on this same day I will have brought your ^[j]armies ^(BW)out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. ¹⁸^(BX)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. ¹⁹For ^(BY)seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. ²⁰You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

²¹Then ^(BZ)Moses called for all the ^(CA)elders of Israel and said to them, ^(CB)“Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb. ²²^(CC)And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and ^(CD)strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. ²³^(CE)For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the ^(CF)blood on the ^[k]lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and ^(CG)not allow ^(CH)the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. ²⁴And you shall ^(CI)observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. ²⁵It will come to pass when you come to the land which the Lord will give you, ^(CJ)just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. ²⁶^(CK)And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ ²⁷that you shall say, ^(CL)‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So the people ^(CM)bowed their heads and worshiped. ²⁸Then the children of Israel went away and ^(CN)did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn^(CO)

²⁹^(CP)And it came to pass at midnight that ^(CQ)the Lord 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 ^[l]in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of ^(CR)livestock. ³⁰So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, 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.

The Exodus

³¹Then he ^(CS)called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, ^(CT)both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have ^(CU)said. ³²^(CV)Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”

³³^(CW)And the Egyptians ^(CX)urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” ³⁴So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians ^(CY)articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. ³⁶^(CZ)And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus ^(DA)they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷Then ^(DB)the children of Israel journeyed from ^(DC)Rameses to Succoth, about ^(DD)six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. ³⁸A ^(DE)mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of ^(DF)livestock. ³⁹And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because ^(DG)they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰Now the ^[m]sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in ^[n]Egypt was ^(DH)four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that ^(DI)all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴²It is ^(DJ)a ^[o]night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

Passover Regulations^(DK)

⁴³And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is ^(DL)the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. ⁴⁴But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have ^(DM)circumcised him, then he may eat it. ⁴⁵^(DN)A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. ⁴⁶In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, ^(DO)nor shall you break one of its bones. ⁴⁷^(DP)All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸And ^(DQ)when a stranger ^[p]dwells with you and wants to 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 a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. ⁴⁹^(DR)One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

⁵⁰Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ⁵¹^(DS)And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt ^(DT)according to their armies.

The Firstborn Consecrated

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²^(DU)“Consecrate^[q] to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread^(DV)

³And Moses said to the people: ^(DW)“Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of ^[r]bondage; for ^(DX)by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. ^(DY)No leavened bread shall be eaten. ⁴^(DZ)On this day you are going out, in the month Abib. ⁵And it shall be, when the Lord ^(EA)brings you into the ^(EB)land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He ^(EC)swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^(ED)that you shall keep this service in this month. ⁶^(EE)Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. ⁷Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And ^(EF)no leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. ⁸And you shall ^(EG)tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ ⁹It shall be as ^(EH)a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰^(EI)You shall therefore keep this ^[s]ordinance in its season from year to year.

The Law of the Firstborn

¹¹“And it shall be, when the Lord ^(EJ)brings you into the land of the ^(EK)Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, ¹²^(EL)that you shall ^[t]set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. ¹³But ^(EM)every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons ^(EN)you shall redeem. ¹⁴^(EO)So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, ^(EP)‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ¹⁵And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that ^(EQ)the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶It shall be as ^(ER)a sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

Footnotes

Exodus 10:17 make supplication to
Exodus 10:21 Lit. that one may feel the darkness
Exodus 10:25 Lit. into our hands
Exodus 11:7 sharpen
Exodus 12:5 perfect or sound
Exodus 12:5 a year old
Exodus 12:11 Made ready to travel
Exodus 12:15 soul
Exodus 12:15 Put to death
Exodus 12:17 hosts
Exodus 12:23 Crosspiece at top of door
Exodus 12:29 in prison
Exodus 12:40 Length of the stay
Exodus 12:40 Sam., LXX Egypt and Canaan
Exodus 12:42 night of vigil
Exodus 12:48 As a resident alien
Exodus 13:2 Set apart
Exodus 13:3 Lit. slaves
Exodus 13:10 regulation
Exodus 13:12 Lit. cause to pass over

Exodus 10:1-13:16

New International Version

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart^(A) and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs^(B) of mine among them ²that you may tell your children^(C) and grandchildren how I dealt harshly^(D) with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”^(E)

³So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble^(F) yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. ⁴If you refuse^(G) to let them go, I will bring locusts^(H) into your country tomorrow. ⁵They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left^(I) after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.^(J) ⁶They will fill your houses^(K) and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’”^(L) Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

⁷Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare^(M) to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”^(N)

⁸Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship^(O) the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”

⁹Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival^(P) to the Lord.”

¹⁰Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil.^[a] ¹¹No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.

¹²And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand^(Q) over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.”

¹³So Moses stretched out his staff^(R) over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts;^(S) ¹⁴they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts,^(T) nor will there ever be again. ¹⁵They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured^(U) all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

¹⁶Pharaoh quickly summoned^(V) Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned^(W) against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷Now forgive^(X) my sin once more and pray^(Y) to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”

¹⁸Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.^(Z) ¹⁹And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea.^[b] Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. ²⁰But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,^(AA) and he would not let the Israelites go.

The Plague of Darkness

²¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness^(AB) spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” ²²So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness^(AC) covered all Egypt for three days. ²³No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.^(AD)

²⁴Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go,^(AE) worship the Lord. Even your women and children^(AF) may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”^(AG)

²⁵But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings^(AH) to present to the Lord our God. ²⁶Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”

²⁷But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,^(AI) and he was not willing to let them go. ²⁸Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

²⁹“Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear^(AJ) before you again.”

The Plague on the Firstborn

11 Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go^(AK) from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.^(AL) ²Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”^(AM) ³(The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed^(AN) toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded^(AO) in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

⁴So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight^(AP) I will go throughout Egypt.^(AQ) ⁵Every firstborn^(AR) son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill,^(AS) and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ⁶There will be loud wailing^(AT) throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. ⁷But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction^(AU) between Egypt and Israel. ⁸All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go,^(AV) you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.”^(AW) Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

⁹The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen^(AX) to you—so that my wonders^(AY) may be multiplied in Egypt.” ¹⁰Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,^(AZ) and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread^(BA)

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ²“This month is to be for you the first month,^(BB) the first month of your year. ³Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb^[c]^(BC) for his family, one for each household.^(BD) ⁴If 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. ⁵The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect,^(BE) and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. ⁶Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month,^(BF) when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.^(BG) ⁷Then they are to take some of the blood^(BH) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸That same night^(BI) they are to eat the meat roasted^(BJ) over the fire, along with bitter herbs,^(BK) and bread made without yeast.^(BL) ⁹Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.^(BM) ¹⁰Do not leave any of it till morning;^(BN) if some is left till morning, you must burn it. ¹¹This 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;^(BO) it is the Lord’s Passover.^(BP)

¹²“On that same night I will pass through^(BQ) Egypt and strike down^(BR) every firstborn^(BS) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods^(BT) of Egypt. I am the Lord.^(BU) ¹³The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over^(BV) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.^(BW)

¹⁴“This is a day you are to commemorate;^(BX) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.^(BY) ¹⁵For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.^(BZ) 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^(CA) from Israel. ¹⁶On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work^(CB) 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,^(CC) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.^(CD) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.^(CE) ¹⁸In the first month^(CF) you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. ¹⁹For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner^(CG) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off^(CH) from the community of Israel. ²⁰Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,^(CI) you must eat unleavened bread.”^(CJ)

²¹Then 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^(CK) lamb. ²²Take a bunch of hyssop,^(CL) dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood^(CM) on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. ²³When the Lord goes through the land to strike^(CN) down the Egyptians, he will see the blood^(CO) on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over^(CP) that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer^(CQ) to enter your houses and strike you down.

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

²⁹At midnight^(CY) the Lord^(CZ) struck down all the firstborn^(DA) 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^(DB) as well. ³⁰Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing^(DC) in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

The Exodus

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

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

³⁷The Israelites journeyed from Rameses^(DO) to Sukkoth.^(DP) There were about six hundred thousand men^(DQ) on foot, besides women and children. ³⁸Many other people^(DR) went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. ³⁹With 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^(DS) of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

⁴⁰Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt^[d] was 430 years.^(DT) ⁴¹At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions^(DU) left Egypt.^(DV) ⁴²Because 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.^(DW)

Passover Restrictions

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

“No foreigner^(DY) may eat it. ⁴⁴Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised^(DZ) him, ⁴⁵but a temporary resident or a hired worker^(EA) 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.^(EB) ⁴⁷The 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.^(EC) No uncircumcised^(ED) male may eat it. ⁴⁹The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner^(EE) residing among you.”

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

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, ²“Consecrate to me every firstborn male.^(EI) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

³Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,^(EJ) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.^(EK) Eat nothing containing yeast.^(EL) ⁴Today, in the month of Aviv,^(EM) you are leaving. ⁵When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,^(EN) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites^(EO)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey^(EP)—you are to observe this ceremony^(EQ) in this month: ⁶For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival^(ER) to the Lord. ⁷Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. ⁸On that day tell your son,^(ES) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand^(ET) and a reminder on your forehead^(EU) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.^(EV) ¹⁰You must keep this ordinance^(EW) at the appointed time^(EX) year after year.

¹¹“After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites^(EY) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath^(EZ) to you and your ancestors,^(FA) ¹²you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.^(FB) ¹³Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,^(FC) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(FD) Redeem^(FE) every firstborn among your sons.^(FF)

¹⁴“In days to come, when your son^(FG) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^(FH) ¹⁵When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’^(FI) ¹⁶And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead^(FJ) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Footnotes

Exodus 10:10 Or Be careful, trouble is in store for you!
Exodus 10:19 Or the Sea of Reeds
Exodus 12:3 The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid; also in verse 4.
Exodus 12:40 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint Egypt and Canaan