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^(A) from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.^{(B) 2} Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”^{(C) 3} (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed^(D) toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded^(E) in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

⁴ So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight^(F) I will go throughout Egypt.^{(G) 5} Every firstborn^(H) 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,^(I) and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ⁶ There will be loud wailing^(J) throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. ⁷ But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction^(K) between Egypt and Israel. ⁸ All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go,^(L) you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.”^(M) Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

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

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

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

¹² “On that same night I will pass through^(AG) Egypt and strike down^(AH) every firstborn^(AI) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods^(AJ) of Egypt. I am the Lord.^{(AK) 13} The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over^(AL) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.^(AM)

¹⁴ “This is a day you are to commemorate;^(AN) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.^{(AO) 15} For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.^(AP) 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^(AQ) from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work^(AR) 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,^(AS) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.^(AT) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.^{(AU) 18} In the first month^(AV) you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. ¹⁹ For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner^(AW) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off^(AX) from the community of Israel. ²⁰ Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,^(AY) you must eat unleavened bread.”^(AZ)