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The First-Born Die

11 The Lord said to Moses, “I will bring trouble upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt one more time. After that he will let you go. He will not only let you go, but he will make you leave. Tell the people that each man should ask his neighbor and each woman ask her neighbor for things made of silver and gold.” Then the Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. And the man Moses was respected in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants and the people.

Moses said, “The Lord says this: ‘About midnight I will go through Egypt. And all the first-born in the land of Egypt will die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the servant girl grinding the grain, and even the first-born of the cattle. There will be loud crying in all the land of Egypt, more than has ever been heard before or will ever be heard again. Not even a dog will make a sound against those of Israel, man or animal, so you may know that the Lord divides Egypt from Israel.’ All these who are your servants will come to me and bow in front of me. They will say, ‘Go away, you and all the people who follow you.’ After that I will go.” And he went away from Pharaoh very angry. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. So I will do more powerful works in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron did all these great works in front of Pharaoh. But the Lord made Pharaoh’s heart hard. He did not let the people of Israel leave his land.

The Passover

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month will be the beginning of months. It will be the first month of the year to you. Speak to the people of Israel when they are gathered together. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month, every man must take a lamb for those of his father’s house, a lamb for each house. If those in the house are too few to eat a lamb, let him and his nearest neighbor take the right amount for the number of people. Divide the lamb by how much each can eat. Your lamb must be perfect, a male lamb one year old. You may take it from the sheep or the goats. Keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the people of Israel are to kill it in the evening. Then they must take some of the blood and put it on the wood pieces at the sides and top of the door of each house where they will eat it. They must eat the meat that same night, made ready over a fire. They will eat it with bread made without yeast and with bitter plants. Do not eat any of it if it is not cooked or if it is made ready by boiling. But cook it over a fire, its head, legs and inside parts. 10 Do not save any of it until morning. Burn with fire whatever is left of it before morning.

11 “Eat it with your shoes on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. And you must eat it in a hurry. It is the time the Lord will pass over. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night. And I will kill all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 But the blood will mark for you the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you. And no trouble will come upon you to destroy you when I punish the land of Egypt.

14 “This day will be for you to remember. You must remember it by having a special supper in honor to the Lord. All of you must keep it as a law forever. 15 Seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day you must get all the yeast out of your houses. Whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day will be taken away from Israel. 16 On the first day you must have a holy meeting of the people, and another holy meeting on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to get ready what every person must eat. You may do only that. 17 You must have the special supper of bread without yeast. For on this same day I brought your family groups out of the land of Egypt. So all of you must remember this day as a law forever.

18 “In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you must eat bread made without yeast. 19 There must be no yeast found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats anything with yeast, that person, stranger or born in the land, will be cut off from the people of Israel. 20 Do not eat anything with yeast. You must eat bread made without yeast in all your homes.”

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) Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”(C) (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.)

So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight(F) I will go throughout Egypt.(G) 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. There will be loud wailing(J) throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 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. 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.

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, “This month is to be for you the first month,(R) the first month of your year. 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) 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. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect,(U) and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 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) 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. 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) 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)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:3 The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid; also in verse 4.