²¹ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take a lamb for yourselves according to [the size of] your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. ²² You shall take a bunch of ^[a]hyssop, dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and touch some of the blood to the lintel [above the doorway] and to the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

A Memorial of Redemption

²³ For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel [above the entry way] and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow ^[b]the destroyer to come into your houses to slay you. ²⁴ You shall observe this event [concerning Passover] as an ordinance for you and for your children forever. ²⁵ When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has promised, you shall keep and observe this service. ²⁶ When your children say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’ ²⁷ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed [their heads] low and worshiped [God].

²⁸ Then the Israelites went and did [as they had been told]: just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

²⁹ Now it happened at midnight that the Lord struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the ^[c]dungeon, and all the firstborn of the cattle. ³⁰ Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry [of heartache and sorrow] in Egypt, for there was no house where there was not someone dead. ³¹ Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Get up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites; and go, serve the Lord, as you said. ³² Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and [ask your God to] bless me also.”

Exodus of Israel

³³ The Egyptians [anxiously] urged the people [to leave], to send them out of the land quickly, for they said, “We will all be dead.” ³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

³⁵ Now the Israelites had acted in accordance with the word of Moses; and they had asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing. ³⁶ The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave them what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians [of those things].

³⁷ Now the Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides [the women and] the children. ³⁸ A mixed multitude [of non-Israelites from foreign nations] also went with them, along with both flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.^{(A) 39} And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought from Egypt; it was not leavened, since they were driven [quickly] from Egypt and could not delay, nor had they prepared any food for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the period of time the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.^{(B) 41} At the end of the four hundred and thirty years, to that very day, all the hosts of the Lord [gathered into tribal armies] left the land of Egypt.

Ordinance of the Passover

⁴² It is a night of watching to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out of the land of Egypt; this [same] night is for the Lord, to be observed and celebrated by all the Israelites throughout their generations.

⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no ^[d]foreigner is to eat it; ⁴⁴ but every man’s slave who is bought with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. ⁴⁵ No stranger (temporary resident, foreigner) or hired servant shall eat it. ⁴⁶ It is to be eaten inside one house; you shall not take any of the meat outside the house, nor shall you break any of its bones.^{(C) 47} The entire congregation of Israel shall keep and celebrate it. ⁴⁸ If a stranger living temporarily among you wishes to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, all his males must be circumcised, and then he may participate and celebrate it like one that is born in the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat it. ⁴⁹ The same law shall apply to the native-born and to the stranger who lives temporarily among you.”

⁵⁰ Then all the Israelites did so; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.