Exodus 12

Establishing the Feast Exodus 12:14–24

¹⁴Verse 14. This 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. ¹⁵Verse 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. ¹⁶Verse 16. In 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.

¹⁷Verse 17. You 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. ¹⁸Verse 18. 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. ¹⁹Verse 19. There 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.

²⁰Verse 20. You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.’” ²¹Verse 21. Then 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. ²²Verse 22. You 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. ²³Verse 23. For 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.

²⁴Verse 24. You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.

Firstborn Deaths in Egypt Exodus 12:25–30

²⁵Verse 25. It 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. ²⁶Verse 26. It will happen, when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ ²⁷Verse 27. that 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. ²⁸Verse 28. The children of Israel went and did so; as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ²⁹Verse 29. At 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.

³⁰Verse 30. 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.

The Israelites Depart Exodus 12:31–41

³¹Verse 31. He 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! ³²Verse 32. Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!” ³³Verse 33. The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We are all dead men.” ³⁴Verse 34. The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵Verse 35. 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 clothing.

³⁶Verse 36. Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians. ³⁷Verse 37. The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children. ³⁸Verse 38. A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock. ³⁹Verse 39. They 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. ⁴⁰Verse 40. Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.

⁴¹Verse 41. At the end of four hundred thirty years, to the day, all of Yahweh’s armies went out from the land of Egypt.

Passover Regulations and Exodus Exodus 12:42–51

⁴²Verse 42. It 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. ⁴³Verse 43. Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it, ⁴⁴Verse 44. but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it. ⁴⁵Verse 45. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it. ⁴⁶Verse 46. It 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.

⁴⁷Verse 47. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸Verse 48. When 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. ⁴⁹Verse 49. One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.” ⁵⁰Verse 50. All the children of Israel did so. As Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ⁵¹Verse 51. That same day, Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.