< Exodus 12 >

1 The Lord told Moses and Aaron while they were still in Egypt,
And YHWH spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2 “This month will be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
3 Tell all the Israelites that on the tenth day of this month, every man must choose a lamb for his family, one for each household.
Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
4 However, if the household is too small for a whole lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor may choose a lamb according to the total number of people. Divide up the lamb depending on what everybody can eat.
And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb must be a year-old male without any defects, and you can take it either from the sheep or the goats.
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 Keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the Israelites will slaughter the animals after sunset and before it gets dark.
And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they have the meal.
And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
8 They are to roast the meat over a fire and eat it that night, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9 You are not to eat the meat raw or boiled in water. All of it must be roasted it over a fire, including the head, legs, and its insides.
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
10 Make sure nothing is left until the morning. If there is anything left over, burn it by morning.
And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
11 This is how you are to eat the meal. You should be dressed ready to travel, with your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. You are to eat quickly—it is the Lord's Passover.
And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is YHWH 's passover.
12 That very night I will go all through Egypt and kill every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring condemnation on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the elohim of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am YHWH.
13 The blood on the houses where you live will mark them out. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deathly plague will fall on you to destroy you when I attack Egypt.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 This will be a day to remember for you. You are to celebrate it as a festival to the Lord for generations to come. You will observe this for all time to come.
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to YHWH throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
15 For seven days you must eat only bread made without yeast. On the first day you are to get rid of the yeast from your houses. Anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to seventh day must be excluded from the Israelite community.
Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 On both the first day and on the seventh day you are to have a holy meeting. You must not work on those days, except to prepare food. That is all you are allowed to do.
And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
17 You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread because on this very day I led your tribes by their respective divisions out of Egypt. You are to observe this day for all time to come.
And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.
18 In the first month you are to eat bread without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19 For seven days there must be no yeast in your houses. If anyone eats something with yeast in it, then they must be excluded from the Israelite community, whether they are a foreigner or native of the land.
Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.
20 You must not eat anything with yeast in it. Eat only bread without yeast in all your homes.”
Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.
21 Then Moses called together all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go immediately and choose a lamb for each of your families, and kill the Passover lamb.
Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
22 Get a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and put some on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you are to go out through door of the house until morning.
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
23 When the Lord passes through to punish the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. He will pass over the door, and he will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and kill you.
For YHWH will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, YHWH will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.
24 You and your descendants are to remember to observe these instructions for all time to come.
And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.
25 When you enter the land that the Lord promised to give you, you are to observe this ceremony.
And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which YHWH will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.
26 When your children come and ask you, ‘Why is this ceremony important to you?’
And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?
27 you are to tell them, ‘This is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord. He was the one who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he killed the Egyptians but spared our households.’” The people bowed down in worship.
That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of YHWH 's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
28 Then the Israelites went and did just as the Lord had told Moses and Aaron.
And the children of Israel went away, and did as YHWH had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
29 At midnight the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the jail, and also all the firstborn of the livestock.
And it came to pass, that at midnight YHWH smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharoah that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
30 Pharaoh got up during the night, as well as all his officials and all the Egyptians. There were loud cries of agony throughout Egypt, because there wasn't a single house where someone hadn't died.
And 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.
31 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron during the night and told them, “Get out of here! Leave my people, the two of you and the Israelites! Go, so you can worship the Lord as you have asked.
And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve YHWH, as ye have said.
32 Take your flocks and herds as well, just like you've said, and leave! Oh, and bless me too.”
Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.
33 The Egyptians urged the Israelites to leave their country as quickly as possible, saying, “Otherwise we'll all die!”
And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.
34 So the Israelites picked up their dough before it had risen, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.
And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
35 In addition, the Israelites did what Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for objects of silver and gold, and for clothing.
And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
36 The Lord had made the Egyptians look so favorably on the Israelites that they agreed their request. In this way they took the wealth of the Egyptians.
And YHWH gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites set out on foot from Rameses for Succoth and numbered about 600,000 men, as well as women and children.
And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
38 In addition many foreigners joined them. They also took with them large herds and flocks of livestock.
And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
39 Since their bread dough didn't have any yeast, the Israelites baked what they had brought out of Egypt into loaves without yeast. This was because when they were driven out of Egypt they had to leave in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare food for themselves.
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.
40 The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
41 On the very day the 430 years ended, all the tribes of the Lord by their respective divisions left Egypt.
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of YHWH went out from the land of Egypt.
42 Because the Lord kept watch that night to lead them out of the land of Egypt, you are to keep watch this same night as an observance to honor the Lord, to be kept by all Israelites for generations to come.
It is a night to be much observed unto YHWH for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of YHWH to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.
43 The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “This is the Passover ceremony. No foreigner is allowed to eat it.
And YHWH said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:
44 But any slave who has been bought can eat it once you have circumcised him.
But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 Foreign visitors or those hired from other nations shall not eat the Passover.
A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.
46 It has to be eaten inside the house. You are not allowed to take any of the meat outside the house, or to break any of the bones.
In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.
47 All Israelites are to celebrate it.
All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 If there's a foreigner lives with you and wants to celebrate the Lord's Passover, all the males in their household have to be circumcised. Then he may come and celebrate it, and he shall be treated like a native of the land. But no man who is not circumcised may eat it.
And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to YHWH, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 The same rule applies to both the native and the foreigner who lives among you.”
One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.
50 Then all the Israelites followed these instructions. They did exactly what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Thus did all the children of Israel; as YHWH commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
51 That very day the Lord led the Israelite tribes out of Egypt by their respective tribal divisions.
And it came to pass the selfsame day, that YHWH did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

< Exodus 12 >