Exodus 12
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
The Lord told Moses and Aaron while they were still in Egypt,
2 This month [shall be] to you the beginning of months: it is the first to you among the months of the year.
“This month will be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
3 Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, On the tenth of this month let them take each man a lamb according to the houses of their families, every man a lamb for his household.
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.
4 And if they be few in a household, so that there are not enough for the lamb, he shall take with himself his neighbor that lives near to him, —as to the number of souls, every one according to that which suffices him shall make a reckoning for the lamb.
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.
5 It shall be to you a lamb unblemished, a male of a year old: you shall take it of the lambs and the kids.
Your lamb must be a year-old male without any defects, and you can take it either from the sheep or the goats.
6 And it shall be kept by you till the fourteenth of this month, and all the multitude of the congregation of the children of Israel shall kill it toward evening.
Keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the Israelites will slaughter the animals after sunset and before it gets dark.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and shall put it on the two door-posts, and on the lintel, in the houses in which soever they shall eat them.
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.
8 And they shall eat the flesh in this night roast with fire, and they shall eat unleavened [bread] with bitter herbs.
They are to roast the meat over a fire and eat it that night, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 You shall not eat of it raw nor sodden in water, but only roast with fire, the head with the feet and the appurtenances.
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.
10 Nothing shall be left of it till the morning, and a bone of it you shall not break; but that which is left of it till the morning you shall burn with fire.
Make sure nothing is left until the morning. If there is anything left over, burn it by morning.
11 And thus shall you eat it: your loins girded, and your sandals on your feet, and your staves in your hands, and you shall eat it in haste. It is a passover to the Lord.
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.
12 and I will go throughout the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike every firstborn in the land of Egypt both man and beast, and on all the gods of Egypt will I execute vengeance: I [am] the Lord.
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.
13 And the blood shall be for a sign to you on the houses in which you are, and I will see the blood, and will protect you, and there shall not be on you the plague of destruction, when I strike in the land of Egypt.
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.
14 And this day shall be to you a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to the Lord through all your generations; you shall keep it a feast for a perpetual ordinance.
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.
15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and from the first day you shall utterly remove leaven from your houses: whoever shall eat leaven, that soul shall be utterly destroyed from Israel, from the first day until the seventh day.
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.
16 And the first day shall be called holy, and the seventh day shall be a holy convocation to you: you shall do no servile work on them, only as many things as will [necessarily] be done by every soul, this only shall be done by you.
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.
17 And you shall keep this commandment, for on this day will I bring out your force out of the land of Egypt; and you shall make this day a perpetual ordinance for you throughout your generations.
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.
18 Beginning the fourteenth day of the first month, you shall eat unleavened bread from evening, till the twenty-first day of the month, till evening.
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.
19 Seven days leaven shall not be found in your houses; whoever shall eat anything leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, both among the occupiers of the land and the original inhabitants.
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.
20 You shall eat nothing leavened, but in every habitation of your you shall eat unleavened bread.
You must not eat anything with yeast in it. Eat only bread without yeast in all your homes.”
21 And Moses called all the elders of the children of Israel, and said to them, Go away and take to yourselves a lamb according to your kindred, and kill the passover.
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.
22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, and having dipped it into some of the blood that is by the door, you shall touch the lintel, and [shall put it] upon both door-posts, even of the blood which is by the door; but you shall not go out every one from the door of his house till the morning.
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.
23 And the Lord shall pass by to strike the Egyptians, and shall see the blood upon the lintel, and upon both the door-posts; and the Lord shall pass by the door, and shall not suffer the destroyer to enter into your houses to strike [you].
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.
24 And keep you this thing as an ordinance for yourself and for your children for ever.
You and your descendants are to remember to observe these instructions for all time to come.
25 And if you should enter into the land, which the Lord shall give you, as he has spoken, keep this service.
When you enter the land that the Lord promised to give you, you are to observe this ceremony.
26 And it shall come to pass, if your sons say to you, What is this service?
When your children come and ask you, ‘Why is this ceremony important to you?’
27 that you shall say to them, This passover is a sacrifice to the Lord, as he defended the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, but delivered our houses.
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.
28 And the people bowed and worshipped. And the children of Israel departed and did as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.
Then the Israelites went and did just as the Lord had told Moses and Aaron.
29 And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharao that sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the captive-maid in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all cattle.
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.
30 And Pharao rose up by night, and his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in all the land of Egypt, for there was not a house in which there was not one dead.
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.
31 And Pharao called Moses and Aaron by night, and said to them, Rise and depart from my people, both you and the children of Israel. Go and serve the Lord your God, even as you say.
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.
32 And take with you your sheep, and your oxen: bless me also, I pray you.
Take your flocks and herds as well, just like you've said, and leave! Oh, and bless me too.”
33 And the Egyptians constrained the people, so that they cast them out of the land with haste, for they said, We all shall die.
The Egyptians urged the Israelites to leave their country as quickly as possible, saying, “Otherwise we'll all die!”
34 And the people took their dough before their meal was leavened, bound up [as it was] in their garments, on their shoulders.
So the Israelites picked up their dough before it had risen, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.
35 And the children of Israel did as Moses commanded them, and they asked of the Egyptians articles of silver and gold and apparel.
In addition, the Israelites did what Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for objects of silver and gold, and for clothing.
36 And the Lord gave his people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they lent to them; and they spoiled the Egyptians.
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.
37 And the children Israel departed from Ramesses to Socchoth, to [the full number of] six hundred thousand footmen, even men, besides the baggage.
The Israelites set out on foot from Rameses for Succoth and numbered about 600,000 men, as well as women and children.
38 And a great mixed [company] went up with them, and sheep and oxen and very much cattle.
In addition many foreigners joined them. They also took with them large herds and flocks of livestock.
39 And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt, unleavened cakes, for it had not been leavened; for the Egyptians cast them out, and they could not remain, neither did they prepare provision for themselves for the journey.
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.
40 And the sojourning of the children of Israel, while they sojourned in the land of Egypt and the land of Chanaan, [was] four hundred and thirty years.
The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
41 And it came to pass after the four hundred and thirty years, all the forces of the Lord came forth out of the land of Egypt by night.
On the very day the 430 years ended, all the tribes of the Lord by their respective divisions left Egypt.
42 It is a watch kept to the Lord, so that he should bring them out of the land of Egypt; that very night is a watch kept to the Lord, so that it should be to all the children of Israel to their generations.
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.
43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, This is the law of the passover: no stranger shall eat of it.
The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “This is the Passover ceremony. No foreigner is allowed to eat it.
44 And every slave or servant bought with money—him you shall circumcise, and then shall he eat of it.
But any slave who has been bought can eat it once you have circumcised him.
45 A sojourner or hireling shall not eat of it.
Foreign visitors or those hired from other nations shall not eat the Passover.
46 In one house shall it be eaten, and you shall not carry of the flesh out from the house; and a bone of it you shall not break.
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.
47 All the congregation of the children of Israel shall keep it.
All Israelites are to celebrate it.
48 And if any proselyte shall come to you to keep the passover to the Lord, you shall circumcise every male of him, and then shall he approach to sacrifice it, and he shall be even as the original inhabitant of the land; no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
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.
49 There shall be one law to the native, and to the proselyte coming among you.
The same rule applies to both the native and the foreigner who lives among you.”
50 And the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron for them, so they did.
Then all the Israelites followed these instructions. They did exactly what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.
51 And it came to pass in that day that the Lord brought out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt with their forces.
That very day the Lord led the Israelite tribes out of Egypt by their respective tribal divisions.
