Exodus 8-25

New American Standard Bible

Frogs over the Land

8 ^[a]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(A)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. ² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike your entire territory with frogs. ³ The Nile will ^(B)swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house, and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. ⁴ So the frogs will come up on you, your people, and on all your servants.”’” ^5 [b]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘^(C)Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the ^[c]streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” ⁶ So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the ^[d](D)frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ However, ^(E)the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, ^[e]making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh ^(F)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “^(G)Plead with the Lord ^[f]to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and ^(H)I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” ⁹ And Moses said to Pharaoh, “^[g]The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, ^[h]that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they be left only in the Nile?”

¹⁰ Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is ^(I)no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The ^(J)frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” ¹² Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and ^(K)Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had ^[i]inflicted upon Pharaoh. ¹³ The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. ¹⁴ So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he ^[j]hardened his heart and ^(L)did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Insects

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may turn into ^[k]gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” ¹⁷ They did so; and Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were ^[l]gnats on every ^[m]person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into ^[n](M)gnats through all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce ^[o]gnats, but ^(N)they could not; so there were ^[p]gnats on every person and animal. ¹⁹ Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “^(O)This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was ^[q]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

²⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(P)Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, ^[r]as ^(Q)he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(R)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. ²¹ For if you are not going to let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they live. ^22 (S)But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are ^[s]living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that ^[t](T)I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. ²³ I will ^[u]put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” ²⁴ Then the Lord did so. And ^[v]thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was ^(U)laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

²⁵ Then Pharaoh ^(V)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “^(W)Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” ²⁶ But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the Lord our God ^[w]that which is ^(X)an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice ^[x]that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? ²⁷ We must go a ^(Y)three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He ^[y]commands us.” ²⁸ Pharaoh said, “^(Z)I will let you go, so that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. ^(AA)Plead for me.” ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going to leave you, and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh ^(AB)deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

³⁰ So ^(AC)Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. ³¹ The Lord did ^[z]as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh ^[aa]hardened his heart this time also, and ^(AD)he did not let the people go.

Egyptian Livestock Die

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “^(AE)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. ² For ^(AF)if you refuse to let them go and ^[ab]continue to hold them, ³ behold, ^(AG)the hand of the Lord ^[ac]will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. ^4 (AH)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that ^(AI)nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’” ⁵ And the Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” ⁶ So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and ^(AJ)all the livestock of Egypt died; ^(AK)but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died. ⁷ And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But ^(AL)the heart of Pharaoh was ^[ad]hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. ⁹ Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into ^(AM)boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal. ^11 (AN)The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians. ¹² But ^(AO)the Lord ^[ae]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(AP)Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “^(AQ)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. ¹⁴ For this time I am going to send all My plagues ^[af]on you and your servants and your people, so that ^(AR)you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. ¹⁵ For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth. ¹⁶ But indeed, ^(AS)for this reason I have allowed you to ^[ag]remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth. ¹⁷ Still you exalt yourself against My people ^[ah]by not letting them go.

The Plague of Hail

¹⁸ Behold, about this time tomorrow, ^(AT)I will ^[ai]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded ^[aj]until now. ¹⁹ So now, send word, bring ^(AU)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. ^(AV)Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” ^20 (AW)Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who ^[ak]feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; ²¹ but everyone who ^[al]did not pay regard to the word of the Lord ^[am]left his servants and his livestock in the field.

²² Now the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that ^[an](AX)hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” ²³ So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the Lord ^[ao]sent ^[ap]thunder and ^(AY)hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ^25 (AZ)The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. ^26 (BA)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh ^[aq](BB)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “^(BC)I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. ^28 (BD)Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s ^[ar]thunder and hail; and ^(BE)I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” ²⁹ Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will ^(BF)spread out my ^[as]hands to the Lord; the ^[at]thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that ^(BG)the earth is the Lord’s. ^30 (BH)But as for you and your servants, I know that ^(BI)you do not yet ^[au]fear ^[av]the Lord God.” ³¹ (Now the flax and the ^(BJ)barley were ^[aw]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. ³² But the wheat and the spelt were not ^[ax]ruined, for they ripen late.) ^33 (BK)So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his ^[ay]hands to the Lord; and the ^[az]thunder and the hail stopped, and rain ^[ba]no longer poured on the earth. ³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the ^[bb]thunder had stopped, he sinned again and ^[bc]hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵ So Pharaoh’s heart was ^[bd]hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the ^(BL)Lord had spoken through Moses.

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for ^(BM)I have ^[be]hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may ^[bf]perform these signs of Mine ^[bg]among them, ² and ^(BN)that you may tell in the ^[bh]presence of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I ^[bi]performed My signs among them, ^(BO)so that you may know that I am the Lord.”

³ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to ^(BP)humble yourself before Me? ^(BQ)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. ⁴ For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. ⁵ And they will cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. ^(BR)They will also eat the rest of what has survived—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree of yours which grows ^[bj]in the field. ⁶ Then ^(BS)your houses will be filled with them, ^[bk]together with the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they ^[bl]came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and left Pharaoh. ⁷ Then ^(BT)Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be ^(BU)a snare to us? Let the ^[bm]people go, so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet ^[bn]realize that Egypt is destroyed?” ⁸ So Moses and Aaron ^(BV)were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “^(BW)Go, serve the Lord your God! ^[bo]Who specifically are the ones who are going?” ⁹ Moses said, “^(BX)We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, ^(BY)with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we ^[bp]must hold a feast to the Lord.” ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “So may the Lord be with you, when I let you and your little ones go! Watch out, for evil is ^[bq]on your mind! ¹¹ Not so! Go now, but only the men among you, and serve the Lord, since ^[br]that is what you desire.” So ^(BZ)they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(CA)Reach out with your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up on the land of Egypt and ^(CB)eat every plant of the land, everything that the hail has left.” ¹³ So Moses reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind ^[bs]brought the ^(CC)locusts. ^14 (CD)The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very ^[bt]numerous. There had never been so many ^[bu]locusts, nor would there be so many ^[bv]again. ¹⁵ For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ^(CE)ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Therefore nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ Then Pharaoh hurriedly ^(CF)called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “^(CG)I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ So now, please forgive my sin only this once, and ^(CH)plead with the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” ¹⁸ Then ^(CI)he left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. ¹⁹ So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind, which picked up the locusts and drove them into the ^[bw]Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But ^(CJ)the Lord ^[bx]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

Darkness over the Land

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(CK)Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness ^(CL)which may be felt.” ²² So Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was ^(CM)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, ^(CN)but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. ²⁴ Then Pharaoh ^(CO)called for Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be left behind. Even ^(CP)your little ones may go with you.” ²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also ^[by]let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may ^[bz]sacrifice them to the Lord our God. ^26 (CQ)Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.” ²⁷ But ^(CR)the Lord ^[ca]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “^(CS)Get away from me! ^[cb]Be careful, do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you shall die!” ²⁹ Moses said, “You have spoken correctly; ^(CT)I shall never see your face again!”

The Last Plague

11 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; ^(CU)after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will assuredly drive you out from here completely. ² Speak now ^[cc]so that the people hear, that ^(CV)each man is to ask of his neighbor, and each woman of her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” ³ And ^(CW)the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. ^(CX)Furthermore, the man Moses himself was ^[cd]greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴ Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About ^(CY)midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, ⁵ and ^(CZ)all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ⁶ So there shall be ^(DA)a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. ^7 (DB)But not even a dog will ^[ce]threaten any of the sons of Israel, nor anything from person to animal, so that you may ^[cf]learn how the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’ ⁸ And ^(DC)all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow themselves ^[cg]before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who ^[ch]follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” ^(DD)And he left Pharaoh in the heat of anger.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(DE)Pharaoh will not listen to you, so ^(DF)that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ So ^(DG)Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet ^(DH)the Lord ^[ci]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

The Passover Lamb

12 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of ^[cj]Egypt, ² “^(DI)This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you. ³ Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a ^[ck]lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a ^[cl]lamb for ^[cm]each household. ⁴ Now if the household is too small for a ^[cn]lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the ^[co]number of persons in them; in proportion to ^[cp]what each one should eat, you are to ^[cq]divide the lamb. ⁵ Your ^[cr]lamb shall be ^(DJ)an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ^6 [cs]You shall keep it until the ^(DK)fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it ^[ct](DL)at twilight. ^7 (DM)Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel ^[cu]of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸ They shall eat the flesh ^(DN)that same night, ^(DO)roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with ^(DP)unleavened bread ^[cv](DQ)and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather ^(DR)roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with ^(DS)its entrails. ^10 (DT)And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall completely burn with fire. ¹¹ Now you shall eat it in this way: with your garment ^[cw]belted around your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in a hurry—it is ^(DU)the Lord’s Passover. ¹² For ^(DV)I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and fatally strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the human firstborn to animals; and ^(DW)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—^(DX)I am the Lord. ^13 (DY)The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you ^[cx]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you ^[cy]to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

¹⁴ ‘Now ^(DZ)this day shall be ^(EA)a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as ^[cz](EB)a permanent ordinance. ¹⁵ For ^(EC)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove dough with yeast from your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast from the first day until the seventh day, ^(ED)that ^[da]person shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ And ^(EE)on the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except for what must be eaten by every person—that alone may be ^[db]prepared by you. ¹⁷ You shall also keep ^(EF)the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this ^(EG)very day I brought your ^[dc]multitudes out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as ^(EH)a ^[dd]permanent ordinance. ^18 (EI)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. ¹⁹ For ^(EJ)seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that ^[de](EK)person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. ²⁰ You shall not eat anything with yeast; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

²¹ Then ^(EL)Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and ^(EM)take for yourselves ^[df]lambs according to your families, and slaughter ^(EN)the Passover lamb. ²² And ^(EO)you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and ^[dg]apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

A Memorial of Redemption

²³ For ^(EP)the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; but when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will ^(EQ)not allow the ^(ER)destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. ²⁴ And ^(ES)you shall keep this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. ²⁵ When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has ^[dh]promised, you shall keep this ^[di]rite. ^26 (ET)And when your children say to you, ‘^[dj]What does this rite mean to you?’ ²⁷ then you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to ^(EU)the Lord because He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but ^[dk]spared our homes.’” ^(EV)And the people bowed low and worshiped.

²⁸ Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

²⁹ Now it came about at ^(EW)midnight that ^(EX)the Lord struck all ^(EY)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 ^(EZ)cattle. ³⁰ And Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was ^(FA)a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. ³¹ Then ^(FB)he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, ^(FC)get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, ^[dl]worship the Lord, as you have said. ³² Take ^(FD)both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”

Exodus of Israel

^33 (FE)The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in a hurry, for they said, “We will all be dead.” ³⁴ So the people took ^(FF)their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.

^35 (FG)Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; ³⁶ and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Therefore they ^(FH)plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ Now the ^(FI)sons of Israel journeyed from ^(FJ)Rameses to Succoth, about ^(FK)six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. ³⁸ A ^(FL)mixed multitude also went up with them, ^[dm]along with flocks and herds, a ^(FM)very large number of livestock. ³⁹ And they baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had no yeast, since they were ^(FN)driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they ^[dn]prepared any provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the time ^[do]that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was ^(FO)430 years. ⁴¹ And at the end of 430 years, on ^(FP)this very day, ^(FQ)all the ^[dp]multitudes of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt.

Ordinance of the Passover

^42 (FR)It is a night ^[dq]to be observed for the Lord, for having brought them out of the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, ^[dr]to be observed by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of ^(FS)the Passover: no ^[ds](FT)foreigner is to eat it; ⁴⁴ but as for every ^(FU)slave ^[dt]that someone has purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. ^45 (FV)A stranger or a hired worker shall not eat it. ⁴⁶ It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring any of the meat outside of the house, ^(FW)nor are you to break any bone of it. ^47 (FX)All the congregation of Israel are to ^[du]celebrate this. ⁴⁸ But ^(FY)if a stranger resides with you and ^[dv]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to ^[dw]celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it. ^49 [dx](FZ)The same law shall ^[dy]apply to the native as to the stranger who resides among you.”

⁵⁰ Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ And on that very day ^(GA)the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt ^(GB)according to their ^[dz]multitudes.

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(GC)Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the firstborn of every womb among the sons of Israel, among people and animals alike; it belongs to Me.”

³ And Moses said to the people, “^(GD)Remember this day in which you departed from Egypt, from the house of ^[ea]slavery; for ^(GE)by ^[eb]a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. ^(GF)And nothing with yeast shall be eaten. ⁴ On this day in the ^(GG)month of Abib, you are about to go out from here. ⁵ And it shall be when the Lord ^(GH)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which ^(GI)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^(GJ)that you shall ^[ec]perform this rite in this month. ⁶ For ^(GK)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. ⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and ^(GL)nothing with yeast shall ^[ed]be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast ^[ee]be seen among you in all your borders. ⁸ And ^(GM)you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ And ^(GN)it shall ^[ef]serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder ^[eg]on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with ^(GO)a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰ Therefore, you shall ^(GP)keep this ordinance at its appointed time from ^[eh]year to year.

¹¹ “Now when ^(GQ)the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as ^(GR)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, ^12 (GS)you shall ^[ei]devote to the Lord every firstborn of a womb, and every firstborn offspring of an animal that you own; the males belong to the Lord. ¹³ But ^(GT)every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and ^(GU)every ^[ej]firstborn among your sons you shall redeem. ^14 (GV)And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘^(GW)With ^[ek]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of ^[el]slavery. ¹⁵ And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the ^(GX)Lord put to death every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborns to animal firstborns. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, every firstborn of a womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶ So ^(GY)it shall ^[em]serve as a sign on your hand and as ^[en]phylacteries ^[eo]on your forehead, for with ^[ep]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

God Leads the People

¹⁷ Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “^(GZ)The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the ^[eq]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ^(HA)in battle formation from the land of Egypt. ¹⁹ And Moses took ^(HB)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly ^[er]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” ²⁰ Then they set out from ^(HC)Succoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. ²¹ And ^(HD)the Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they might ^[es]travel by day and by night. ^22 [et]He ^(HE)did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from the presence of the people.

Pharaoh in Pursuit

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of ^(HF)Pi-hahiroth, between ^(HG)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. ³ For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴ And ^(HH)I will ^[eu]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and ^(HI)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and ^(HJ)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, ^[ev]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶ So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him; ⁷ and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. ⁸ So ^(HK)the Lord ^[ew]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out ^[ex](HL)boldly. ⁹ Then ^(HM)the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, ^(HN)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel ^[ey]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; ^(HO)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then ^(HP)they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, ^[ez]bringing us out of Egypt? ^12 (HQ)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘^[fa]Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”

The Sea Is Divided

¹³ But Moses said to the people, “^(HR)Do not fear! ^[fb]Stand by and see ^(HS)the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. ^14 (HT)The Lord will fight for you, while ^(HU)you keep silent.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ As for you, lift up ^(HV)your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall ^[fc]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. ¹⁷ And as for Me, behold, ^(HW)I will ^[fd]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ^18 (HX)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”

¹⁹ Then ^(HY)the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. ²⁰ So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud ^[fe]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.

^21 (HZ)Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord ^[ff]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into ^(IA)dry land, and ^(IB)the waters were divided. ²² So ^(IC)the sons of Israel ^[fg]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and ^(ID)the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. ²³ Then ^(IE)the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. ²⁴ But at the morning watch, ^(IF)the Lord looked down on the ^[fh]army of the Egyptians ^[fi]through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the ^[fj]army of the Egyptians into confusion. ²⁵ He ^[fk]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, ^(IG)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(IH)Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” ²⁷ So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and ^(II)the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing ^[fl]right into it; then the Lord ^[fm](IJ)overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; ^(IK)not even one of them remained. ²⁹ But the sons of Israel walked on ^(IL)dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.

^30 (IM)So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel ^(IN)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹ When Israel saw the great ^[fn]power which the Lord had ^[fo]used against the Egyptians, the people ^[fp]feared the Lord, and ^(IO)they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses and Israel

15 ^(IP)Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, ^[fq]saying:

^19 (KG)For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on ^(KH)dry land through the midst of the sea.

^20 (KI)Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the ^(KJ)tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with ^[gb](KK)dancing. ²¹ And Miriam answered them,

The Lord Provides Water

^22 (KM)Then Moses ^[gd]led Israel from the ^[ge]Red Sea, and they went out into ^(KN)the wilderness of ^(KO)Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. ²³ When they came to ^(KP)Marah, they could not drink the waters ^[gf]of Marah, because they were ^[gg]bitter; for that reason it was named ^[gh]Marah. ²⁴ So the people ^(KQ)grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” ²⁵ Then he ^(KR)cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ^(KS)a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There He ^(KT)made for them a statute and regulation, and there He ^(KU)tested them. ²⁶ And He said, “^(KV)If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen ^(KW)to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, ^(KX)I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, ^(KY)the Lord, am your healer.”

²⁷ Then they came to ^(KZ)Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

The Lord Provides Manna

16 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of ^(LA)Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on ^(LB)the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. ² But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel ^(LC)grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The sons of Israel said to them, “^(LD)If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, ^(LE)when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^(LF)I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may ^(LG)test them, whether or not they will walk in My ^[gi]instruction. ^5 (LH)On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening ^[gj](LI)you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; ⁷ and in the morning ^[gk]you will see ^(LJ)the glory of the Lord, for ^(LK)He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and ^(LL)what are we, that you grumble against us?”

The Lord Provides Meat

⁸ And Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are ^(LM)not against us but against the Lord.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘^(LN)Come forward before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” ¹⁰ And it came about, as Aaron spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they ^[gl]looked toward the wilderness, and behold, ^(LO)the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “^(LP)I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘^[gm]At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and ^(LQ)you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ So it came about at evening that ^(LR)the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning ^(LS)there was a layer of dew around the camp. ^14 (LT)When the layer of dew ^[gn]evaporated, behold, on the ^[go]surface of the wilderness ^(LU)there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “^[gp]What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “^(LV)It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is ^[gq]what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone gather ^[gr]as much as he will eat; you shall take ^[gs](LW)an omer apiece according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’” ¹⁷ The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. ¹⁸ When they measured it by the ^[gt]omer, ^(LX)the one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little; everyone gathered ^[gu]as much as he would eat. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, “^(LY)No one is to leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank; and Moses was angry with them. ²¹ They gathered it morning by morning, everyone ^[gv]as much as he would eat; but when the sun became hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath

^22 (LZ)Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, ^[gw]two omers for each one. When all the ^(MA)leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³ then he said to them, “This is what the Lord ^[gx]meant: ^(MB)Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and ^(MC)all that is left over ^[gy]put aside to be kept until morning.” ²⁴ So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and ^(MD)it did not stink nor was there a maggot in it. ²⁵ Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. ^26 (ME)Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be ^[gz]none.”

²⁷ Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(MF)How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My ^[ha]instructions? ²⁹ See, ^[hb]the Lord has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ And the house of ^(MG)Israel named the bread ^[hc]manna, and it was like ^(MH)coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. ³² Then Moses said, “This is ^[hd]what the Lord has commanded: ‘A ^[he]full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” ³³ And Moses said to Aaron, “^(MI)Take a jar and put a ^[hf]full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept safe throughout your generations.” ³⁴ As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before ^(MJ)the Testimony, to be kept. ³⁵ And ^(MK)the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (Now ^(ML)an ^[hg]omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Water in the Rock

17 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by ^[hh]stages from the wilderness of ^(MM)Sin, according to the ^[hi]command of the Lord, and camped at ^(MN)Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. ² So the people ^(MO)quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “^(MP)Why do you quarrel with me? ^(MQ)Why do you test the Lord?” ³ But the people were thirsty for water there; and ^[hj]they ^(MR)grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is it that you have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill ^[hk]us and ^[hl]our children and ^[hm](MS)our livestock with thirst?” ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What am I to do with this people? A ^(MT)little more and they will stone me!” ⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of ^(MU)the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which ^(MV)you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at ^(MW)Horeb; and ^(MX)you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ Then he named the place ^[hn](MY)Massah and ^[ho](MZ)Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they ^(NA)tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Miraculous Battle against Amalek

⁸ Then ^(NB)Amalek came and fought against Israel at ^(NC)Rephidim. ⁹ So Moses said to ^(ND)Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with ^(NE)the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ Joshua did just as Moses ^[hp]told him, ^[hq]and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and ^(NF)Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand ^[hr]down, Amalek prevailed. ¹² And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur ^(NG)supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. ¹³ And Joshua ^[hs]defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(NH)Write this in ^[ht]a book as a memorial and ^[hu]recite it to Joshua, ^[hv]that ^(NI)I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ And Moses built an ^(NJ)altar and named it ^(NK)The Lord is My Banner; ¹⁶ and he said, “^[hw](NL)Because the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law

18 Now ^(NM)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took in Moses’ wife ^(NN)Zipporah, after he had sent her away, ³ and her ^(NO)two sons, ^[hx]one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been ^(NP)a stranger in a foreign land.” ⁴ And ^[hy]the other was named ^[hz](NQ)Eliezer, for he said, “^(NR)The God of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵ Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses ^[ia]in the wilderness where he was camped, at ^(NS)the mountain of God. ⁶ And he ^[ib]sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.” ⁷ Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and ^(NT)he bowed down and ^(NU)kissed him; and they ^(NV)asked each other about their welfare, and went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians ^(NW)for Israel’s sake, all the ^(NX)hardship that had confronted them on the journey, and how ^(NY)the Lord had rescued them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced over all ^(NZ)the goodness which the Lord had done for Israel, ^[ic]in rescuing ^[id]them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ So Jethro said, “^(OA)Blessed be the Lord who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that ^(OB)the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, ^[ie](OC)it was proven when they acted insolently against ^[if]the people.” ^12 (OD)Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat ^[ig]a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Jethro Counsels Moses

¹³ And it came about the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. ¹⁴ Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me ^(OE)to inquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a ^[ih](OF)dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between someone and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.” ¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law then said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. ^18 (OG)You will surely wear out, both yourself and ^[ii]these people who are with you, because the ^[ij]task is too heavy for you; ^(OH)you cannot do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to ^[ik]me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. ^[il]You be the people’s representative before God, and you ^(OI)bring the ^[im]disputes to God, ^20 (OJ)then admonish them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them ^(OK)the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. ²¹ Furthermore, you shall ^[in]select out of all the people ^(OL)able men ^(OM)who fear God, men of truth, those who ^(ON)hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, ^[io]of hundreds, ^[ip]of fifties, and ^[iq]of tens. ²² Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be ^(OO)that they will bring to you every major matter, but they will judge every minor matter themselves. So it will be easier for you, and ^(OP)they will carry the burden with you. ²³ If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to ^[ir]endure, and all ^[is]these people also will go to ^[it]their places in peace.”

²⁴ So Moses listened ^[iu]to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose ^(OQ)able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, ^[iv]of hundreds, ^[iw]of fifties, and ^[ix]of tens. ²⁶ Then they judged the people at all times; ^(OR)they would bring the difficult matter to Moses, but they would judge every minor matter themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses ^[iy](OS)said goodbye to his father-in-law, and ^[iz]Jethro went his way to his own land.

Moses on Sinai

19 ^(OT)In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, ^[ja]on that very day they came into the wilderness of ^(OU)Sinai. ² When they set out from ^(OV)Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of ^(OW)the mountain. ³ And Moses went up to God, and ^(OX)the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ⁴ ‘^(OY)You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on ^(OZ)eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now then, ^(PA)if you will indeed obey My voice and ^(PB)keep My covenant, then you shall be ^(PC)My ^[jb]own possession among all the peoples, for ^(PD)all the earth is Mine; ⁶ and you shall be to Me ^(PE)a kingdom of priests and ^(PF)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

^7 (PG)So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ Then ^(PH)all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in ^(PI)a thick cloud, so that the ^(PJ)people may hear when I speak with you and may also trust in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰ The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and ^(PK)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them ^(PL)wash their garments; ¹¹ and have them ready for the third day, for on ^(PM)the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² But you shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘^[jc]Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; ^(PN)whoever touches the mountain shall certainly be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch him, but ^(PO)he shall certainly be stoned or ^[jd]shot through; whether animal or person, the violator shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to ^(PP)the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ He also said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

^16 (PQ)So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were ^[je]thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the ^[jf]foot of the mountain.

The Lord Visits Sinai

^18 (PR)Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it ^(PS)in fire; and its smoke ascended like ^(PT)the smoke of a furnace, and ^(PU)the entire mountain ^[jg]quaked violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and ^(PV)God answered him with ^[jh]thunder. ²⁰ Then ^(PW)the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down, ^[ji]warn the people, so that ^(PX)they do not break through to the Lord to stare, and many of them ^[jj]perish. ²² Also have the ^(PY)priests who approach the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You ^[jk]warned us, saying, ‘^(PZ)Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “^[jl]Go down and come up again, ^(QA)you and Aaron with you; but do not let the ^(QB)priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

² “^(QC)I am the Lord your God, ^(QD)who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^[jm]slavery.

³ “^(QE)You shall have no other ^(QF)gods ^[jn]before Me.

⁴ “^(QG)You shall not make for yourself ^[jo]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. ^5 (QH)You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a ^(QI)jealous God, ^(QJ)inflicting the ^[jp]punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing ^[jq]favor to ^(QK)thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷ “^(QL)You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not ^[jr]leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

⁸ “Remember ^(QM)the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ^9 (QN)For six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it ^(QO)you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your ^[js]resident who ^[jt]stays with you. ^11 (QP)For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “^(QQ)Honor your father and your mother, so that your ^(QR)days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you.

¹³ “^(QS)You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “^(QT)You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “^(QU)You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “^(QV)You shall not ^[ju]give false testimony against your ^(QW)neighbor.

¹⁷ “^(QX)You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; ^(QY)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ And ^(QZ)all the people were watching and hearing the ^[jv]thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance. ^19 (RA)Then they said to Moses, “Speak ^[jw]to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak ^[jx]to us, or we will die!” ²⁰ However, Moses said to the people, “^(RB)Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ^(RC)to test you, and in order that ^(RD)the fear of Him may ^[jy]remain with you, so that you will not sin.” ²¹ So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached ^(RE)the thick darkness where God was.

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that ^(RF)I have spoken ^[jz]to you from heaven. ^23 (RG)You shall not make other gods besides Me; ^(RH)gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. ²⁴ You shall make ^(RI)an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your ^(RJ)burnt offerings and your ^(RK)peace offerings, ^(RL)your sheep and your oxen; in every place ^(RM)where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ And if you make an altar of stone for Me, ^(RN)you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you will profane it. ²⁶ And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ^(RO)your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

Ordinances for the People

21 “Now these are the ^(RP)ordinances which you are to set before them:

² “If you buy ^(RQ)a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall leave as a free man without a payment to you. ³ If he comes ^[ka]alone, he shall leave ^[kb]alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall leave with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall leave ^[kc]alone. ⁵ But ^(RR)if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him to ^[kd]God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an ^[ke]awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

⁷ “Now ^(RS)if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to ^[kf]go free ^(RT)as the male slaves ^[kg]do. ⁸ If she is ^[kh]displeasing in the eyes of her master ^[ki]who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people, because of his ^[kj]unfairness to her. ⁹ And if he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her ^[kk]food, her clothing, or ^(RU)her conjugal rights. ¹¹ But if he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go ^[kl]free for nothing, without payment of money.

Personal Injuries

¹² “^(RV)He who strikes someone so that he dies shall certainly be put to death. ^13 (RW)Yet ^[km]if he did not lie in wait for him, but ^(RX)God caused him to fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. ^14 (RY)If, however, someone is enraged against his neighbor, so as to kill him in a cunning way, you are to take him even from My altar, to be put to death.

¹⁵ “And one who strikes his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁶ “Now ^(RZ)one who ^[kn]kidnaps someone, whether he sells him or he is found in his ^[ko]possession, shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁷ “And ^(SA)one who curses his father or his mother shall certainly be put to death.

¹⁸ “Now if people have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with a fist, and he does not die but ^[kp]is confined to bed, ¹⁹ if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his ^[kq]loss of time, and ^[kr]shall pay for his care until he is completely healed.

²⁰ “And if someone strikes his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies ^[ks]at his hand, he shall ^[kt]be punished. ²¹ If, however, the slave ^[ku]survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; ^(SB)for the slave is his ^[kv]property.

²² “Now if people struggle with each other and strike a pregnant woman so that ^[kw]she gives birth prematurely, but there is no injury, the guilty person shall certainly be fined as the woman’s husband ^[kx]may demand of him, and he shall ^(SC)pay ^[ky]as the judges decide. ²³ But if there is any further injury, ^(SD)then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, ^24 (SE)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, ^[kz]bruise for bruise.

²⁶ “And if someone strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he shall let ^[la]the slave go free on account of the eye. ²⁷ And if he ^[lb]knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let ^[lc]the slave go free on account of the tooth.

²⁸ “Now if an ox gores a man or a woman ^[ld]to death, ^(SF)the ox shall certainly be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. ²⁹ If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰ If a ransom is ^[le]demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is ^[lf]demanded of him. ³¹ Whether it gores a son or ^[lg]a daughter, it shall be done to him according to ^[lh]the same rule. ³² If the ox gores a male or female slave, ^[li]the owner shall give his or her master ^[lj](SG)thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

Property Rights

³³ “Now if someone opens a pit, or ^[lk]digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall ^[ll]give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

³⁵ “And if someone’s ox injures another’s ox so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its proceeds equally; and they shall also divide the dead ox. ³⁶ Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he must make restitution of ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

Property Rights

22 “^[lm]If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and ^(SH)four sheep for the sheep— ^2 [ln]If the ^(SI)thief is ^[lo]caught while ^[lp]breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account. ³ If the sun has risen on him, there will be guilt for bloodshed on his account—A thief shall certainly make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be ^(SJ)sold for his theft. ⁴ If what he stole is actually found alive in his ^[lq]possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^(SK)he shall pay double.

⁵ “If someone lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another person’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶ “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, and stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution.

⁷ “^(SL)If someone gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the ^[lr]neighbor’s house, if the thief is ^[ls]caught, then the thief shall pay double. ⁸ If the thief is not ^[lt]caught, then the owner of the house shall ^[lu]appear before ^[lv](SM)the judges, to determine whether he ^[lw]laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. ⁹ For every ^[lx]breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the ^[ly]case of both parties shall come before ^[lz](SN)the judges; he whom ^[ma]the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰ “If someone gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is injured or is driven away while no one is looking, ¹¹ an ^(SO)oath before the Lord shall be ^[mb]taken by the two of them ^[mc]that he has not ^[md]laid a hand on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not be compelled to make restitution. ¹² But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If it is all torn to pieces, have him bring it as evidence; he shall not be compelled to make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.

¹⁴ “And if someone ^[me]borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. ¹⁵ If its owner is with it, the borrower shall not be compelled to make restitution. If it is hired, it ^[mf]came by its hire.

Various Laws

¹⁶ “^(SP)If a man seduces a virgin who is not ^[mg]betrothed and sleeps with her, he must pay a ^[mh]dowry for her to be his wife. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall ^[mi]pay money equal to the ^(SQ)dowry for virgins.

¹⁸ “You shall not allow a ^(SR)sorceress to live.

¹⁹ “^(SS)Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰ “^(ST)He who sacrifices to ^[mj]any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be ^[mk]utterly destroyed.

²¹ “^(SU)You shall not oppress a stranger nor torment him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ^22 (SV)You shall not oppress any widow or orphan. ²³ If you oppress him at all, and ^(SW)if he does cry out to Me, ^(SX)I will assuredly hear his cry; ²⁴ and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, ^(SY)and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵ “^(SZ)If you lend money to My people, to the poor ^[ml]among you, you are not to ^[mm]act as a creditor to him; you shall not ^[mn]charge him ^(TA)interest. ²⁶ If you ever seize your neighbor’s cloak ^(TB)as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, ²⁷ for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ^[mo]body. What else is he to sleep in? And it will come about that ^(TC)when he cries out to Me, I will listen to him, for ^(TD)I am gracious.

²⁸ “You shall not ^[mp](TE)curse God, ^(TF)nor curse a ruler of your people.

²⁹ “^(TG)You shall not hold back the offering from your entire harvest and your ^[mq]wine. ^(TH)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. ^30 (TI)You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother for seven days; ^(TJ)on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

³¹ “^(TK)You shall be holy people to Me, therefore ^(TL)you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Various Laws

23 “^(TM)You shall not give a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked person to be a ^(TN)malicious witness. ² You shall not follow ^[mr]the crowd in doing evil, nor shall you ^[ms]testify in a dispute so as to join together with ^[mt]a crowd in order to ^(TO)pervert justice; ^3 (TP)nor shall you ^[mu]show favor to a poor person in his dispute.

⁴ “^(TQ)If you encounter your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. ^5 (TR)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave it helpless for ^[mv]its owner; you must arrange the load with him.

⁶ “^(TS)You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. ^7 (TT)Keep far from a false charge, and ^(TU)do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for ^(TV)I will not acquit the guilty.

⁸ “^(TW)You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and ^[mw]subverts the cause of the just.

⁹ “^(TX)You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the ^[mx]feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Sabbath and the Land

¹⁰ “Now ^(TY)you shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, ¹¹ but in the seventh year you shall let it ^[my]rest and lie uncultivated, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the animal of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² “^(TZ)For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as the stranger residing with you, may refresh themselves. ¹³ Now ^(UA)concerning everything which I have said to you, be careful; and ^(UB)do not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard ^[mz]from your mouth.

Three National Feasts

¹⁴ “^(UC)Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. ¹⁵ You shall keep ^(UD)the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the ^(UE)month of Abib, for in ^[na]that month you came out of Egypt. And ^[nb](UF)no one is to appear before Me empty-handed. ¹⁶ Also you shall keep ^(UG)the Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year ^(UH)when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. ^17 (UI)Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord ^[nc]God.

¹⁸ “^(UJ)You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; ^(UK)nor is the fat of My ^[nd]feast to remain overnight until morning.

¹⁹ “You shall bring ^(UL)the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.

“^(UM)You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.

Conquest of the Land

²⁰ “Behold, I am going to send ^(UN)an angel before you to guard you along the way and ^(UO)to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ Be attentive to him and obey his voice; ^(UP)do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your rebellion, since ^(UQ)My name is in him. ²² But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then ^(UR)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ^23 (US)For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. ^24 (UT)You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; ^(UU)but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their ^(UV)memorial stones in pieces. ^25 (UW)And you shall serve the Lord your God, ^[ne]and He will bless your bread and your water; and ^(UX)I will remove sickness from your midst. ²⁶ There will be no one miscarrying or ^(UY)unable to have children in your land; ^(UZ)I will fulfill the number of your days. ²⁷ I will ^(VA)send My terror ahead of you, and ^(VB)throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will ^(VC)make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ And I will send ^(VD)hornets ahead of you so that they will ^(VE)drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from you. ^29 (VF)I will not drive them out from you in a single year, so that the land will not become desolate and the animals of the field become too numerous for you. ³⁰ I will drive them out from you ^(VG)little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. ^31 (VH)I will set your boundary from the ^[nf]Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River; ^(VI)for I will hand over the inhabitants of the land to you, and you will ^(VJ)drive them out from you. ^32 (VK)You shall ^[ng]make no covenant with them ^(VL)or with their gods. ^33 (VM)They shall not live in your land, otherwise they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, ^(VN)it is certain to be a snare to you.”

People Affirm Their Covenant with God

24 Then He said to Moses, “^(VO)Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, ^(VP)Nadab and Abihu, and ^(VQ)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. ² Moses alone, however, shall approach the Lord, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him.”

³ Then Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ^[nh]ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “^(VR)All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” ⁴ And ^(VS)Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an ^(VT)altar ^[ni]at the foot of the mountain with twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, ^(VU)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. ^6 (VV)Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he took ^(VW)the Book of the Covenant and read it ^[nj]as the people listened; and they said, “^(VX)All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” ⁸ So ^(VY)Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold ^(VZ)the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has ^[nk]made with you ^[nl]in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses went up ^[nm]with Aaron, ^(WA)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and ^(WB)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet ^[nn](WC)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, ^[no]as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet He did not reach out with His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and ^(WD)they saw God, and they ate and drank.

¹² Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and ^[np]stay there, and ^(WE)I will give you the stone tablets ^[nq]with the Law and the ^[nr]commandments which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³ So Moses got up ^[ns]along with ^(WF)Joshua his ^[nt]servant, and Moses went up to ^(WG)the mountain of God. ¹⁴ But to the elders he said, “^(WH)Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, ^(WI)Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever ^[nu]has a legal matter, have him approach them.” ¹⁵ Then Moses went up to the mountain, and ^(WJ)the cloud covered the mountain. ^16 (WK)The glory of the Lord ^[nv]settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He ^(WL)called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. ^17 (WM)And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a ^(WN)consuming fire on the mountain top. ¹⁸ Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud ^[nw]as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain for ^(WO)forty days and forty nights.

Offerings for the Sanctuary

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(WP)Tell the sons of Israel to take a ^[nx]contribution for Me; ^(WQ)from everyone whose heart moves him you shall take My ^[ny]contribution. ³ This is the ^[nz]contribution which you are to take from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ^4 [oa](WR)violet, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, ^[ob]fine leather, acacia wood, ^6 (WS)oil for lighting, ^(WT)balsam oil for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and setting stones for the ^(WU)ephod and for the ^[oc](WV)breastpiece. ⁸ Have them ^(WW)construct a sanctuary for Me, ^(WX)so that I may dwell among them. ^9 (WY)According to all that I am going to show you as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, so you shall construct it.

Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “Now ^(WZ)they shall construct an ^[od]ark of acacia wood ^[oe]two and a half cubits ^[of]long, one and a half cubits ^[og]wide, and one and a half cubits ^[oh]high. ¹¹ You shall ^(XA)overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding ^[oi]around it. ¹² You shall also cast four gold rings for it and ^[oj]fasten them on its four feet; two rings shall be on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. ¹³ And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ The ^(XB)poles shall ^[ok]remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it.