The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread^(A)

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ² “This month is to be for you the first month,^(B) the first month of your year. ³ Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb^[a](C) for his family, one for each household.^{(D) 4} If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. ⁵ The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect,^(E) and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. ⁶ Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month,^(F) when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.^{(G) 7} Then they are to take some of the blood^(H) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸ That same night^(I) they are to eat the meat roasted^(J) over the fire, along with bitter herbs,^(K) and bread made without yeast.^{(L) 9} Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.^{(M) 10} Do not leave any of it till morning;^(N) if some is left till morning, you must burn it. ¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste;^(O) it is the Lord’s Passover.^(P)

¹² “On that same night I will pass through^(Q) Egypt and strike down^(R) every firstborn^(S) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods^(T) of Egypt. I am the Lord.^{(U) 13} The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over^(V) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.^(W)

¹⁴ “This is a day you are to commemorate;^(X) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.^(Y)

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it^(A) and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

²⁷ Then he took a cup,^(B) and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the^[a] covenant,^(C) which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.^{(D) 29} I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you^(E) in my Father’s kingdom.”

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it^(A) and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.^(B)

²⁴ “This is my blood of the^[a] covenant,^(C) which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵ “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”^(D)

¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it,^(A) and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant^(B) in my blood, which is poured out for you.^[a]

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe^(A) in the one he has sent.”^(B)

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign^(C) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?^(D) What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^(E) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^[a]”^(F)

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven^(G) and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”^(H)

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am^(I) the bread of life.^(J) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes^(K) in me will never be thirsty.^{(L) 36} But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me^(M) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven^(N) not to do my will but to do the will^(O) of him who sent me.^{(P) 39} And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,^(Q) but raise them up at the last day.^{(R) 40} For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son^(S) and believes in him shall have eternal life,^(T) and I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,^(U) whose father and mother we know?^(V) How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”^(W)

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,^(X) and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[b](Y) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God;^(Z) only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.^{(AA) 48} I am the bread of life.^{(AB) 49} Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died.^{(AC) 50} But here is the bread that comes down from heaven,^(AD) which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread^(AE) that came down from heaven.^(AF) Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”^(AG)

⁵² Then the Jews^(AH) began to argue sharply among themselves,^(AI) “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh^(AJ) of the Son of Man^(AK) and drink his blood,^(AL) you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.^{(AM) 55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.^{(AN) 57} Just as the living Father sent me^(AO) and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”^(AP)

Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends,^(A) flee from idolatry.^{(B) 15} I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break^(C) a participation in the body of Christ?^{(D) 17} Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body,^(E) for we all share the one loaf.

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices^(F) participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?^{(G) 20} No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,^(H) not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.^(I)

²³ For I received from the Lord^(A) what I also passed on to you:^(B) The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body,^(C) which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant^(D) in my blood;^(E) do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^(F)

²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.^{(G) 28} Everyone ought to examine themselves^(H) before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.^{(I) 31} But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.^{(J) 32} Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined^(K) so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.^(L)