Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹⁴ “This is a day you are to commemorate;^(A) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.^{(B) 15} For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.^(C) On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off^(D) from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work^(E) at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

¹⁷ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread,^(F) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.^(G) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.^{(H) 18} In the first month^(I) you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. ¹⁹ For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner^(J) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off^(K) from the community of Israel. ²⁰ Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,^(L) you must eat unleavened bread.”^(M)

²¹ Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover^(N) lamb. ²² Take a bunch of hyssop,^(O) dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood^(P) on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. ²³ When the Lord goes through the land to strike^(Q) down the Egyptians, he will see the blood^(R) on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over^(S) that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer^(T) to enter your houses and strike you down.

²⁴ “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance^(U) for you and your descendants. ²⁵ When you enter the land^(V) that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. ²⁶ And when your children^(W) ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ ²⁷ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover^(X) sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’”^(Y) Then the people bowed down and worshiped.^{(Z) 28} The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded^(AA) Moses and Aaron.

Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

¹¹ Dear friends,^(A) I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,^(B) to abstain from sinful desires,^(C) which wage war against your soul.^{(D) 12} Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds^(E) and glorify God^(F) on the day he visits us.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:^(G) whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong^(H) and to commend those who do right.^{(I) 15} For it is God’s will^(J) that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.^{(K) 16} Live as free people,^(L) but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;^(M) live as God’s slaves.^{(N) 17} Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers,^(O) fear God, honor the emperor.^(P)