Exodus 12:1-15:22

New American Standard Bible

The Passover Lamb

12 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of ^[a]Egypt, ²“^(A)This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you. ³Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a ^[b]lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a ^[c]lamb for ^[d]each household. ⁴Now if the household is too small for a ^[e]lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the ^[f]number of persons in them; in proportion to ^[g]what each one should eat, you are to ^[h]divide the lamb. ⁵Your ^[i]lamb shall be ^(B)an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ⁶^[j]You shall keep it until the ^(C)fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it ^[k]^(D)at twilight. ⁷^(E)Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel ^[l]of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸They shall eat the flesh ^(F)that same night, ^(G)roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with ^(H)unleavened bread ^[m]^(I)and bitter herbs. ⁹Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather ^(J)roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with ^(K)its entrails. ¹⁰^(L)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. ¹¹Now you shall eat it in this way: with your garment ^[n]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 ^(M)the Lord’s Passover. ¹²For ^(N)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 ^(O)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—^(P)I am the Lord. ¹³^(Q)The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you ^[o]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you ^[p]to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

¹⁴‘Now ^(R)this day shall be ^(S)a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as ^[q]^(T)a permanent ordinance. ¹⁵For ^(U)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, ^(V)that ^[r]person shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶And ^(W)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 ^[s]prepared by you. ¹⁷You shall also keep ^(X)the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this ^(Y)very day I brought your ^[t]multitudes out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as ^(Z)a ^[u]permanent ordinance. ¹⁸^(AA)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. ¹⁹For ^(AB)seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that ^[v]^(AC)person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. ²⁰You shall not eat anything with yeast; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

²¹Then ^(AD)Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and ^(AE)take for yourselves ^[w]lambs according to your families, and slaughter ^(AF)the Passover lamb. ²²And ^(AG)you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and ^[x]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

²³For ^(AH)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 ^(AI)not allow the ^(AJ)destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. ²⁴And ^(AK)you shall keep this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. ²⁵When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has ^[y]promised, you shall keep this ^[z]rite. ²⁶^(AL)And when your children say to you, ‘^[aa]What does this rite mean to you?’ ²⁷then you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to ^(AM)the Lord because He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but ^[ab]spared our homes.’” ^(AN)And the people bowed low and worshiped.

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

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

Exodus of Israel

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

³⁵^(AY)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; ³⁶and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Therefore they ^(AZ)plundered the Egyptians.

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

⁴⁰Now the time ^[af]that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was ^(BG)430 years. ⁴¹And at the end of 430 years, on ^(BH)this very day, ^(BI)all the ^[ag]multitudes of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt.

Ordinance of the Passover

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

⁴³And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of ^(BK)the Passover: no ^[aj]^(BL)foreigner is to eat it; ⁴⁴but as for every ^(BM)slave ^[ak]that someone has purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. ⁴⁵^(BN)A stranger or a hired worker shall not eat it. ⁴⁶It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring any of the meat outside of the house, ^(BO)nor are you to break any bone of it. ⁴⁷^(BP)All the congregation of Israel are to ^[al]celebrate this. ⁴⁸But ^(BQ)if a stranger resides with you and ^[am]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to ^[an]celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it. ⁴⁹^[ao]^(BR)The same law shall ^[ap]apply to the native as to the stranger who resides among you.”

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

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

³And Moses said to the people, “^(BV)Remember this day in which you departed from Egypt, from the house of ^[ar]slavery; for ^(BW)by ^[as]a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. ^(BX)And nothing with yeast shall be eaten. ⁴On this day in the ^(BY)month of Abib, you are about to go out from here. ⁵And it shall be when the Lord ^(BZ)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which ^(CA)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^(CB)that you shall ^[at]perform this rite in this month. ⁶For ^(CC)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. ⁷Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and ^(CD)nothing with yeast shall ^[au]be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast ^[av]be seen among you in all your borders. ⁸And ^(CE)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.’ ⁹And ^(CF)it shall ^[aw]serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder ^[ax]on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with ^(CG)a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰Therefore, you shall ^(CH)keep this ordinance at its appointed time from ^[ay]year to year.

¹¹“Now when ^(CI)the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as ^(CJ)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, ¹²^(CK)you shall ^[az]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. ¹³But ^(CL)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 ^(CM)every ^[ba]firstborn among your sons you shall redeem. ¹⁴^(CN)And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘^(CO)With ^[bb]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of ^[bc]slavery. ¹⁵And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the ^(CP)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.’ ¹⁶So ^(CQ)it shall ^[bd]serve as a sign on your hand and as ^[be]phylacteries ^[bf]on your forehead, for with ^[bg]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

God Leads the People

¹⁷Now 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, “^(CR)The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the ^[bh]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ^(CS)in battle formation from the land of Egypt. ¹⁹And Moses took ^(CT)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly ^[bi]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” ²⁰Then they set out from ^(CU)Succoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. ²¹And ^(CV)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 ^[bj]travel by day and by night. ²²^[bk]He ^(CW)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 ^(CX)Pi-hahiroth, between ^(CY)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. ³For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴And ^(CZ)I will ^[bl]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and ^(DA)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and ^(DB)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, ^[bm]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?” ⁶So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him; ⁷and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. ⁸So ^(DC)the Lord ^[bn]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out ^[bo]^(DD)boldly. ⁹Then ^(DE)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, ^(DF)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel ^[bp]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; ^(DG)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹Then ^(DH)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, ^[bq]bringing us out of Egypt? ¹²^(DI)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘^[br]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

¹³But Moses said to the people, “^(DJ)Do not fear! ^[bs]Stand by and see ^(DK)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^(DL)The Lord will fight for you, while ^(DM)you keep silent.”

¹⁵Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶As for you, lift up ^(DN)your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall ^[bt]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. ¹⁷And as for Me, behold, ^(DO)I will ^[bu]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^(DP)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”

¹⁹Then ^(DQ)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. ²⁰So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud ^[bv]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.

²¹^(DR)Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord ^[bw]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into ^(DS)dry land, and ^(DT)the waters were divided. ²²So ^(DU)the sons of Israel ^[bx]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and ^(DV)the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. ²³Then ^(DW)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. ²⁴But at the morning watch, ^(DX)the Lord looked down on the ^[by]army of the Egyptians ^[bz]through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the ^[ca]army of the Egyptians into confusion. ²⁵He ^[cb]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, ^(DY)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(DZ)Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” ²⁷So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and ^(EA)the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing ^[cc]right into it; then the Lord ^[cd]^(EB)overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; ^(EC)not even one of them remained. ²⁹But the sons of Israel walked on ^(ED)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^(EE)So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel ^(EF)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹When Israel saw the great ^[ce]power which the Lord had ^[cf]used against the Egyptians, the people ^[cg]feared the Lord, and ^(EG)they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses and Israel

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

“^[ci]^(EI)I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;
^(EJ)The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
²^[cj]^(EK)The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
^(EL)This is my God, and I will praise Him;
^(EM)My father’s God, and I will ^(EN)exalt Him.
³^(EO)The Lord is a warrior;
^[ck]^(EP)The Lord is His name.
⁴^(EQ)Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are ^[cl]drowned in the ^[cm]Red Sea.
⁵The waters cover them;
^(ER)They went down into the depths like a stone.
⁶^(ES)Your right hand, Lord, is majestic in power;
^(ET)Your right hand, Lord, destroys the enemy.
⁷And in the greatness of Your ^[cn]excellence You ^(EU)overthrow those who rise up against You;
^(EV)You send out Your burning anger, and it ^(EW)consumes them like chaff.
⁸^(EX)At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
^(EY)The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹^(EZ)The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will ^(FA)divide the spoils;
^[co]I shall ^[cp]be satisfied against them;
I will draw my sword, my hand will ^[cq]destroy them.’
¹⁰^(FB)You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
^(FC)They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
¹¹^(FD)Who is like You among the gods, Lord?
Who is like You, ^(FE)majestic in holiness,
^(FF)Awesome in praises, ^(FG)working wonders?
¹²^(FH)You reached out with Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
¹³In Your ^[cr]faithfulness You have ^(FI)led the people whom You have ^(FJ)redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them ^(FK)to Your holy habitation.
¹⁴^(FL)The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
¹⁵Then the ^(FM)chiefs of Edom were terrified;
^(FN)The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
^(FO)All the inhabitants of Canaan have despaired.
¹⁶^(FP)Terror and dread fall upon them;
^(FQ)By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone,
Until Your people pass over, Lord,
Until the people pass over whom You ^(FR)have purchased.
¹⁷^(FS)You will bring them and ^(FT)plant them in ^(FU)the mountain of Your inheritance,
^(FV)The place, Lord, which You have made as Your dwelling,
^(FW)The sanctuary, Lord, which Your hands have established.
¹⁸^(FX)The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

¹⁹^(FY)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 ^(FZ)dry land through the midst of the sea.

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

“^(GD)Sing to the Lord, for He ^[ct]is highly exalted;
The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

The Lord Provides Water

²²^(GE)Then Moses ^[cu]led Israel from the ^[cv]Red Sea, and they went out into ^(GF)the wilderness of ^(GG)Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

Footnotes

Exodus 12:1 Lit Egypt, saying
Exodus 12:3 Or kid
Exodus 12:3 Or kid
Exodus 12:3 Lit the
Exodus 12:4 Or kid
Exodus 12:4 Or amount
Exodus 12:4 Lit each man’s eating
Exodus 12:4 Lit compute for
Exodus 12:5 Or kid
Exodus 12:6 Lit It shall be to you for a guarding
Exodus 12:6 Lit between the two evenings
Exodus 12:7 Lit upon
Exodus 12:8 Lit in addition to
Exodus 12:11 I.e., for travel
Exodus 12:13 Lit are
Exodus 12:13 Lit for destruction
Exodus 12:14 Or an eternal
Exodus 12:15 Lit soul
Exodus 12:16 Lit done
Exodus 12:17 Lit armies
Exodus 12:17 Or eternal
Exodus 12:19 Lit soul
Exodus 12:21 Lit sheep
Exodus 12:22 Lit cause to touch
Exodus 12:25 Lit spoken
Exodus 12:25 Lit service
Exodus 12:26 Lit What is this service to you?
Exodus 12:27 Lit delivered
Exodus 12:31 Or serve
Exodus 12:38 Lit and
Exodus 12:39 Lit made
Exodus 12:40 Or of the sons of Israel who lived
Exodus 12:41 Lit armies
Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
Exodus 12:43 Lit son of a stranger
Exodus 12:44 Lit of a man, an acquisition of money
Exodus 12:47 Lit perform
Exodus 12:48 Lit performs
Exodus 12:48 Lit perform
Exodus 12:49 Lit One law
Exodus 12:49 Lit be
Exodus 12:51 I.e., multitudes in battle formation
Exodus 13:3 Lit slaves
Exodus 13:3 Lit strength of hand
Exodus 13:5 Lit serve this service
Exodus 13:7 Lit appear to you
Exodus 13:7 Lit appear to you
Exodus 13:9 Lit be for
Exodus 13:9 Lit between your eyes
Exodus 13:10 Lit days to days
Exodus 13:12 Lit cause to pass over
Exodus 13:13 Lit firstborn of a human
Exodus 13:14 Lit strength of hand
Exodus 13:14 Lit slaves
Exodus 13:16 Lit be for
Exodus 13:16 Or frontlet-bands
Exodus 13:16 Lit between your eyes
Exodus 13:16 Lit strength of hand
Exodus 13:18 Lit Sea of Reeds
Exodus 13:19 Lit visit
Exodus 13:21 Lit go
Exodus 13:22 Or The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart
Exodus 14:4 Lit make strong
Exodus 14:5 Lit the heart of Pharaoh...was changed
Exodus 14:8 Lit made strong
Exodus 14:8 Lit with a high hand
Exodus 14:10 Lit lifted up their eyes
Exodus 14:11 Lit so as to bring
Exodus 14:12 Lit Cease from us
Exodus 14:13 Or Take your stand
Exodus 14:16 Lit enter the
Exodus 14:17 Lit make strong
Exodus 14:20 Lit and the darkness
Exodus 14:21 Lit caused to go
Exodus 14:22 Lit entered the
Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
Exodus 14:24 Or in
Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
Exodus 14:25 Or removed
Exodus 14:27 Lit to meet it
Exodus 14:27 Lit shook off
Exodus 14:31 Lit hand
Exodus 14:31 Lit done
Exodus 14:31 Or revered
Exodus 15:1 Lit and said, saying
Exodus 15:1 Or Let me sing
Exodus 15:2 Heb Yah
Exodus 15:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Exodus 15:4 Lit sunk
Exodus 15:4 Lit Sea of Reeds
Exodus 15:7 Or exaltation
Exodus 15:9 Lit My soul
Exodus 15:9 Lit be filled with them
Exodus 15:9 Or dispossess; or drive them out
Exodus 15:13 Or mercy
Exodus 15:20 Lit dances
Exodus 15:21 Or has triumphed gloriously
Exodus 15:22 Lit caused Israel to journey
Exodus 15:22 Lit Sea of Reeds