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Exodus 12:31-14
English Standard Version
Exodus 12:31-14
English Standard Version
31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, (A)both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. 32 (B)Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”
The Exodus
33 (C)The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had (D)asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 (E)And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that (F)they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37 And the (G)people of Israel journeyed from (H)Rameses to Succoth, (I)about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A (J)mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because (K)they were thrust out of Egypt and (L)could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of (M)430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a (N)night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.
Institution of the Passover
43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave[a] that is (O)bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 (P)No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and (Q)you shall not break any of its bones. 47 (R)All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 (S)If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he (T)shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 There shall be (U)one law for the native and for the (V)stranger who sojourns among you.”
50 All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the (W)Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their (X)hosts.
Consecration of the Firstborn
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 (Y)“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
3 Then Moses said to the people, (Z)“Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, (AA)for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. (AB)No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of (AC)Abib, you are going out. 5 And when the Lord brings you into (AD)the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which (AE)he swore to your fathers to give you, a land (AF)flowing with milk and honey, (AG)you shall keep this service in this month. 6 (AH)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 for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 (AI)You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall (AJ)be to you as a sign on your hand and as (AK)a memorial (AL)between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 (AM)You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, (AN)as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 (AO)you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's. 13 (AP)Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every (AQ)firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 (AR)And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, (AS)‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of (AT)slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the (AU)Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but (AV)all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 (AW)It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for (AX)by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
Pillars of Cloud and Fire
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did (AY)not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people (AZ)change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God (BA)led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph[b] had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, (BB)“God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And (BC)they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And (BD)the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
Crossing the Red Sea
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to (BE)turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between (BF)Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And (BG)I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will (BH)get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, (BI)and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the (BJ)mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took (BK)six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And (BL)the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while (BM)the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The (BN)Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them (BO)encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel (BP)cried out to the Lord. 11 They (BQ)said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what (BR)we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, (BS)“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For (BT)the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 (BU)The Lord will fight for you, and you have only (BV)to be silent.”
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 (BW)Lift up your staff, and (BX)stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And (BY)I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and (BZ)I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians (CA)shall know that I am the Lord, (CB)when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 (CC)Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night[c] without one coming near the other all night.
21 Then Moses (CD)stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by (CE)a strong east wind all night and (CF)made the sea dry land, and the waters were (CG)divided. 22 And (CH)the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being (CI)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[d] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the (CJ)Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, (CK)“Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 (CL)So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea (CM)returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord (CN)threw[e] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The (CO)waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, (CP)not one of them remained. 29 But the (CQ)people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 Thus the Lord (CR)saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 (CS)Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they (CT)believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Footnotes
- Exodus 12:44 Or servant; the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles (see Preface)
- Exodus 13:19 Samaritan, Septuagint; Hebrew he
- Exodus 14:20 Septuagint and the night passed
- Exodus 14:25 Or binding (compare Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac); Hebrew removing
- Exodus 14:27 Hebrew shook off
Exodus 12:31-14
New International Version
Exodus 12:31-14
New International Version
The Exodus
31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship(A) the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds,(B) as you have said, and go. And also bless(C) me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry(D) and leave(E) the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”(F) 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs(G) wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold(H) and for clothing.(I) 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed(J) toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered(K) the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses(L) to Sukkoth.(M) There were about six hundred thousand men(N) on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people(O) went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out(P) of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt[a] was 430 years.(Q) 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions(R) left Egypt.(S) 42 Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.(T)
Passover Restrictions
43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:(U)
“No foreigner(V) may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised(W) him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker(X) may not eat it.
46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.(Y) 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.
48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land.(Z) No uncircumcised(AA) male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner(AB) residing among you.”
50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded(AC) Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt(AD) by their divisions.(AE)
Consecration of the Firstborn
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.(AF) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,(AG) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.(AH) Eat nothing containing yeast.(AI) 4 Today, in the month of Aviv,(AJ) you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,(AK) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites(AL)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey(AM)—you are to observe this ceremony(AN) in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival(AO) to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son,(AP) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand(AQ) and a reminder on your forehead(AR) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(AS) 10 You must keep this ordinance(AT) at the appointed time(AU) year after year.
11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites(AV) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath(AW) to you and your ancestors,(AX) 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.(AY) 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,(AZ) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(BA) Redeem(BB) every firstborn among your sons.(BC)
14 “In days to come, when your son(BD) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(BE) 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’(BF) 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead(BG) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”
Crossing the Sea
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”(BH) 18 So God led(BI) the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.[b] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.(BJ)
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph(BK) with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”[c](BL)
20 After leaving Sukkoth(BM) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.(BN) 21 By day the Lord went ahead(BO) of them in a pillar of cloud(BP) to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left(BQ) its place in front of the people.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol(BR) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.(BS) 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(BT) and he will pursue them.(BU) But I will gain glory(BV) for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”(BW) So the Israelites did this.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,(BX) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds(BY) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots,(BZ) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart(CA) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.(CB) 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses(CC) and chariots, horsemen[d] and troops(CD)—pursued the Israelites and overtook(CE) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.(CF)
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried(CG) out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?(CH) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”(CI)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.(CJ) Stand firm and you will see(CK) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see(CL) again. 14 The Lord will fight(CM) for you; you need only to be still.”(CN)
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?(CO) Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff(CP) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water(CQ) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts(CR) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.(CS) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(CT) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God,(CU) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud(CV) also moved from in front and stood behind(CW) them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness(CX) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand(CY) over the sea,(CZ) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind(DA) and turned it into dry land.(DB) The waters were divided,(DC) 22 and the Israelites went through the sea(DD) on dry ground,(DE) with a wall(DF) of water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen(DG) followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud(DH) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.(DI) 25 He jammed[e] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting(DJ) for them against Egypt.”(DK)
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.(DL) The Egyptians were fleeing toward[f] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.(DM) 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.(DN) Not one of them survived.(DO)
29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,(DP) with a wall(DQ) of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved(DR) Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand(DS) of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared(DT) the Lord and put their trust(DU) in him and in Moses his servant.
Footnotes
- Exodus 12:40 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint Egypt and Canaan
- Exodus 13:18 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 13:19 See Gen. 50:25.
- Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28
- Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
- Exodus 14:27 Or from
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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