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The Festival of Unleavened Bread

15 The Lord said, “For seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast—eat only unleavened bread. On the first day you are to get rid of all the yeast in your houses, for if anyone during those seven days eats bread made with yeast, he shall no longer be considered one of my people. 16 On the first day and again on the seventh day you are to meet for worship. No work is to be done on those days, but you may prepare food. 17 Keep this festival, because it was on this day that I brought your tribes out of Egypt. For all time to come you must celebrate this day as a festival. 18 From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month to the evening of the twenty-first day, you must not eat any bread made with yeast. 19-20 For seven days no yeast must be found in your houses, for if anyone, native-born or foreign, eats bread made with yeast, he shall no longer be considered one of my people.”

The First Passover

21 Moses called for all the leaders of Israel and said to them, “Each of you is to choose a lamb or a young goat and kill it, so that your families can celebrate Passover. 22 Take a sprig of hyssop, dip it in the bowl containing[a] the animal's blood, and wipe the blood on the doorposts and the beam above the door of your house. Not one of you is to leave the house until morning. 23 (A)When the Lord goes through Egypt to kill the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the beams and the doorposts and will not let the Angel of Death enter your houses and kill you. 24 You and your children must obey these rules forever. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord has promised to give you, you must perform this ritual. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ritual mean?’ 27 you will answer, ‘It is the sacrifice of Passover to honor the Lord, because he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. He killed the Egyptians, but spared us.’”

The Israelites knelt down and worshiped. 28 Then they went and did what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

The Death of the First-Born

29 (B)At midnight the Lord killed all the first-born sons in Egypt, from the king's son, who was heir to the throne, to the son of the prisoner in the dungeon; all the first-born of the animals were also killed. 30 That night, the king, his officials, and all the other Egyptians were awakened. There was loud crying throughout Egypt, because there was not one home in which there was not a dead son. 31 That same night the king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “Get out, you and your Israelites! Leave my country; go and worship the Lord, as you asked. 32 Take your sheep, goats, and cattle, and leave. Also pray for a blessing on me.”

33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country; they said, “We will all be dead if you don't leave.” 34 So the people filled their baking pans with unleavened dough, wrapped them in clothing, and carried them on their shoulders. 35 (C)The Israelites had done as Moses had said, and had asked the Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry and for clothes. 36 The Lord made the Egyptians respect the people and give them what they asked for. In this way the Israelites carried away the wealth of the Egyptians.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:22 dip it in the bowl containing; or put it on the threshold covered with.

15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.(A) 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(B) from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work(C) 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,(D) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.(E) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.(F) 18 In the first month(G) 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(H) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off(I) from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,(J) you must eat unleavened bread.”(K)

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(L) lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop,(M) dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood(N) 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(O) down the Egyptians, he will see the blood(P) on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over(Q) that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer(R) to enter your houses and strike you down.

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance(S) for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land(T) that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children(U) ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover(V) sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’”(W) Then the people bowed down and worshiped.(X) 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded(Y) Moses and Aaron.

29 At midnight(Z) the Lord(AA) struck down all the firstborn(AB) in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock(AC) as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing(AD) in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

The Exodus

31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship(AE) the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds,(AF) as you have said, and go. And also bless(AG) me.”

33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry(AH) and leave(AI) the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”(AJ) 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs(AK) wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold(AL) and for clothing.(AM) 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed(AN) toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered(AO) the Egyptians.

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