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Exodus 5-14
New American Standard Bible

Israel’s Labor Increased

5 And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “(A)This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘(B)Let My people go so that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “(C)Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, (D)I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “(E)The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, otherwise He will strike us with plague or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you let the people neglect their [a]work? Get back to your (F)labors!” 5 Again Pharaoh said, “Look, (G)the people of the land are now many, and you would have them cease from their labors!” 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded (H)the taskmasters over the people and their (I)foremen, saying, 7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make bricks as previously; have them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But you shall impose on them the quota of bricks which they were making before; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are (J)lazy, for that reason they cry [b]out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let the labor be heavier on the men, and have them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.”

10 So (K)the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not going to give you any straw. 11 You go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it; but none of your labor will be reduced.’” 12 So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. 13 And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your [c]work quota, [d]your daily amount, just as when [e]you had straw.” 14 Moreover, (L)the foremen of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, (M)were beaten [f]and asked, “Why have you not completed your required task of making bricks either yesterday or today, as before?”

15 Then the foremen of the sons of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you deal this way with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, yet they keep saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are being beaten; but it is the fault of your own people.” 17 But he said, “You are (N)lazy, very lazy; for that reason you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 So go now and work; for you will be given no straw, but you must deliver the quota of bricks.” 19 The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble, [g]since they were told, “You must not reduce [h]your daily amount of bricks.” 20 When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were [i]waiting for them. 21 And (O)they said to them, “(P)May the Lord look upon you and judge you, because you have (Q)made [j]us repulsive in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us!”

22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “(R)Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, (S)and You have not rescued Your people at all.”

God Promises Action

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for [k](T)under compulsion he will let them go, and [l]under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”

2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am (U)the Lord; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as [m](V)God Almighty, but by (W)My name, [n]Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 I also established (X)My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the [o]land in which they lived as strangers. 5 Furthermore I have (Y)heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘(Z)I am the Lord, and (AA)I will bring you out from under the labors of the Egyptians, and I will rescue you from their bondage. I will also (AB)redeem you with (AC)an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. 7 Then I will take you [p](AD)as My people, and (AE)I will be [q]your God; and (AF)you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the labors of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you to the land which (AG)I [r]swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and (AH)I will give it to you as a possession; (AI)I am the Lord.’” 9 So Moses said this to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on (AJ)account of their [s]despondency and cruel bondage.

10 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “(AK)Go, [t]tell Pharaoh king of Egypt [u]to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; (AL)how then will Pharaoh listen to me, as I am [v](AM)unskilled in speech?” 13 Nevertheless, the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron and gave them a command concerning the sons of Israel and Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Heads of Israel

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ households. (AN)The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. 15 And the (AO)sons of Simeon: [w]Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16 And these are the names of (AP)the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and the [x]length of Levi’s life was 137 years. 17 (AQ)The sons of Gershon: [y]Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18 And (AR)the sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and the [z]length of Kohath’s life was 133 years. 19 And (AS)the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Now (AT)Amram [aa]married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the [ab]length of Amram’s life was 137 years. 21 And (AU)the sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And (AV)the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, [ac]Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron [ad]married Elisheba, the daughter of (AW)Amminadab, the sister of (AX)Nahshon, and she bore him (AY)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 And the (AZ)sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and [ae]Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25 Now Aaron’s son (BA)Eleazar [af]married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him (BB)Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. 26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “(BC)Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their [ag](BD)multitudes.” 27 They were the ones (BE)who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt [ah]about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

28 Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “(BF)I am the Lord; (BG)say to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am [ai](BH)unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

I Will Extend My Hand

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(BI)See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 As for you, you shall speak all that I command you, and your brother (BJ)Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3 But (BK)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that I may (BL)multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 When (BM)Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay My hand on Egypt and (BN)bring out My armies, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by (BO)great judgments. 5 Then (BP)the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I (BQ)extend My hand over Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6 So Moses and Aaron did this; (BR)as the Lord commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was (BS)eighty years old and Aaron [aj]eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Turns into a Serpent

8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘[ak](BT)Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘(BU)Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, so that it may turn into a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and so they did, just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and [al]his servants, and it (BV)turned into a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also (BW)called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the (BX)soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with (BY)their secret arts. 12 For each one threw down his staff, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs. 13 Yet (BZ)Pharaoh’s heart was [am]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

Water Turned into Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is [an]stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning [ao]just as (CA)he is going out to the water, and position yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand (CB)the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16 And (CC)you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “(CD)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened up to now.” 17 This is what the Lord says: “(CE)By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I am going to strike [ap]the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and (CF)it will be turned into blood. 18 Then (CG)the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will [aq](CH)no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.”’” 19 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and (CI)extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their [ar]streams, over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, so that they may become blood; and there will be blood through all the land of Egypt, both in containers of wood and in containers of stone.’”

20 So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up [as](CJ)the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and (CK)all the water that was in the Nile was turned into blood. 21 Then the fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. 22 (CL)But the soothsayer priests of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was [at]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house [au]with no concern even for this. 24 So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, because they could not drink from the water of the Nile. 25 Seven days [av]passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

Frogs over the Land

8 [aw]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(CM)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I am going to strike your entire territory with frogs. 3 The Nile will (CN)swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house, and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants, and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading bowls. 4 So the frogs will come up on you, your people, and on all your servants.”’” 5 [ax]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘(CO)Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the [ay]streams, and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” 6 So Aaron extended his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the [az](CP)frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 However, (CQ)the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, [ba]making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Then Pharaoh (CR)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “(CS)Plead with the Lord [bb]to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and (CT)I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “[bc]The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, [bd]that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they be left only in the Nile?”

10 Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, so that you may know that there is (CU)no one like the Lord our God. 11 The (CV)frogs will depart from you and your houses, and from your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” 12 Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and (CW)Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had [be]inflicted upon Pharaoh. 13 The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. 14 So they piled them in heaps, and the land stank. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he [bf]hardened his heart and (CX)did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Insects

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Extend your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may turn into [bg]gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” 17 They did so; and Aaron extended his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were [bh]gnats on every [bi]person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into [bj](CY)gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18 The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce [bk]gnats, but (CZ)they could not; so there were [bl]gnats on every person and animal. 19 Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “(DA)This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was [bm]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(DB)Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, [bn]as (DC)he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(DD)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 21 For if you are not going to let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people, and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they live. 22 (DE)But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are [bo]living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that [bp](DF)I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. 23 I will [bq]put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24 Then the Lord did so. And [br]thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was (DG)laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

25 Then Pharaoh (DH)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “(DI)Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” 26 But Moses said, “It is not permissible for us to do so, because we will sacrifice to the Lord our God [bs]that which is (DJ)an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice [bt]that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go a (DK)three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He [bu]commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “(DL)I will let you go, so that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. (DM)Plead for me.” 29 Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going to leave you, and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh (DN)deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

30 So (DO)Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 31 The Lord did [bv]as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh [bw]hardened his heart this time also, and (DP)he did not let the people go.

Egyptian Livestock Die

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “(DQ)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2 For (DR)if you refuse to let them go and [bx]continue to hold them, 3 behold, (DS)the hand of the Lord [by]will come with a very severe plague on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. 4 (DT)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that (DU)nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’” 5 And the Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” 6 So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and (DV)all the livestock of Egypt died; (DW)but not one of the livestock of the sons of Israel died. 7 And Pharaoh sent men, and they learned that, behold, not even one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But (DX)the heart of Pharaoh was [bz]hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and Moses shall toss it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 Then it will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will turn into (DY)boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal through all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses tossed it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on every person and animal. 11 (DZ)The soothsayer priests could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the soothsayer priests as well as on all the Egyptians. 12 But (EA)the Lord [ca]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(EB)Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: “(EC)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I am going to send all My plagues [cb]on you and your servants and your people, so that (ED)you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 For had I now put out My hand and struck you and your people with plague, you would then have been eliminated from the earth. 16 But indeed, (EE)for this reason I have allowed you to [cc]remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name throughout the earth. 17 Still you exalt yourself against My people [cd]by not letting them go.

The Plague of Hail

18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, (EF)I will [ce]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded [cf]until now. 19 So now, send word, bring (EG)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. (EH)Every person and animal that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” 20 (EI)Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who [cg]feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; 21 but everyone who [ch]did not pay regard to the word of the Lord [ci]left his servants and his livestock in the field.

22 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that [cj](EJ)hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on every person and animal, and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” 23 So Moses reached out with his staff toward the sky, and the Lord [ck]sent [cl]thunder and (EK)hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing intermittently in the midst of the hail, which was very heavy, such as had not occurred in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25 (EL)The hail struck everything that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, from people to animals; the hail also struck every plant of the field, and shattered every tree of the field. 26 (EM)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.

27 Then Pharaoh [cm](EN)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “(EO)I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 (EP)Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s [cn]thunder and hail; and (EQ)I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” 29 Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will (ER)spread out my [co]hands to the Lord; the [cp]thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that (ES)the earth is the Lord’s. 30 (ET)But as for you and your servants, I know that (EU)you do not yet [cq]fear [cr]the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the (EV)barley were [cs]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not [ct]ruined, for they ripen late.) 33 (EW)So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his [cu]hands to the Lord; and the [cv]thunder and the hail stopped, and rain [cw]no longer poured on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the [cx]thunder had stopped, he sinned again and [cy]hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was [cz]hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the (EX)Lord had spoken through Moses.

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for (EY)I have [da]hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may [db]perform these signs of Mine [dc]among them, 2 and (EZ)that you may tell in the [dd]presence of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I [de]performed My signs among them, (FA)so that you may know that I am the Lord.”

3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: ‘How long will you refuse to (FB)humble yourself before Me? (FC)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 4 For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 And they will cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. (FD)They will also eat the rest of what has survived—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree of yours which grows [df]in the field. 6 Then (FE)your houses will be filled with them, [dg]together with the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they [dh]came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and left Pharaoh. 7 Then (FF)Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be (FG)a snare to us? Let the [di]people go, so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet [dj]realize that Egypt is destroyed?” 8 So Moses and Aaron (FH)were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “(FI)Go, serve the Lord your God! [dk]Who specifically are the ones who are going?” 9 Moses said, “(FJ)We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, (FK)with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we [dl]must hold a feast to the Lord.” 10 Then he said to them, “So may the Lord be with you, when I let you and your little ones go! Watch out, for evil is [dm]on your mind! 11 Not so! Go now, but only the men among you, and serve the Lord, since [dn]that is what you desire.” So (FL)they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(FM)Reach out with your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up on the land of Egypt and (FN)eat every plant of the land, everything that the hail has left.” 13 So Moses reached out with his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind [do]brought the (FO)locusts. 14 (FP)The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very [dp]numerous. There had never been so many [dq]locusts, nor would there be so many [dr]again. 15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they (FQ)ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Therefore nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field throughout the land of Egypt. 16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly (FR)called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “(FS)I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 So now, please forgive my sin only this once, and (FT)plead with the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” 18 Then (FU)he left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 19 So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind, which picked up the locusts and drove them into the [ds]Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But (FV)the Lord [dt]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

Darkness over the Land

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(FW)Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness (FX)which may be felt.” 22 So Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was (FY)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, (FZ)but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24 Then Pharaoh (GA)called for Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be left behind. Even (GB)your little ones may go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also [du]let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may [dv]sacrifice them to the Lord our God. 26 (GC)Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.” 27 But (GD)the Lord [dw]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “(GE)Get away from me! [dx]Be careful, do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you shall die!” 29 Moses said, “You have spoken correctly; (GF)I shall never see your face again!”

The Last Plague

11 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; (GG)after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will assuredly drive you out from here completely. 2 Speak now [dy]so that the people hear, that (GH)each man is to ask of his neighbor, and each woman of her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And (GI)the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. (GJ)Furthermore, the man Moses himself was [dz]greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

4 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About (GK)midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and (GL)all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 So there shall be (GM)a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 (GN)But not even a dog will [ea]threaten any of the sons of Israel, nor anything from person to animal, so that you may [eb]learn how the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 And (GO)all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow themselves [ec]before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who [ed]follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” (GP)And he left Pharaoh in the heat of anger.

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(GQ)Pharaoh will not listen to you, so (GR)that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So (GS)Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet (GT)the Lord [ee]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

The Passover Lamb

12 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of [ef]Egypt, 2 “(GU)This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year for you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are, each one, to take a [eg]lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a [eh]lamb for [ei]each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a [ej]lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the [ek]number of persons in them; in proportion to [el]what each one should eat, you are to [em]divide the lamb. 5 Your [en]lamb shall be (GV)an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 [eo]You shall keep it until the (GW)fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it [ep](GX)at twilight. 7 (GY)Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel [eq]of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh (GZ)that same night, (HA)roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with (HB)unleavened bread [er](HC)and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather (HD)roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with (HE)its entrails. 10 (HF)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. 11 Now you shall eat it in this way: with your garment [es]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 (HG)the Lord’s Passover. 12 For (HH)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 (HI)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—(HJ)I am the Lord. 13 (HK)The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you [et]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you [eu]to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

14 ‘Now (HL)this day shall be (HM)a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as [ev](HN)a permanent ordinance. 15 For (HO)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, (HP)that [ew]person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And (HQ)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 [ex]prepared by you. 17 You shall also keep (HR)the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this (HS)very day I brought your [ey]multitudes out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as (HT)a [ez]permanent ordinance. 18 (HU)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. 19 For (HV)seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that [fa](HW)person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything with yeast; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

21 Then (HX)Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and (HY)take for yourselves [fb]lambs according to your families, and slaughter (HZ)the Passover lamb. 22 And (IA)you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and [fc]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

23 For (IB)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 (IC)not allow the (ID)destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. 24 And (IE)you shall keep this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [fd]promised, you shall keep this [fe]rite. 26 (IF)And when your children say to you, ‘[ff]What does this rite mean to you?’ 27 then you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to (IG)the Lord because He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but [fg]spared our homes.’” (IH)And the people bowed low and worshiped.

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

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

Exodus of Israel

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

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

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

40 Now the time [fk]that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was (JA)430 years. 41 And at the end of 430 years, on (JB)this very day, (JC)all the [fl]multitudes of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt.

Ordinance of the Passover

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

43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of (JE)the Passover: no [fo](JF)foreigner is to eat it; 44 but as for every (JG)slave [fp]that someone has purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 (JH)A stranger or a hired worker shall not eat it. 46 It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring any of the meat outside of the house, (JI)nor are you to break any bone of it. 47 (JJ)All the congregation of Israel are to [fq]celebrate this. 48 But (JK)if a stranger resides with you and [fr]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to [fs]celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 [ft](JL)The same law shall [fu]apply to the native as to the stranger who resides among you.”

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

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

3 And Moses said to the people, “(JP)Remember this day in which you departed from Egypt, from the house of [fw]slavery; for (JQ)by [fx]a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. (JR)And nothing with yeast shall be eaten. 4 On this day in the (JS)month of Abib, you are about to go out from here. 5 And it shall be when the Lord (JT)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which (JU)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, (JV)that you shall [fy]perform this rite in this month. 6 For (JW)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 throughout the seven days; and (JX)nothing with yeast shall [fz]be seen among you, nor shall any dough with yeast [ga]be seen among you in all your borders. 8 And (JY)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.’ 9 And (JZ)it shall [gb]serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder [gc]on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with (KA)a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 Therefore, you shall (KB)keep this ordinance at its appointed time from [gd]year to year.

11 “Now when (KC)the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as (KD)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 (KE)you shall [ge]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. 13 But (KF)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 (KG)every [gf]firstborn among your sons you shall redeem. 14 (KH)And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘(KI)With [gg]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of [gh]slavery. 15 And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the (KJ)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.’ 16 So (KK)it shall [gi]serve as a sign on your hand and as [gj]phylacteries [gk]on your forehead, for with [gl]a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

God Leads the People

17 Now 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, “(KL)The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the [gm]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up (KM)in battle formation from the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took (KN)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will certainly [gn]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 20 Then they set out from (KO)Succoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And (KP)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 [go]travel by day and by night. 22 [gp]He (KQ)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 (KR)Pi-hahiroth, between (KS)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And (KT)I will [gq]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and (KU)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and (KV)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

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

10 As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel [gu]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; (LA)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then (LB)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, [gv]bringing us out of Egypt? 12 (LC)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘[gw]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

13 But Moses said to the people, “(LD)Do not fear! [gx]Stand by and see (LE)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 (LF)The Lord will fight for you, while (LG)you keep silent.”

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

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

21 (LL)Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord [hb]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into (LM)dry land, and (LN)the waters were divided. 22 So (LO)the sons of Israel [hc]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and (LP)the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. 23 Then (LQ)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. 24 But at the morning watch, (LR)the Lord looked down on the [hd]army of the Egyptians [he]through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the [hf]army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He [hg]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, (LS)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(LT)Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and (LU)the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing [hh]right into it; then the Lord [hi](LV)overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; (LW)not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on (LX)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 (LY)So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel (LZ)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great [hj]power which the Lord had [hk]used against the Egyptians, the people [hl]feared the Lord, and (MA)they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 5:4 Lit works
  2. Exodus 5:8 Lit out, saying,
  3. Exodus 5:13 Lit works
  4. Exodus 5:13 Lit the matter of a day in its day
  5. Exodus 5:13 Lit there was
  6. Exodus 5:14 Lit saying
  7. Exodus 5:19 Lit saying
  8. Exodus 5:19 Lit from your bricks the matter of a day in its day
  9. Exodus 5:20 Lit standing to meet
  10. Exodus 5:21 Lit our odor stink
  11. Exodus 6:1 Lit by a strong hand
  12. Exodus 6:1 Lit by a strong hand
  13. Exodus 6:3 Heb El Shaddai
  14. Exodus 6:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  15. Exodus 6:4 Lit land of their sojournings in which...
  16. Exodus 6:7 Lit to Me for a people
  17. Exodus 6:7 Lit to you for a God
  18. Exodus 6:8 Lit lifted up My hand
  19. Exodus 6:9 Or impatience
  20. Exodus 6:11 Lit speak to
  21. Exodus 6:11 Lit that he let
  22. Exodus 6:12 Lit uncircumcised of lips
  23. Exodus 6:15 In Num 26:12 and 1 Chr 4:24, Nemuel
  24. Exodus 6:16 Lit years
  25. Exodus 6:17 In 1 Chr 23:7, Ladan
  26. Exodus 6:18 Lit years
  27. Exodus 6:20 Lit took to him as a wife
  28. Exodus 6:20 Lit years
  29. Exodus 6:22 In Num 3:30, Elizaphan
  30. Exodus 6:23 Lit took to him as a wife
  31. Exodus 6:24 In 1 Chr 6:23 and 9:19, Ebiasaph
  32. Exodus 6:25 Lit took to him as a wife
  33. Exodus 6:26 I.e., multitudes in battle formation
  34. Exodus 6:27 Lit to bring out
  35. Exodus 6:30 Lit uncircumcised of lips
  36. Exodus 7:7 Lit 83 years old
  37. Exodus 7:9 Lit Show a wonder for yourselves
  38. Exodus 7:10 Lit before his
  39. Exodus 7:13 Lit strong
  40. Exodus 7:14 Or hard; lit heavy
  41. Exodus 7:15 Lit behold
  42. Exodus 7:17 Lit upon the waters
  43. Exodus 7:18 Lit be weary of
  44. Exodus 7:19 Or canals
  45. Exodus 7:20 Lit with the staff
  46. Exodus 7:22 Lit strong
  47. Exodus 7:23 Lit and he did not set his heart even to this
  48. Exodus 7:25 Lit were fulfilled
  49. Exodus 8:1 Ch 7:26 in Heb
  50. Exodus 8:5 Ch 8:1 in Heb
  51. Exodus 8:5 Or canals
  52. Exodus 8:6 Lit frog
  53. Exodus 8:7 Lit and made
  54. Exodus 8:8 Lit that He remove
  55. Exodus 8:9 Lit Glory over me
  56. Exodus 8:9 Lit cut off the frogs from
  57. Exodus 8:12 Lit placed
  58. Exodus 8:15 Lit made heavy
  59. Exodus 8:16 Or lice
  60. Exodus 8:17 Or lice
  61. Exodus 8:17 I.e., Egyptians and their livestock
  62. Exodus 8:17 Or lice
  63. Exodus 8:18 Or lice
  64. Exodus 8:18 Or lice
  65. Exodus 8:19 Lit strong
  66. Exodus 8:20 Lit behold
  67. Exodus 8:22 Lit standing
  68. Exodus 8:22 Or I am the Lord in the midst of the earth
  69. Exodus 8:23 Lit set a ransom
  70. Exodus 8:24 Lit heavy
  71. Exodus 8:26 Lit the abomination of Egypt
  72. Exodus 8:26 Lit the abomination of Egypt
  73. Exodus 8:27 Lit says to us
  74. Exodus 8:31 Lit according to the word of Moses
  75. Exodus 8:32 Lit made heavy
  76. Exodus 9:2 Lit still hold
  77. Exodus 9:3 Lit will be
  78. Exodus 9:7 Lit heavy
  79. Exodus 9:12 Lit made strong
  80. Exodus 9:14 Lit to your heart
  81. Exodus 9:16 Lit stand
  82. Exodus 9:17 Lit so as not to let
  83. Exodus 9:18 Lit cause to rain
  84. Exodus 9:18 Lit and until now
  85. Exodus 9:20 Or revered
  86. Exodus 9:21 Lit did not set his heart to
  87. Exodus 9:21 Lit then left
  88. Exodus 9:22 Lit there may be hail
  89. Exodus 9:23 Lit gave
  90. Exodus 9:23 Lit sounds
  91. Exodus 9:27 Lit sent and called
  92. Exodus 9:28 Lit sounds
  93. Exodus 9:29 Lit palms
  94. Exodus 9:29 Lit sounds
  95. Exodus 9:30 Or revere
  96. Exodus 9:30 Lit before the Lord
  97. Exodus 9:31 Lit struck
  98. Exodus 9:32 Lit struck
  99. Exodus 9:33 Lit palms
  100. Exodus 9:33 Lit sounds
  101. Exodus 9:33 Lit was not poured
  102. Exodus 9:34 Lit sounds
  103. Exodus 9:34 Lit made heavy
  104. Exodus 9:35 Lit strong
  105. Exodus 10:1 Lit made heavy
  106. Exodus 10:1 Lit put
  107. Exodus 10:1 Lit in his midst
  108. Exodus 10:2 Lit ears
  109. Exodus 10:2 Lit put
  110. Exodus 10:5 Lit from
  111. Exodus 10:6 Lit and the
  112. Exodus 10:6 Lit were
  113. Exodus 10:7 Or men
  114. Exodus 10:7 Lit know
  115. Exodus 10:8 Lit Who and who are
  116. Exodus 10:9 Lit have a feast
  117. Exodus 10:10 Lit before your face
  118. Exodus 10:11 Lit you desire it
  119. Exodus 10:13 Lit carried
  120. Exodus 10:14 Lit heavy
  121. Exodus 10:14 Lit locusts like them before them
  122. Exodus 10:14 Lit after them
  123. Exodus 10:19 Lit Sea of Reeds
  124. Exodus 10:20 Lit made strong
  125. Exodus 10:25 Lit hand over
  126. Exodus 10:25 Lit make them for
  127. Exodus 10:27 Lit made strong
  128. Exodus 10:28 Lit Take care for yourself
  129. Exodus 11:2 Lit in the ears of the people that
  130. Exodus 11:3 Lit very great
  131. Exodus 11:7 Lit move its tongue
  132. Exodus 11:7 Lit know
  133. Exodus 11:8 Lit to
  134. Exodus 11:8 Lit are at your feet
  135. Exodus 11:10 Lit made strong
  136. Exodus 12:1 Lit Egypt, saying
  137. Exodus 12:3 Or kid
  138. Exodus 12:3 Or kid
  139. Exodus 12:3 Lit the
  140. Exodus 12:4 Or kid
  141. Exodus 12:4 Or amount
  142. Exodus 12:4 Lit each man’s eating
  143. Exodus 12:4 Lit compute for
  144. Exodus 12:5 Or kid
  145. Exodus 12:6 Lit It shall be to you for a guarding
  146. Exodus 12:6 Lit between the two evenings
  147. Exodus 12:7 Lit upon
  148. Exodus 12:8 Lit in addition to
  149. Exodus 12:11 I.e., for travel
  150. Exodus 12:13 Lit are
  151. Exodus 12:13 Lit for destruction
  152. Exodus 12:14 Or an eternal
  153. Exodus 12:15 Lit soul
  154. Exodus 12:16 Lit done
  155. Exodus 12:17 Lit armies
  156. Exodus 12:17 Or eternal
  157. Exodus 12:19 Lit soul
  158. Exodus 12:21 Lit sheep
  159. Exodus 12:22 Lit cause to touch
  160. Exodus 12:25 Lit spoken
  161. Exodus 12:25 Lit service
  162. Exodus 12:26 Lit What is this service to you?
  163. Exodus 12:27 Lit delivered
  164. Exodus 12:31 Or serve
  165. Exodus 12:38 Lit and
  166. Exodus 12:39 Lit made
  167. Exodus 12:40 Or of the sons of Israel who lived
  168. Exodus 12:41 Lit armies
  169. Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
  170. Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
  171. Exodus 12:43 Lit son of a stranger
  172. Exodus 12:44 Lit of a man, an acquisition of money
  173. Exodus 12:47 Lit perform
  174. Exodus 12:48 Lit performs
  175. Exodus 12:48 Lit perform
  176. Exodus 12:49 Lit One law
  177. Exodus 12:49 Lit be
  178. Exodus 12:51 I.e., multitudes in battle formation
  179. Exodus 13:3 Lit slaves
  180. Exodus 13:3 Lit strength of hand
  181. Exodus 13:5 Lit serve this service
  182. Exodus 13:7 Lit appear to you
  183. Exodus 13:7 Lit appear to you
  184. Exodus 13:9 Lit be for
  185. Exodus 13:9 Lit between your eyes
  186. Exodus 13:10 Lit days to days
  187. Exodus 13:12 Lit cause to pass over
  188. Exodus 13:13 Lit firstborn of a human
  189. Exodus 13:14 Lit strength of hand
  190. Exodus 13:14 Lit slaves
  191. Exodus 13:16 Lit be for
  192. Exodus 13:16 Or frontlet-bands
  193. Exodus 13:16 Lit between your eyes
  194. Exodus 13:16 Lit strength of hand
  195. Exodus 13:18 Lit Sea of Reeds
  196. Exodus 13:19 Lit visit
  197. Exodus 13:21 Lit go
  198. Exodus 13:22 Or The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart
  199. Exodus 14:4 Lit make strong
  200. Exodus 14:5 Lit the heart of Pharaoh...was changed
  201. Exodus 14:8 Lit made strong
  202. Exodus 14:8 Lit with a high hand
  203. Exodus 14:10 Lit lifted up their eyes
  204. Exodus 14:11 Lit so as to bring
  205. Exodus 14:12 Lit Cease from us
  206. Exodus 14:13 Or Take your stand
  207. Exodus 14:16 Lit enter the
  208. Exodus 14:17 Lit make strong
  209. Exodus 14:20 Lit and the darkness
  210. Exodus 14:21 Lit caused to go
  211. Exodus 14:22 Lit entered the
  212. Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
  213. Exodus 14:24 Or in
  214. Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
  215. Exodus 14:25 Or removed
  216. Exodus 14:27 Lit to meet it
  217. Exodus 14:27 Lit shook off
  218. Exodus 14:31 Lit hand
  219. Exodus 14:31 Lit done
  220. Exodus 14:31 Or revered
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Exodus 5-13
New International Version

Bricks Without Straw

5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go,(A) so that they may hold a festival(B) to me in the wilderness.’”

2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord,(C) that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”(D)

3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey(E) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues(F) or with the sword.”

4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor?(G) Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous,(H) and you are stopping them from working.”

6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers(I) and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks;(J) let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota.(K) They are lazy;(L) that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’(M) 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

10 Then the slave drivers(N) and the overseers went out and said to the people, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I will not give you any more straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced(O) at all.’” 12 So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw. 13 The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, “Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw.” 14 And Pharaoh’s slave drivers beat the Israelite overseers they had appointed,(P) demanding, “Why haven’t you met your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?”

15 Then the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh: “Why have you treated your servants this way? 16 Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people.”

17 Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy!(Q) That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ 18 Now get to work.(R) You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

19 The Israelite overseers realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, “May the Lord look on you and judge(S) you! You have made us obnoxious(T) to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword(U) in their hand to kill us.”(V)

God Promises Deliverance

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people?(W) Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued(X) your people at all.”

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand(Y) he will let them go;(Z) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”(AA)

2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.(AB) 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[a](AC) but by my name(AD) the Lord[b](AE) I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant(AF) with them to give them the land(AG) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.(AH) 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning(AI) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.(AJ)

6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.(AK) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem(AL) you with an outstretched arm(AM) and with mighty acts of judgment.(AN) 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.(AO) Then you will know(AP) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land(AQ) I swore(AR) with uplifted hand(AS) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.(AT) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”(AU)

9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.(AV)

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell(AW) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”(AX)

12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen(AY) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[c]?”(AZ)

Family Record of Moses and Aaron

13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.(BA)

14 These were the heads of their families[d]:(BB)

The sons of Reuben(BC) the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.

15 The sons of Simeon(BD) were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.

16 These were the names of the sons of Levi(BE) according to their records: Gershon,(BF) Kohath and Merari.(BG) Levi lived 137 years.

17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.(BH)

18 The sons of Kohath(BI) were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(BJ) Kohath lived 133 years.

19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.(BK)

These were the clans of Levi according to their records.

20 Amram(BL) married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.(BM) Amram lived 137 years.

21 The sons of Izhar(BN) were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.

22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan(BO) and Sithri.

23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab(BP) and sister of Nahshon,(BQ) and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,(BR) Eleazar(BS) and Ithamar.(BT)

24 The sons of Korah(BU) were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.

25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.(BV)

These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.

26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt(BW) by their divisions.”(BX) 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh(BY) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.(BZ)

Aaron to Speak for Moses

28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord.(CA) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”

30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,(CB) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God(CC) to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.(CD) 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(CE) and though I multiply my signs and wonders(CF) in Egypt, 4 he will not listen(CG) to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment(CH) I will bring out my divisions,(CI) my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(CJ) when I stretch out my hand(CK) against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded(CL) them. 7 Moses was eighty years old(CM) and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,(CN)’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”(CO)

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,(CP) and the Egyptian magicians(CQ) also did the same things by their secret arts:(CR) 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart(CS) became hard and he would not listen(CT) to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding;(CU) he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river.(CV) Confront him on the bank of the Nile,(CW) and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship(CX) me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened.(CY) 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord:(CZ) With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.(DA) 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink;(DB) the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”(DC)

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff(DD) and stretch out your hand(DE) over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels[e] of wood and stone.”

20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded.(DF) He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile,(DG) and all the water was changed into blood.(DH) 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

22 But the Egyptian magicians(DI) did the same things by their secret arts,(DJ) and Pharaoh’s heart(DK) became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water(DL), because they could not drink the water of the river.

The Plague of Frogs

25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile. 8 1 [f]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship(DM) me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs(DN) on your whole country. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people,(DO) and into your ovens and kneading troughs.(DP) 4 The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’”

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff(DQ) over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs(DR) come up on the land of Egypt.’”

6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs(DS) came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts;(DT) they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray(DU) to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices(DV) to the Lord.”

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time(DW) for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”

10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.

Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God.(DX) 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”

12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did what Moses asked.(DY) The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15 But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief,(DZ) he hardened his heart(EA) and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Gnats

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff(EB) and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats(EC) came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians(ED) tried to produce gnats by their secret arts,(EE) they could not.

Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger(EF) of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart(EG) was hard and he would not listen,(EH) just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Flies

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning(EI) and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship(EJ) me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen,(EK) where my people live;(EL) no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know(EM) that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction[g] between my people and your people.(EN) This sign will occur tomorrow.’”

24 And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.(EO)

25 Then Pharaoh summoned(EP) Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”

26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians.(EQ) And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day journey(ER) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices(ES) to the Lord our God, as he commands us.”

28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray(ET) for me.”

29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully(EU) again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord,(EV) 31 and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart(EW) and would not let the people go.

The Plague on Livestock

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship(EX) me.” 2 If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, 3 the hand(EY) of the Lord will bring a terrible plague(EZ) on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt,(FA) so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”

5 The Lord set a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock(FB) of the Egyptians died,(FC) but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7 Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart(FD) was unyielding and he would not let the people go.(FE)

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils(FF) will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”

10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. 11 The magicians(FG) could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart(FH) and he would not listen(FI) to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

The Plague of Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship(FJ) me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know(FK) that there is no one like(FL) me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people(FM) with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up[h] for this very purpose,(FN) that I might show you my power(FO) and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm(FP) that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.(FQ) 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”

20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared(FR) the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored(FS) the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder(FT) and hail,(FU) and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.(FV) 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.(FW) 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen,(FX) where the Israelites were.(FY)

27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,”(FZ) he said to them. “The Lord is in the right,(GA) and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray(GB) to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go;(GC) you don’t have to stay any longer.”

29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands(GD) in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth(GE) is the Lord’s. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear(GF) the Lord God.”

31 (The flax and barley(GG) were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt,(GH) however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart(GI) was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart(GJ) and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs(GK) of mine among them 2 that you may tell your children(GL) and grandchildren how I dealt harshly(GM) with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”(GN)

3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble(GO) yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 4 If you refuse(GP) to let them go, I will bring locusts(GQ) into your country tomorrow. 5 They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left(GR) after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.(GS) 6 They will fill your houses(GT) and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’”(GU) Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

7 Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare(GV) to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”(GW)

8 Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship(GX) the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”

9 Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival(GY) to the Lord.”

10 Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil.[i] 11 No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.

12 And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand(GZ) over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.”

13 So Moses stretched out his staff(HA) over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts;(HB) 14 they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts,(HC) nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured(HD) all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly summoned(HE) Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned(HF) against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive(HG) my sin once more and pray(HH) to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”

18 Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.(HI) 19 And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea.[j] Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,(HJ) and he would not let the Israelites go.

The Plague of Darkness

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness(HK) spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness(HL) covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.(HM)

24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go,(HN) worship the Lord. Even your women and children(HO) may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”(HP)

25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings(HQ) to present to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”

27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,(HR) and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

29 “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear(HS) before you again.”

The Plague on the Firstborn

11 Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go(HT) from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.(HU) 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”(HV) 3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed(HW) toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded(HX) in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight(HY) I will go throughout Egypt.(HZ) 5 Every firstborn(IA) son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill,(IB) and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing(IC) throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction(ID) between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go,(IE) you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.”(IF) Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen(IG) to you—so that my wonders(IH) may be multiplied in Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,(II) and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread(IJ)

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month,(IK) 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[k](IL) for his family, one for each household.(IM) 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,(IN) and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month,(IO) when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.(IP) 7 Then they are to take some of the blood(IQ) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night(IR) they are to eat the meat roasted(IS) over the fire, along with bitter herbs,(IT) and bread made without yeast.(IU) 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.(IV) 10 Do not leave any of it till morning;(IW) 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;(IX) it is the Lord’s Passover.(IY)

12 “On that same night I will pass through(IZ) Egypt and strike down(JA) every firstborn(JB) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods(JC) of Egypt. I am the Lord.(JD) 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(JE) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.(JF)

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate;(JG) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.(JH) 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.(JI) 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(JJ) from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work(JK) 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,(JL) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.(JM) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.(JN) 18 In the first month(JO) 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(JP) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off(JQ) from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,(JR) you must eat unleavened bread.”(JS)

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(JT) lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop,(JU) dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood(JV) 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(JW) down the Egyptians, he will see the blood(JX) on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over(JY) that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer(JZ) to enter your houses and strike you down.

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

29 At midnight(KH) the Lord(KI) struck down all the firstborn(KJ) 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(KK) as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing(KL) 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(KM) the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds,(KN) as you have said, and go. And also bless(KO) me.”

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

37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses(KX) to Sukkoth.(KY) There were about six hundred thousand men(KZ) on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people(LA) 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(LB) of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt[l] was 430 years.(LC) 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions(LD) left Egypt.(LE) 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.(LF)

Passover Restrictions

43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:(LG)

“No foreigner(LH) may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised(LI) him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker(LJ) 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.(LK) 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.(LL) No uncircumcised(LM) male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner(LN) residing among you.”

50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded(LO) Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt(LP) by their divisions.(LQ)

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.(LR) 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,(LS) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.(LT) Eat nothing containing yeast.(LU) 4 Today, in the month of Aviv,(LV) you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,(LW) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites(LX)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey(LY)—you are to observe this ceremony(LZ) in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival(MA) 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,(MB) ‘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(MC) and a reminder on your forehead(MD) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(ME) 10 You must keep this ordinance(MF) at the appointed time(MG) year after year.

11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites(MH) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath(MI) to you and your ancestors,(MJ) 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.(MK) 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,(ML) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(MM) Redeem(MN) every firstborn among your sons.(MO)

14 “In days to come, when your son(MP) 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.(MQ) 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.’(MR)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
  2. Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
  3. Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
  4. Exodus 6:14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.
  5. Exodus 7:19 Or even on their idols
  6. Exodus 8:1 In Hebrew texts 8:1-4 is numbered 7:26-29, and 8:5-32 is numbered 8:1-28.
  7. Exodus 8:23 Septuagint and Vulgate; Hebrew will put a deliverance
  8. Exodus 9:16 Or have spared you
  9. Exodus 10:10 Or Be careful, trouble is in store for you!
  10. Exodus 10:19 Or the Sea of Reeds
  11. Exodus 12:3 The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid; also in verse 4.
  12. Exodus 12:40 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint Egypt and Canaan
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Exodus 4
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