Exodus 7-12
New American Standard Bible
I Will Extend My Hand
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(A)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 (B)Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3 But (C)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that I may (D)multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 When (E)Pharaoh does not listen to you, I will lay My hand on Egypt and (F)bring out My armies, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by (G)great judgments. 5 Then (H)the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I (I)extend My hand over Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6 So Moses and Aaron did this; (J)as the Lord commanded them, so they did. 7 And Moses was (K)eighty years old and Aaron [a]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, ‘[b](L)Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘(M)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 [c]his servants, and it (N)turned into a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also (O)called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they too, the (P)soothsayer priests of Egypt, did the same with (Q)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 (R)Pharaoh’s heart was [d]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 [e]stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning [f]just as (S)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 (T)the staff that was turned into a serpent. 16 And (U)you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “(V)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: “(W)By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I am going to strike [g]the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and (X)it will be turned into blood. 18 Then (Y)the fish that are in the Nile will die, the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will [h](Z)no longer be able to drink water from the Nile.”’” 19 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and (AA)extend your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their [i]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 [j](AB)the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants; and (AC)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 (AD)But the soothsayer priests of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was [k]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 23 Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house [l]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 [m]passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
Frogs over the Land
8 [n]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(AE)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 (AF)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 [o]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘(AG)Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the [p]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 [q](AH)frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 However, (AI)the soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts, [r]making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8 Then Pharaoh (AJ)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “(AK)Plead with the Lord [s]to remove the frogs from me and from my people; and (AL)I will let the people go, so that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” 9 And Moses said to Pharaoh, “[t]The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I plead for you and your servants and your people, [u]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 (AM)no one like the Lord our God. 11 The (AN)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 (AO)Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had [v]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 [w]hardened his heart and (AP)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 [x]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 [y]gnats on every [z]person and animal. All the dust of the earth turned into [aa](AQ)gnats through all the land of Egypt. 18 The soothsayer priests tried with their secret arts to produce [ab]gnats, but (AR)they could not; so there were [ac]gnats on every person and animal. 19 Then the soothsayer priests said to Pharaoh, “(AS)This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was [ad]hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(AT)Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, [ae]as (AU)he comes out to the water; and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “(AV)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 (AW)But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are [af]living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that [ag](AX)I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. 23 I will [ah]put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” 24 Then the Lord did so. And [ai]thick swarms of flies entered the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants, and the land was (AY)laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.
25 Then Pharaoh (AZ)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “(BA)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 [aj]that which is (BB)an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice [ak]that which is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must go a (BC)three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, just as He [al]commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “(BD)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. (BE)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 (BF)deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”
30 So (BG)Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord. 31 The Lord did [am]as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. 32 But Pharaoh [an]hardened his heart this time also, and (BH)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: “(BI)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 2 For (BJ)if you refuse to let them go and [ao]continue to hold them, 3 behold, (BK)the hand of the Lord [ap]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 (BL)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that (BM)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 (BN)all the livestock of Egypt died; (BO)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 (BP)the heart of Pharaoh was [aq]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 (BQ)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 (BR)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 (BS)the Lord [ar]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, “(BT)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: “(BU)Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. 14 For this time I am going to send all My plagues [as]on you and your servants and your people, so that (BV)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, (BW)for this reason I have allowed you to [at]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 [au]by not letting them go.
The Plague of Hail
18 Behold, about this time tomorrow, (BX)I will [av]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded [aw]until now. 19 So now, send word, bring (BY)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. (BZ)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 (CA)Everyone among the servants of Pharaoh who [ax]feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring his servants and his livestock into the houses; 21 but everyone who [ay]did not pay regard to the word of the Lord [az]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 [ba](CB)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 [bb]sent [bc]thunder and (CC)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 (CD)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 (CE)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, was there no hail.
27 Then Pharaoh [bd](CF)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “(CG)I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. 28 (CH)Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s [be]thunder and hail; and (CI)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 (CJ)spread out my [bf]hands to the Lord; the [bg]thunder will cease and there will no longer be hail, so that you may know that (CK)the earth is the Lord’s. 30 (CL)But as for you and your servants, I know that (CM)you do not yet [bh]fear [bi]the Lord God.” 31 (Now the flax and the (CN)barley were [bj]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not [bk]ruined, for they ripen late.) 33 (CO)So Moses left the city from his meeting with Pharaoh, and spread out his [bl]hands to the Lord; and the [bm]thunder and the hail stopped, and rain [bn]no longer poured on the earth. 34 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the [bo]thunder had stopped, he sinned again and [bp]hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was [bq]hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the (CP)Lord had spoken through Moses.
The Plague of Locusts
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for (CQ)I have [br]hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, so that I may [bs]perform these signs of Mine [bt]among them, 2 and (CR)that you may tell in the [bu]presence of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I [bv]performed My signs among them, (CS)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 (CT)humble yourself before Me? (CU)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. (CV)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 [bw]in the field. 6 Then (CW)your houses will be filled with them, [bx]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 [by]came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and left Pharaoh. 7 Then (CX)Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be (CY)a snare to us? Let the [bz]people go, so that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet [ca]realize that Egypt is destroyed?” 8 So Moses and Aaron (CZ)were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “(DA)Go, serve the Lord your God! [cb]Who specifically are the ones who are going?” 9 Moses said, “(DB)We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, (DC)with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we [cc]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 [cd]on your mind! 11 Not so! Go now, but only the men among you, and serve the Lord, since [ce]that is what you desire.” So (DD)they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(DE)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 (DF)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 [cf]brought the (DG)locusts. 14 (DH)The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very [cg]numerous. There had never been so many [ch]locusts, nor would there be so many [ci]again. 15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they (DI)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 (DJ)called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “(DK)I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 So now, please forgive my sin only this once, and (DL)plead with the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” 18 Then (DM)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 [cj]Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. 20 But (DN)the Lord [ck]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, “(DO)Reach out with your hand toward the sky, so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness (DP)which may be felt.” 22 So Moses reached out with his hand toward the sky, and there was (DQ)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, (DR)but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24 Then Pharaoh (DS)called for Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be left behind. Even (DT)your little ones may go with you.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also [cl]let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that we may [cm]sacrifice them to the Lord our God. 26 (DU)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 (DV)the Lord [cn]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “(DW)Get away from me! [co]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; (DX)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; (DY)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 [cp]so that the people hear, that (DZ)each man is to ask of his neighbor, and each woman of her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 And (EA)the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. (EB)Furthermore, the man Moses himself was [cq]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 (EC)midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and (ED)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 (EE)a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 (EF)But not even a dog will [cr]threaten any of the sons of Israel, nor anything from person to animal, so that you may [cs]learn how the Lord distinguishes between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 And (EG)all these servants of yours will come down to me and bow themselves [ct]before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who [cu]follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” (EH)And he left Pharaoh in the heat of anger.
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “(EI)Pharaoh will not listen to you, so (EJ)that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 So (EK)Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet (EL)the Lord [cv]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 [cw]Egypt, 2 “(EM)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 [cx]lamb for themselves, according to the fathers’ households, a [cy]lamb for [cz]each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a [da]lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the [db]number of persons in them; in proportion to [dc]what each one should eat, you are to [dd]divide the lamb. 5 Your [de]lamb shall be (EN)an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 [df]You shall keep it until the (EO)fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to slaughter it [dg](EP)at twilight. 7 (EQ)Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel [dh]of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh (ER)that same night, (ES)roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with (ET)unleavened bread [di](EU)and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather (EV)roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with (EW)its entrails. 10 (EX)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 [dj]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 (EY)the Lord’s Passover. 12 For (EZ)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 (FA)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—(FB)I am the Lord. 13 (FC)The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you [dk]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you [dl]to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Feast of Unleavened Bread
14 ‘Now (FD)this day shall be (FE)a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as [dm](FF)a permanent ordinance. 15 For (FG)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, (FH)that [dn]person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 And (FI)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 [do]prepared by you. 17 You shall also keep (FJ)the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this (FK)very day I brought your [dp]multitudes out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall keep this day throughout your generations as (FL)a [dq]permanent ordinance. 18 (FM)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 (FN)seven days there shall be no dough with yeast found in your houses; for whoever eats anything with yeast, that [dr](FO)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 (FP)Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and (FQ)take for yourselves [ds]lambs according to your families, and slaughter (FR)the Passover lamb. 22 And (FS)you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and [dt]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 (FT)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 (FU)not allow the (FV)destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. 24 And (FW)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 [du]promised, you shall keep this [dv]rite. 26 (FX)And when your children say to you, ‘[dw]What does this rite mean to you?’ 27 then you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to (FY)the Lord because He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, but [dx]spared our homes.’” (FZ)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 (GA)midnight that (GB)the Lord struck all (GC)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 (GD)cattle. 30 And Pharaoh got up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was (GE)a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then (GF)he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, (GG)get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, [dy]worship the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take (GH)both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”
Exodus of Israel
33 (GI)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 (GJ)their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.
35 (GK)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 (GL)plundered the Egyptians.
37 Now the (GM)sons of Israel journeyed from (GN)Rameses to Succoth, about (GO)six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. 38 A (GP)mixed multitude also went up with them, [dz]along with flocks and herds, a (GQ)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 (GR)driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they [ea]prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 Now the time [eb]that the sons of Israel had lived in Egypt was (GS)430 years. 41 And at the end of 430 years, on (GT)this very day, (GU)all the [ec]multitudes of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt.
Ordinance of the Passover
42 (GV)It is a night [ed]to be observed for the Lord, for having brought them out of the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, [ee]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 (GW)the Passover: no [ef](GX)foreigner is to eat it; 44 but as for every (GY)slave [eg]that someone has purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 (GZ)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, (HA)nor are you to break any bone of it. 47 (HB)All the congregation of Israel are to [eh]celebrate this. 48 But (HC)if a stranger resides with you and [ei]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, all of his males are to be circumcised, and then he shall come near to [ej]celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 [ek](HD)The same law shall [el]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 (HE)the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt (HF)according to their [em]multitudes.
Footnotes
- Exodus 7:7 Lit 83 years old
- Exodus 7:9 Lit Show a wonder for yourselves
- Exodus 7:10 Lit before his
- Exodus 7:13 Lit strong
- Exodus 7:14 Or hard; lit heavy
- Exodus 7:15 Lit behold
- Exodus 7:17 Lit upon the waters
- Exodus 7:18 Lit be weary of
- Exodus 7:19 Or canals
- Exodus 7:20 Lit with the staff
- Exodus 7:22 Lit strong
- Exodus 7:23 Lit and he did not set his heart even to this
- Exodus 7:25 Lit were fulfilled
- Exodus 8:1 Ch 7:26 in Heb
- Exodus 8:5 Ch 8:1 in Heb
- Exodus 8:5 Or canals
- Exodus 8:6 Lit frog
- Exodus 8:7 Lit and made
- Exodus 8:8 Lit that He remove
- Exodus 8:9 Lit Glory over me
- Exodus 8:9 Lit cut off the frogs from
- Exodus 8:12 Lit placed
- Exodus 8:15 Lit made heavy
- Exodus 8:16 Or lice
- Exodus 8:17 Or lice
- Exodus 8:17 I.e., Egyptians and their livestock
- Exodus 8:17 Or lice
- Exodus 8:18 Or lice
- Exodus 8:18 Or lice
- Exodus 8:19 Lit strong
- Exodus 8:20 Lit behold
- Exodus 8:22 Lit standing
- Exodus 8:22 Or I am the Lord in the midst of the earth
- Exodus 8:23 Lit set a ransom
- Exodus 8:24 Lit heavy
- Exodus 8:26 Lit the abomination of Egypt
- Exodus 8:26 Lit the abomination of Egypt
- Exodus 8:27 Lit says to us
- Exodus 8:31 Lit according to the word of Moses
- Exodus 8:32 Lit made heavy
- Exodus 9:2 Lit still hold
- Exodus 9:3 Lit will be
- Exodus 9:7 Lit heavy
- Exodus 9:12 Lit made strong
- Exodus 9:14 Lit to your heart
- Exodus 9:16 Lit stand
- Exodus 9:17 Lit so as not to let
- Exodus 9:18 Lit cause to rain
- Exodus 9:18 Lit and until now
- Exodus 9:20 Or revered
- Exodus 9:21 Lit did not set his heart to
- Exodus 9:21 Lit then left
- Exodus 9:22 Lit there may be hail
- Exodus 9:23 Lit gave
- Exodus 9:23 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:27 Lit sent and called
- Exodus 9:28 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:29 Lit palms
- Exodus 9:29 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:30 Or revere
- Exodus 9:30 Lit before the Lord
- Exodus 9:31 Lit struck
- Exodus 9:32 Lit struck
- Exodus 9:33 Lit palms
- Exodus 9:33 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:33 Lit was not poured
- Exodus 9:34 Lit sounds
- Exodus 9:34 Lit made heavy
- Exodus 9:35 Lit strong
- Exodus 10:1 Lit made heavy
- Exodus 10:1 Lit put
- Exodus 10:1 Lit in his midst
- Exodus 10:2 Lit ears
- Exodus 10:2 Lit put
- Exodus 10:5 Lit from
- Exodus 10:6 Lit and the
- Exodus 10:6 Lit were
- Exodus 10:7 Or men
- Exodus 10:7 Lit know
- Exodus 10:8 Lit Who and who are
- Exodus 10:9 Lit have a feast
- Exodus 10:10 Lit before your face
- Exodus 10:11 Lit you desire it
- Exodus 10:13 Lit carried
- Exodus 10:14 Lit heavy
- Exodus 10:14 Lit locusts like them before them
- Exodus 10:14 Lit after them
- Exodus 10:19 Lit Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 10:20 Lit made strong
- Exodus 10:25 Lit hand over
- Exodus 10:25 Lit make them for
- Exodus 10:27 Lit made strong
- Exodus 10:28 Lit Take care for yourself
- Exodus 11:2 Lit in the ears of the people that
- Exodus 11:3 Lit very great
- Exodus 11:7 Lit move its tongue
- Exodus 11:7 Lit know
- Exodus 11:8 Lit to
- Exodus 11:8 Lit are at your feet
- Exodus 11:10 Lit made strong
- Exodus 12:1 Lit Egypt, saying
- Exodus 12:3 Or kid
- Exodus 12:3 Or kid
- Exodus 12:3 Lit the
- Exodus 12:4 Or kid
- Exodus 12:4 Or amount
- Exodus 12:4 Lit each man’s eating
- Exodus 12:4 Lit compute for
- Exodus 12:5 Or kid
- Exodus 12:6 Lit It shall be to you for a guarding
- Exodus 12:6 Lit between the two evenings
- Exodus 12:7 Lit upon
- Exodus 12:8 Lit in addition to
- Exodus 12:11 I.e., for travel
- Exodus 12:13 Lit are
- Exodus 12:13 Lit for destruction
- Exodus 12:14 Or an eternal
- Exodus 12:15 Lit soul
- Exodus 12:16 Lit done
- Exodus 12:17 Lit armies
- Exodus 12:17 Or eternal
- Exodus 12:19 Lit soul
- Exodus 12:21 Lit sheep
- Exodus 12:22 Lit cause to touch
- Exodus 12:25 Lit spoken
- Exodus 12:25 Lit service
- Exodus 12:26 Lit What is this service to you?
- Exodus 12:27 Lit delivered
- Exodus 12:31 Or serve
- Exodus 12:38 Lit and
- Exodus 12:39 Lit made
- Exodus 12:40 Or of the sons of Israel who lived
- Exodus 12:41 Lit armies
- Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
- Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
- Exodus 12:43 Lit son of a stranger
- Exodus 12:44 Lit of a man, an acquisition of money
- Exodus 12:47 Lit perform
- Exodus 12:48 Lit performs
- Exodus 12:48 Lit perform
- Exodus 12:49 Lit One law
- Exodus 12:49 Lit be
- Exodus 12:51 I.e., multitudes in battle formation
Exodus 7-12
The Message
7 1-5 God told Moses, “Look at me. I’ll make you as a god to Pharaoh and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to speak everything I command you, and your brother Aaron will tell it to Pharaoh. Then he will release the Israelites from his land. At the same time I am going to put Pharaoh’s back up and follow it up by filling Egypt with signs and wonders. Pharaoh is not going to listen to you, but I will have my way against Egypt and bring out my soldiers, my people the Israelites, from Egypt by mighty acts of judgment. The Egyptians will realize that I am God when I step in and take the Israelites out of their country.”
6-7 Moses and Aaron did exactly what God commanded. Moses was eighty and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
* * *
8-9 Then God spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said, “When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, ‘Prove yourselves. Perform a miracle,’ then tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down in front of Pharaoh: It will turn into a snake.’”
10 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what God commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and it turned into a snake.
11-12 Pharaoh called in his wise men and sorcerers. The magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their spells: each man threw down his staff and they all turned into snakes. But then Aaron’s staff swallowed their staffs.
13 Yet Pharaoh was as stubborn as ever—he wouldn’t listen to them, just as God had said.
Strike One: Blood
14-18 God said to Moses: “Pharaoh is a stubborn man. He refuses to release the people. First thing in the morning, go and meet Pharaoh as he goes down to the river. At the shore of the Nile take the staff that turned into a snake and say to him, ‘God, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with this message, “Release my people so that they can worship me in the wilderness.” So far you haven’t listened. This is how you’ll know that I am God. I am going to take this staff that I’m holding and strike this Nile River water: The water will turn to blood; the fish in the Nile will die; the Nile will stink; and the Egyptians won’t be able to drink the Nile water.’”
19 God said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and wave it over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water—so that they turn to blood.’ There’ll be blood everywhere in Egypt—even in the pots and pans.”
20-21 Moses and Aaron did exactly as God commanded them. Aaron raised his staff and hit the water in the Nile with Pharaoh and his servants watching. All the water in the Nile turned into blood. The fish in the Nile died; the Nile stank; and the Egyptians couldn’t drink the Nile water. The blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22-25 But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their incantations. Still Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them as God had said. He spun around and went home, never giving it a second thought. But all the Egyptians had to dig inland from the river for water because they couldn’t drink the Nile water.
Seven days went by after God had struck the Nile.
Strike Two: Frogs
8 1-4 God said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘God’s Message: Release my people so they can worship me. If you refuse to release them, I’m warning you, I’ll hit the whole country with frogs. The Nile will swarm with frogs—they’ll come up into your houses, into your bedrooms and into your beds, into your servants’ quarters, among the people, into your ovens and pots and pans. They’ll be all over you, all over everyone—frogs everywhere, on and in everything!’”
5 God said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Wave your staff over the rivers and canals and ponds. Bring up frogs on the land of Egypt.’”
6 Aaron stretched his staff over the waters of Egypt and a mob of frogs came up and covered the country.
7 But again the magicians did the same thing using their incantations—they also produced frogs in Egypt.
8 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to God to rid us of these frogs. I’ll release the people so that they can make their sacrifices and worship God.”
9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here, away from your servants and people and out of your houses? You’ll be rid of frogs except for those in the Nile.”
10-11 “Make it tomorrow.”
Moses said, “Tomorrow it is—so you’ll realize that there is no God like our God. The frogs will be gone. You and your houses and your servants and your people, free of frogs. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile.”
12-14 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses prayed to God about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. God responded to Moses’ prayer: The frogs died off—houses, courtyards, fields, all free of frogs. They piled the frogs in heaps. The country reeked of dead frogs.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that he had some breathing room, he got stubborn again and wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron. Just as God had said.
Strike Three: Gnats
16 God said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and strike the dust. The dust will turn into gnats all over Egypt.’”
17 He did it. Aaron grabbed his staff and struck the dust of the Earth; it turned into gnats, gnats all over people and animals. All the dust of the Earth turned into gnats, gnats everywhere in Egypt.
18 The magicians tried to produce gnats with their spells but this time they couldn’t do it. There were gnats everywhere, all over people and animals.
19 The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is God’s doing.” But Pharaoh was stubborn and wouldn’t listen. Just as God had said.
Strike Four: Flies
20-23 God said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes down to the water. Tell him, ‘God’s Message: Release my people so they can worship me. If you don’t release my people, I’ll release swarms of flies on you, your servants, your people, and your homes. The houses of the Egyptians and even the ground under their feet will be thick with flies. But when it happens, I’ll set Goshen where my people live aside as a sanctuary—no flies in Goshen. That will show you that I am God in this land. I’ll make a sharp distinction between your people and mine. This sign will occur tomorrow.’”
24 And God did just that. Thick swarms of flies in Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his servants. All over Egypt, the country ruined by flies.
25 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, “Go ahead. Sacrifice to your God—but do it here in this country.”
26-27 Moses said, “That would not be wise. What we sacrifice to our God would give great offense to Egyptians. If we openly sacrifice what is so deeply offensive to Egyptians, they’ll kill us. Let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to our God, just as he instructed us.”
28 Pharaoh said, “All right. I’ll release you to go and sacrifice to your God in the wilderness. Only don’t go too far. Now pray for me.”
29 Moses said, “As soon as I leave here, I will pray to God that tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh, his servants, and his people. But don’t play games with us and change your mind about releasing us to sacrifice to God.”
30-32 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to God. God did what Moses asked. He got rid of the flies from Pharaoh and his servants and his people. There wasn’t a fly left. But Pharaoh became stubborn once again and wouldn’t release the people.
Strike Five: Animals
9 1-4 God said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me. If you refuse to release them and continue to hold on to them, I’m giving you fair warning: God will come down hard on your livestock out in the fields—horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep—striking them with a severe disease. God will draw a sharp line between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. Not one animal that belongs to the Israelites will die.’”
5 Then God set the time: “Tomorrow God will do this thing.”
6-7 And the next day God did it. All the livestock of Egypt died, but not one animal of the Israelites died. Pharaoh sent men to find out what had happened and there it was: none of the livestock of the Israelites had died—not one death. But Pharaoh stayed stubborn. He wouldn’t release the people.
Strike Six: Boils
8-11 God said to Moses and Aaron, “Take fistfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses throw it into the air right before Pharaoh’s eyes; it will become a film of fine dust all over Egypt and cause sores, an eruption of boils on people and animals throughout Egypt.” So they took soot from a furnace, stood in front of Pharaoh, and threw it up into the air. It caused boils to erupt on people and animals. The magicians weren’t able to compete with Moses this time because of the boils—they were covered with boils just like everyone else in Egypt.
12 God hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness. He wouldn’t listen, just as God had said to Moses.
Strike Seven: Hail
13-19 God said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh. Tell him, ‘God, the God of the Hebrews, says: Release my people so they can worship me. This time I am going to strike you and your servants and your people with the full force of my power so you’ll get it into your head that there’s no one like me anywhere in all the Earth. You know that by now I could have struck you and your people with deadly disease and there would be nothing left of you, not a trace. But for one reason only I’ve kept you on your feet: To make you recognize my power so that my reputation spreads in all the Earth. You are still building yourself up at my people’s expense. You are not letting them go. So here’s what’s going to happen: At this time tomorrow I’m sending a terrific hailstorm—there’s never been a storm like this in Egypt from the day of its founding until now. So get your livestock under roof—everything exposed in the open fields, people and animals, will die when the hail comes down.’”
20-21 All of Pharaoh’s servants who had respect for God’s word got their workers and animals under cover as fast as they could, but those who didn’t take God’s word seriously left their workers and animals out in the field.
22 God said to Moses: “Stretch your hands to the skies. Signal the hail to fall all over Egypt on people and animals and crops exposed in the fields of Egypt.”
23-26 Moses lifted his staff to the skies and God sent cracks of thunder and hail shot through with lightning strikes. God rained hail down on the land of Egypt. The hail came, hail and lightning—a fierce hailstorm. There had been nothing like it in Egypt in its entire history. The hail hit hard all over Egypt. Everything exposed out in the fields, people and animals and crops, was smashed. Even the trees in the fields were shattered. Except for Goshen where the Israelites lived; there was no hail in Goshen.
27-28 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. He said, “I’ve sinned for sure this time—God is in the right and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to God. We’ve had enough of God’s thunder and hail. I’ll let you go. The sooner you’re out of here the better.”
29-30 Moses said, “As soon as I’m out of the city, I’ll stretch out my arms to God. The thunder will stop and the hail end so you’ll know that the land is God’s land. Still, I know that you and your servants have no respect for God.”
31-32 (The flax and the barley were ruined, for they were just ripening, but the wheat and spelt weren’t hurt—they ripen later.)
33 Moses left Pharaoh and the city and stretched out his arms to God. The thunder and hail stopped; the storm cleared.
34-35 But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he kept right on sinning, stubborn as ever, both he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart turned rock-hard. He refused to release the Israelites, as God had ordered through Moses.
Strike Eight: Locusts
10 1-2 God said to Moses: “Go to Pharaoh. I’ve made him stubborn, him and his servants, so that I can force him to look at these signs and so you’ll be able to tell your children and grandchildren how I toyed with the Egyptians, like a cat with a mouse; you’ll tell them the stories of the signs that I brought down on them, so that you’ll all know that I am God.”
3-6 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “God, the God of the Hebrews, says, ‘How long are you going to refuse to knuckle under? Release my people so that they can worship me. If you refuse to release my people, watch out; tomorrow I’m bringing locusts into your country. They’ll cover every square inch of ground; no one will be able to see the ground. They’ll devour everything left over from the hailstorm, even the saplings out in the fields—they’ll clear-cut the trees. And they’ll invade your houses, filling the houses of your servants, filling every house in Egypt. Nobody will have ever seen anything like this, from the time your ancestors first set foot on this soil until today.’”
Then he turned on his heel and left Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long are you going to let this man harass us? Let these people go and worship their God. Can’t you see that Egypt is on its last legs?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. He said to them, “Go ahead then. Go worship your God. But just who exactly is going with you?”
9 Moses said, “We’re taking young and old, sons and daughters, flocks and herds—this is our worship-celebration of God.”
10-11 He said, “I’d sooner send you off with God’s blessings than let you go with your children. Look, you’re up to no good—it’s written all over your faces. No way. Just the men are going—go ahead and worship God. That’s what you want so badly.” And they were thrown out of Pharaoh’s presence.
12 God said to Moses: “Stretch your hand over Egypt and signal the locusts to cover the land of Egypt, devouring every blade of grass in the country, everything that the hail didn’t get.”
13 Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt. God let loose an east wind. It blew that day and night. By morning the east wind had brought in the locusts.
14-15 The locusts covered the country of Egypt, settling over every square inch of Egypt; the place was thick with locusts. There never was an invasion of locusts like it in the past, and never will be again. The ground was completely covered, black with locusts. They ate everything, every blade of grass, every piece of fruit, anything that the hail didn’t get. Nothing left but bare trees and bare fields—not a sign of green in the whole land of Egypt.
16-17 Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron back in no time. He said, “I’ve sinned against your God and against you. Overlook my sin one more time. Pray to your God to get me out of this—get death out of here!”
18-19 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to God. God reversed the wind—a powerful west wind took the locusts and dumped them into the Red Sea. There wasn’t a single locust left in the whole country of Egypt.
20 But God made Pharaoh stubborn as ever. He still didn’t release the Israelites.
Strike Nine: Darkness
21 God said to Moses: “Stretch your hand to the skies. Let darkness descend on the land of Egypt—a darkness so dark you can touch it.”
22-23 Moses stretched out his hand to the skies. Thick darkness descended on the land of Egypt for three days. Nobody could see anybody. For three days no one could so much as move. Except for the Israelites: they had light where they were living.
24 Pharaoh called in Moses: “Go and worship God. Leave your flocks and herds behind. But go ahead and take your children.”
25-26 But Moses said, “You have to let us take our sacrificial animals and offerings with us so we can sacrifice them in worship to our God. Our livestock has to go with us with not a hoof left behind; they are part of the worship of our God. And we don’t know just what will be needed until we get there.”
27 But God kept Pharaoh stubborn as ever. He wouldn’t agree to release them.
28 Pharaoh said to Moses: “Get out of my sight! And watch your step. I don’t want to ever see you again. If I lay eyes on you again, you’re dead.”
29 Moses said, “Have it your way. You won’t see my face again.”
Strike Ten: Death
11 God said to Moses: “I’m going to hit Pharaoh and Egypt one final time, and then he’ll let you go. When he releases you, that will be the end of Egypt for you; he won’t be able to get rid of you fast enough.
2-3 “So here’s what you do. Tell the people to ask, each man from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor, for things made of silver and gold.” God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people. Also, Moses was greatly admired by the Egyptians, a respected public figure among both Pharaoh’s servants and the people at large.
4-7 Then Moses confronted Pharaoh: “God’s Message: ‘At midnight I will go through Egypt and every firstborn child in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl working at her hand mill. Also the firstborn of animals. Widespread wailing will erupt all over the country, lament such as has never been and never will be again. But against the Israelites—man, woman, or animal—there won’t be so much as a dog’s bark, so that you’ll know that God makes a clear distinction between Egypt and Israel.’
8 “Then all these servants of yours will grovel before me, begging me to leave, ‘Leave! You and all the people who follow you!’ And I will most certainly leave.”
Moses, seething with anger, left Pharaoh.
9 God said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s not going to listen to a thing you say so that the signs of my presence and work are going to multiply in the land of Egypt.”
10 Moses and Aaron had performed all these signs in Pharaoh’s presence, but God turned Pharaoh more stubborn than ever—yet again he refused to release the Israelites from his land.
* * *
12 1-10 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk. Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it’s roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don’t leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.
11 “And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it’s the Passover to God.
12-13 “I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14-16 “This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses—anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that.
17-20 “Keep the Festival of Unraised Bread! This marks the exact day I brought you out in force from the land of Egypt. Honor the day down through your generations, a fixed festival to be observed always. In the first month, beginning on the fourteenth day at evening until the twenty-first day at evening, you are to eat unraised bread. For those seven days not a trace of yeast is to be found in your houses. Anyone, whether a visitor or a native of the land, who eats anything raised shall be cut off from the community of Israel. Don’t eat anything raised. Only matzoth.”
21-23 Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, “Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning. God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, God will pass over the doorway; he won’t let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.
24-27 “Keep this word. It’s the law for you and your children, forever. When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this. And when your children say to you, ‘Why are we doing this?’ tell them: ‘It’s the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.’”
The people bowed and worshiped.
28 The Israelites then went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it all.
* * *
29 At midnight God struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, right down to the firstborn of the prisoner locked up in jail. Also the firstborn of the animals.
30 Pharaoh got up that night, he and all his servants and everyone else in Egypt—what wild wailing and lament in Egypt! There wasn’t a house in which someone wasn’t dead.
31-32 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron that very night and said, “Get out of here and be done with you—you and your Israelites! Go worship God on your own terms. And yes, take your sheep and cattle as you’ve insisted, but go. And bless me.”
33 The Egyptians couldn’t wait to get rid of them; they pushed them to hurry up, saying, “We’re all as good as dead.”
34-36 The people grabbed their bread dough before it had risen, bundled their bread bowls in their cloaks and threw them over their shoulders. The Israelites had already done what Moses had told them; they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold things and clothing. God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people and so readily gave them what they asked for. Oh yes! They picked those Egyptians clean.
37-39 The Israelites moved on from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 on foot, besides their dependents. Hebrews and non-Hebrews alike set out, not to mention the large flocks and herds of livestock. They baked unraised cakes with the bread dough they had brought out of Egypt; it hadn’t raised—they’d been rushed out of Egypt and hadn’t time to fix food for the journey.
The Passover
40-42 The Israelites had lived in Egypt 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, God’s entire army left Egypt. God kept watch all night, watching over the Israelites as he brought them out of Egypt. Because God kept watch, all Israel for all generations will honor God by keeping watch this night—a watchnight.
* * *
43-47 God said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the rules for the Passover:
No foreigners are to eat it.
Any slave, if he’s paid for and circumcised, can eat it.
No casual visitor or hired hand can eat it.
Eat it in one house—don’t take the meat outside the house.
Don’t break any of the bones.
The whole community of Israel is to be included in the meal.
48 “If an immigrant is staying with you and wants to keep the Passover to God, every male in his family must be circumcised, then he can participate in the Meal—he will then be treated as a native son. But no uncircumcised person can eat it.
49 “The same law applies both to the native and the immigrant who is staying with you.”
50-51 All the Israelites did exactly as God commanded Moses and Aaron. That very day God brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, tribe by tribe.
* * *
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson