Exodus 10:1-13:16
Names of God Bible
The Eighth Plague—Locusts
10 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. I have made him and his officials stubborn so that I can do these miraculous signs among them. 2 You will be able to tell your children and grandchildren exactly how I treated the Egyptians and what miraculous signs I did among them. This is how you will all know that I am Yahweh.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what Yahweh Elohim of the Hebrews says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself in my presence? Let my people go to worship me. 4 If you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country. 5 They will cover the land so that the ground can’t be seen. They will eat everything left by the hail, including every tree still standing in the fields. 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and those of all the Egyptians. Your parents and ancestors never saw anything like this from the time they first came here until now.” Moses turned and left Pharaoh.
7 Then Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man hold us in his grip? Let the Israelite men go to worship Yahweh their Elohim. When will you realize that Egypt is ruined?”
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship Yahweh your Elohim,” he said to them. “But exactly who will be going?”
9 Moses answered, “Everyone! We’ll be taking our young and old, our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds with us. For us it’s a pilgrimage festival in Yahweh’s honor.”
10 Pharaoh said to them, “Yahweh would have to be with you if I would ever let you take your women and children along. I know you’re up to no good! 11 No! Only the men may go to worship Yahweh, since that’s what you’ve been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were thrown out of Pharaoh’s palace.
12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt to bring locusts. They will invade Egypt and eat up every plant in the land—everything left by the hail.”
13 Moses held his staff over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh made a wind from the east blow over the land all that day and all that night. By morning the east wind had brought the locusts. 14 They invaded all of Egypt and landed all over the country in great swarms. Never before had there been so many locusts like this, nor would there ever be that many again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black with them. They ate all the plants and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant anywhere in Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh quickly called for Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against Yahweh your Elohim and against you. 17 Please forgive my sin one more time. Pray to Yahweh your Elohim to take this deadly plague away from me.”
18 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. 19 Then Yahweh changed the wind to a very strong west wind. It picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
20 But Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn, so he did not let the Israelites go.
The Ninth Plague—Darkness
21 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky, and a darkness so thick that it can be felt will come over Egypt.” 22 Moses lifted his hand toward the sky, and throughout Egypt there was total darkness for three days. 23 People couldn’t see each other, and no one went anywhere for three days. But all the Israelites had light where they were living.
24 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, “Go, worship Yahweh! Even your women and children may go with you, but your flocks and herds must stay behind.”
25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to take our animals for the sacrifices and burnt offerings we have to make to Yahweh our Elohim. 26 All our livestock must go with us. Not one animal must be left behind. We’ll have to use some of them for worshiping Yahweh our Elohim, and we won’t know what we’ll need until we get there.”
27 But Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn, so he refused to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Don’t ever let me see your face again. The day I do, you will die.”
29 “You’re right!” Moses answered. “You’ll never see my face again.”
The Tenth Plague—The Death of the Firstborn
11 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he will let you go. When he does, he will be certain to force all of you out of here. 2 Now announce to the people of Israel that each man and woman must ask the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry.”
3 Yahweh made the Egyptians kind to the people. And Moses was highly respected by Pharaoh’s officials and all the Egyptians.
4 Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: About midnight I will go out among the Egyptians. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who rules the land, to the firstborn children of female slaves who use their handmills, including every firstborn domestic animal. 6 There will be loud crying throughout Egypt, such as there has never been or ever will be again. 7 But where the Israelites are, not even a dog will be startled by any person or animal. This is how you will see that Yahweh shows the distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 Then all these officials of yours will come, bow down to me, and say, ‘You and all the people who follow you, get out!’ After that I will leave.” Burning with anger, Moses left Pharaoh.
9 Yahweh had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you. This is why I will do more amazing things in Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron showed Pharaoh all these amazing things. Yet, Yahweh made Pharaoh stubborn, so he wouldn’t let the Israelites leave his country.
Passover
12 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month will be the very first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth day of this month each man must take a lamb or a young goat for his family—one animal per household. 4 A household may be too small to eat a whole animal. That household and the one next door can share one animal. Choose your animal based on the number of people and what each person can eat. 5 Your animal must be a one-year-old male that has no defects. You may choose a lamb or a young goat. 6 Take care of it until the fourteenth day of this month.
“Then at dusk, all the assembled people from the community of Israel must slaughter their animals. 7 They must take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they will eat the animals. 8 The meat must be eaten that same night. It must be roasted over a fire and eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. 9 Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled but roast the whole animal over a fire. 10 Don’t leave any of it until morning. Anything left over in the morning must be burned up. 11 This is how you should be dressed when you eat it: with your belt on, your sandals on your feet, and your shepherd’s staff in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry. It is Yahweh’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will go throughout Egypt and kill every firstborn male, both human and animal. I will severely punish all the gods of Egypt, because I am Yahweh. 13 But the blood on your houses will be a sign for your protection. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. Nothing will touch or destroy you when I strike Egypt.
14 “This day will be one for you to remember. This is a permanent law for generations to come: You will celebrate this day as a pilgrimage festival in Yahweh’s honor. 15 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the very first day you must remove any yeast that you have in your houses. Whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh day must be excluded from Israel. 16 You must have a holy assembly on the first day and another one on the seventh. You must not work on these days except to prepare your own meals. That’s all you may do.
17 You must celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread because it was on this very day that I brought you out of Egypt in organized family groups. This is a permanent law for future generations: You must celebrate this day. 18 From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day you must eat unleavened bread. 19 There should be no yeast in your houses for seven days. Whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be excluded from the community of Israel, whether he is an Israelite or not. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat only unleavened bread.”
21 Then Moses called for all the leaders of Israel. He said to them, “Pick out a lamb or a young goat for your families, and kill the Passover animal. 22 Take the branch of a hyssop plant, dip it in the blood which is in a bowl, and put some of the blood on the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. No one may leave the house until morning. 23 Yahweh will go throughout Egypt to kill the Egyptians. When he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, Yahweh will pass over that doorway, and he will not let the destroyer come into your home to kill you.
24 “You must follow these instructions. They are a permanent law for you and your children. 25 When you enter the land that Yahweh will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 When your children ask you what this ceremony means to you, 27 you must answer, ‘It’s the Passover sacrifice in Yahweh’s honor. Yahweh passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he killed the Egyptians.’”
Then the people knelt, bowing with their faces touching the ground. 28 The Israelites did as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight Yahweh killed every firstborn male in Egypt from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who ruled the land to the firstborn son of the prisoner in jail, and also every firstborn animal. 30 Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the other Egyptians got up during the night. There was loud crying throughout Egypt because in every house someone had died.
Pharaoh Allows the Israelites to Leave Egypt
31 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron during the night. He said, “You and the Israelites must leave my people at once. Go, worship Yahweh as you asked. 32 Take your flocks and herds, too, as you asked. Just go! And bless me, too!”
33 The Egyptians begged the people to leave the country quickly. They said, “Soon we’ll all be dead!” 34 So the people picked up their bread dough before it had risen and carried it on their shoulders in bowls, wrapped up in their clothes.
35 The Israelites did what Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry and for clothes. 36 Yahweh made the Egyptians generous to the people, and they gave them what they asked for. So the Israelites stripped Egypt of its wealth.
The Israelites Leave Egypt
37 The Israelites left Rameses to go to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, plus all the women and children. 38 Many other people also went with them, along with large numbers of sheep, goats, and cattle.
39 With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked round, flat bread. The dough hadn’t risen because they’d been thrown out of Egypt and had no time to prepare food for the trip.
40 The Israelites had been living in Egypt for 430 years. 41 After exactly 430 years all Yahweh’s people left Egypt in organized family groups. 42 That night Yahweh kept watch to take them out of Egypt. (All Israelites in future generations must keep watch on this night, since it is dedicated to Yahweh.)
Rules for the Passover
43 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the rules for the Passover:
“No foreigner may eat the Passover meal.
44 “Any male slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him.
45 “No foreigner visiting you may eat it.
“No hired worker may eat it.
46 “The meal must be eaten inside one house. Never take any of the meat outside the house.
“Never break any of the bones.
47 “The whole community of Israel must celebrate the Passover.
48 “Foreigners may want to celebrate Yahweh’s Passover. First, every male in the household must be circumcised. Then they may celebrate the Passover like native-born Israelites. But no uncircumcised males may ever eat the Passover meal. 49 The same instructions apply to native-born Israelites as well as foreigners.”
50 All the Israelites did as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 That very day Yahweh brought all the Israelites out of Egypt in organized family groups.
13 Yahweh spoke to Moses, 2 “Set apart every firstborn male for me. Every firstborn male offspring among the Israelites is mine, whether human or animal.”
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day—the day when you left Egypt, the land of slavery. Yahweh used his mighty hand to bring you out of there. Don’t eat anything made with yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving Egypt. 5 Yahweh swore to your ancestors that he would give you the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. When he brings you into that land flowing with milk and honey, you must observe this ceremony in this month.
6 “For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. The seventh day will be a pilgrimage festival in Yahweh’s honor. 7 Only unleavened bread should be eaten during these seven days. No sourdough or yeast should be seen anywhere in your territory. 8 On that day tell your children, ‘We do this because of what Yahweh did for us when we left Egypt.’ 9 This festival will be like a mark on your hand or a reminder on your forehead that the teachings of Yahweh are always to be a part of your conversation. Because Yahweh used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt, 10 you must follow these rules every year at this time.
Rules Concerning the Firstborn Child
11 “When Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he swore to you and your ancestors, 12 sacrifice every firstborn male offspring to Yahweh. The firstborn male offspring of each of your animals belongs to Yahweh. 13 It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy any firstborn donkey back from the Lord. If you don’t buy it back, then you must break the donkey’s neck. You must also buy every firstborn son back from the Lord.
14 “In the future when your children ask you what this means, tell them, ‘Yahweh used his mighty hand to bring us out of slavery in Egypt. 15 When Pharaoh was too stubborn to let us go, Yahweh killed every firstborn male in Egypt—human and animal. This is why we sacrifice every firstborn male to Yahweh and buy every firstborn son back from the Lord.’ 16 So this festival will be like a mark on your hand and like a band on your forehead, because Yahweh used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
