²⁸ Then the children of Israel went away and ^(A)did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn^(B)

^29 (C)And it came to pass at midnight that ^(D)the Lord struck all 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 ^[a]in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of ^(E)livestock. ³⁰ So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

The Exodus

³¹ Then he ^(F)called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, ^(G)both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the Lord as you have ^(H)said. ^32 (I)Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”

^33 (J)And the Egyptians ^(K)urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” ³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. ³⁵ Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians ^(L)articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. ^36 (M)And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus ^(N)they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ Then ^(O)the children of Israel journeyed from ^(P)Rameses to Succoth, about ^(Q)six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. ³⁸ A ^(R)mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of ^(S)livestock. ³⁹ And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because ^(T)they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the ^[b]sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in ^[c]Egypt was ^(U)four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that ^(V)all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴² It is ^(W)a ^[d]night of solemn observance to the Lord for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the Lord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

Passover Regulations^(X)

⁴³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is ^(Y)the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. ⁴⁴ But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have ^(Z)circumcised him, then he may eat it. ^45 (AA)A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. ⁴⁶ In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, ^(AB)nor shall you break one of its bones. ^47 (AC)All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. ⁴⁸ And ^(AD)when a stranger ^[e]dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it. ^49 (AE)One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

⁵⁰ Thus all the children of Israel did; as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ^51 (AF)And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt ^(AG)according to their armies.

Naaman’s Leprosy Healed

5 Now ^(A)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was ^(B)a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. ² And the Syrians had gone out ^(C)on^[a] raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She ^[b]waited on Naaman’s wife. ³ Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” ⁴ And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

⁵ Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”

So he departed and ^(D)took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. ⁶ Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said,

⁷ And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I ^(E)God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

⁸ So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹ Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and ^(F)wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” ¹¹ But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ ¹² Are not the ^[c]Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. ¹³ And his ^(G)servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his ^(H)flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and ^(I)he was clean.

¹⁵ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is ^(J)no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take ^(K)a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, ^(L)“As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, ^(M)I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.

¹⁷ So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. ¹⁸ Yet in this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and ^(N)he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord please pardon your servant in this thing.”

¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he departed from him a short distance.

¹³ And they cast out many demons, ^(A)and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

John the Baptist Beheaded^(B)

^14 (C)Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore ^(D)these powers are at work in him.”

^15 (E)Others said, “It is Elijah.”

And others said, “It is ^[a]the Prophet, ^(F)or like one of the prophets.”

^16 (G)But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!” ¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her. ¹⁸ Because John had said to Herod, ^(H)“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias ^[b]held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; ²⁰ for Herod ^(I)feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he ^[c]did many things, and heard him gladly.

^21 (J)Then an opportune day came when Herod ^(K)on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. ²² And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.” ²³ He also swore to her, ^(L)“Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”

And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

²⁵ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

^26 (M)And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. ²⁷ Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison, ²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. ²⁹ When his disciples heard of it, they came and ^(N)took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.