The Exodus

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

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

37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses(L) to Sukkoth.(M) There were about six hundred thousand men(N) on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people(O) 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(P) of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt[a] was 430 years.(Q) 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions(R) left Egypt.(S) 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.(T)

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:40 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint Egypt and Canaan

31 And he called Moses and Aaron at night, and he said, “Get up, go out from the midst of my people, both you as well as the Israelites,[a] and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said. 32 Take both your sheep and goats as well as your cattle, and go, and bless also me.”

33 And the Egyptians urged the people in order to hurry their release[b] from the land, because they said, “All of us will die!”[c] 34 And the people lifted up their dough before it had yeast; their kneading troughs were wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulder. 35 And the Israelites[d] did according to the word of Moses, and they asked from the Egyptians for objects of silver and objects of gold and for clothing. 36 And Yahweh gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they granted their requests, and they plundered the Egyptians.

37 And the Israelites[e] set out from Rameses to Succoth; the men were about six hundred thousand on foot,[f] besides dependents. 38 And also a mixed multitude[g] went up with them and sheep and goats and cattle, very numerous livestock. 39 And they baked the dough that they had brought out from Egypt as cakes, unleavened bread, because it had no yeast when they were driven out from Egypt, and they were not able to delay, and also they had not made provisions for themselves.

40 And the period of dwelling of the Israelites[h] that they dwelled in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on this exact day, all of Yahweh’s divisions went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night of vigils[i] belonging to Yahweh for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; it is this night belonging to Yahweh with vigils for all of the Israelites[j] throughout their generations.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:31 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Exodus 12:33 Or “to hasten to release them”
  3. Exodus 12:33 Or “We all are dead!”
  4. Exodus 12:35 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Exodus 12:37 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  6. Exodus 12:37 Or “footmen,” “infantrymen.” The word probably has military connotations, as when it is used elsewhere in the numbering of soldiers (compare 2 Sam 10:6; 1 Kgs 20:29; 2 Kgs 13:7)
  7. Exodus 12:38 Literally “a large mixture” (compare Jer 25:20; Ezek 30:5)
  8. Exodus 12:40 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  9. Exodus 12:42 Or “observances”
  10. Exodus 12:42 Literally “sons/children of Israel”