Exodus 12
12
The First Passover Sacrifice
1The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Egypt. 2He said, “From now on, this month will be your first month. Each of your years will begin with it. 3Speak to the whole community of Israel. Tell them that on the tenth day of this month each man must get a lamb from his flock. A lamb should be chosen for each family and home. 4Suppose there are not enough people in your family to eat a whole lamb. Then you must share some of it with your nearest neighbor. You must add up the total number of people there are. You must decide how much lamb is needed for each person. 5The animals you choose must be males that are a year old. They must not have any flaws. You may choose either sheep or goats. 6Take care of them until the 14th day of the month. Then the whole community of Israel must kill them when the sun goes down. 7Take some of the blood. Put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where you eat the lambs. 8That same night eat the meat cooked over a fire. Also eat bitter plants. And eat bread made without yeast. 9Do not eat the meat when it is raw. Don’t boil it in water. Instead, cook it over a fire. Cook the head, legs and inside parts. 10Do not leave any of it until morning. If some is left over until morning, burn it up. 11Eat the meat while your coat is tucked into your belt. Put your sandals on your feet. Take your walking stick in your hand. Eat the food quickly. It is the Lord’s Passover.
12“That same night I will pass through Egypt. I will strike down all those born first among the people and animals. And I will judge all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13The blood on your houses will be a sign for you. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deadly plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
14“Always remember this day. You and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast to honor the Lord. You must do this for all time to come. It is a law that will last forever. 15For seven days eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your homes. For the next seven days, anyone who eats anything with yeast in it must be separated from Israel. 16On the first and seventh days, come together for a sacred assembly. Do not work at all on these days. The only thing you are allowed to do is prepare food for everyone to eat.
17“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. I brought you out of Egypt on this very day like an army on the march. It is a law that will last for all time to come. 18In the first month eat bread made without yeast. Eat it from the evening of the 14th day until the evening of the 21st day. 19For seven days do not let any yeast be found in your homes. Anyone who eats anything with yeast in it must be separated from the community of Israel. That applies to outsiders and Israelites alike. 20Do not eat anything made with yeast. No matter where you live, eat bread made without yeast.”
21Then Moses sent for all the elders of Israel. He said to them, “Go at once. Choose the animals for your families. Each family must kill a Passover lamb. 22Get a branch of a hyssop plant. Dip it into the blood in the bowl. Put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you can go out of the door of your house until morning. 23The Lord will go through the land to strike down the Egyptians. He’ll see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. He will pass over that house. He won’t let the destroying angel enter your homes to strike you down.
24“Obey all these directions. It’s a law for you and your children after you for all time to come. 25The Lord will give you the land, just as he promised. When you enter it, keep this holy day. 26Your children will ask you, ‘What does this holy day mean to you?’ 27Tell them, ‘It’s the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. He spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ” Then the Israelites bowed down and worshiped. 28They did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.
29At midnight the Lord struck down every oldest son in Egypt. He killed the oldest son of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne. He killed all the oldest sons of prisoners. He also killed all the male animals born first to their mothers among the livestock. 30Pharaoh and all his officials got up during the night. So did all the Egyptians. There was loud crying in Egypt because someone had died in every home.
The Exodus
31During the night, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “Get out of here! You and the Israelites, leave my people! Go. Worship the Lord, just as you have asked. 32Go. Take your flocks and herds, just as you have said. And also give me your blessing.”
33The Egyptians begged the people of Israel to hurry up and leave the country. “If you don’t,” they said, “we’ll all die!” 34So the people took their dough before the yeast was added to it. They carried it on their shoulders in bowls for kneading bread. The bowls were wrapped in clothes. 35They did just as Moses had directed them. They asked the Egyptians for things made out of silver and gold. They also asked them for clothes. 36The Lord had caused the Egyptians to treat the Israelites in a kind way. So the Egyptians gave them what they asked for. The Israelites took many expensive things that belonged to the Egyptians.
37The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men old enough to go into battle. The women and children went with them. 38So did many other people. The Israelites also took large flocks and herds with them. 39The Israelites brought dough from Egypt. With it they baked loaves of bread without yeast. The dough didn’t have any yeast in it. That’s because the people had been driven out of Egypt before they had time to prepare their food.
40The Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years. 41Then all the Lord’s people marched out of Egypt like an army. That happened at the end of the 430 years, to the exact day. 42The Lord kept watch that night to bring them out of Egypt. So on that same night every year all the Israelites must keep watch. They must do it to honor the Lord for all time to come.
Rules for the Passover
43The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Here are the rules for the Passover meal.
“No one from another country is allowed to eat it. 44Any slave you have bought is allowed to eat it after you have circumcised him. 45But a hired worker or someone who lives with you for a short time is not allowed to eat it.
46“It must be eaten inside the house. Do not take any of the meat outside. Do not break any of the bones. 47The whole community of Israel must celebrate the Passover.
48“Suppose an outsider living among you wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover. Then all the males in that home must be circumcised. After that, the person can take part, just like an Israelite. Only circumcised males may eat it. 49The same law applies to Israelites and to outsiders living among you.”
50All the people of Israel did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51On that day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt like an army on the march.
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Exodus 12: NIrV
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Sh'mot (Exo) 12
12
1Adonai spoke to Moshe and Aharon in the land of Egypt; he said, 2“You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you. 3Speak to all the assembly of Isra’el and say, ‘On the tenth day of this month, each man is to take a lamb or kid for his family, one per household — 4except that if the household is too small for a whole lamb or kid, then he and his next-door neighbor should share one, dividing it in proportion to the number of people eating it. 5Your animal must be without defect, a male in its first year, and you may choose it from either the sheep or the goats.
6“‘You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, and then the entire assembly of the community of Isra’el will slaughter it at dusk. 7They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame at the entrance of the house in which they eat it. 8That night, they are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire; they are to eat it with matzah and maror. 9Don’t eat it raw or boiled, but roasted in the fire, with its head, the lower parts of its legs and its inner organs. 10Let nothing of it remain till morning; if any of it does remain, burn it up completely.
11“‘Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand; and you are to eat it hurriedly. It is Adonai’s Pesach [Passover]. 12For that night, I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both men and animals; and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt; I am Adonai. 13The blood will serve you as a sign marking the houses where you are; when I see the blood, I will pass over you — when I strike the land of Egypt, the death blow will not strike you.
14“‘This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to Adonai; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation.
15“‘For seven days you are to eat matzah — on the first day remove the leaven from your houses. For whoever eats hametz [leavened bread] from the first to the seventh day is to be cut off from Isra’el. 16On the first and seventh days, you are to have an assembly set aside for God. On these days no work is to be done, except what each must do to prepare his food; you may do only that. 17You are to observe the festival of matzah, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. Therefore, you are to observe this day from generation to generation by a perpetual regulation. 18From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day, you are to eat matzah. 19During those seven days, no leaven is to be found in your houses. Whoever eats food with hametz in it is to be cut off from the community of Isra’el — it doesn’t matter whether he is a foreigner or a citizen of the land. 20Eat nothing with hametz in it. Wherever you live, eat matzah.’”
(v) 21Then Moshe called for all the leaders of Isra’el and said, “Select and take lambs for your families, and slaughter the Pesach lamb. 22Take a bunch of hyssop leaves and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and smear it on the two sides and top of the door-frame. Then, none of you is to go out the door of his house until morning. 23For Adonai will pass through to kill the Egyptians; but when he sees the blood on the top and on the two sides, Adonai will pass over the door and will not allow the Slaughterer to enter your houses and kill you. 24You are to observe this as a law, you and your descendants forever.
25“When you come to the land which Adonai will give you, as he has promised, you are to observe this ceremony. 26When your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this ceremony?’ 27say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Adonai’s Pesach [Passover], because [Adonai] passed over the houses of the people of Isra’el in Egypt, when he killed the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” The people of Isra’el bowed their heads and worshipped. 28Then the people of Isra’el went and did as Adonai had ordered Moshe and Aharon — that is what they did.
(vi) 29At midnight Adonai killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30Pharaoh got up in the night, he, all his servants and all the Egyptians; and there was horrendous wailing in Egypt; for there wasn’t a single house without someone dead in it. 31He summoned Moshe and Aharon by night and said, “Up and leave my people, both you and the people of Isra’el; and go, serve Adonai as you said. 32Take both your flocks and your herds, as you said; and get out of here! But bless me, too.” 33The Egyptians pressed to send the people out of the land quickly, because they said, “Otherwise we’ll all be dead!”
34The people took their dough before it had become leavened and wrapped their kneading bowls in their clothes on their shoulders. 35The people of Isra’el had done what Moshe had said — they had asked the Egyptians to give them silver and gold jewelry and clothing; 36and Adonai had made the Egyptians so favorably disposed toward the people that they had let them have whatever they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.
37The people of Isra’el traveled from Ra‘amses to Sukkot, some six hundred thousand men on foot, not counting children. 38A mixed crowd also went up with them, as well as livestock in large numbers, both flocks and herds. 39They baked matzah loaves from the dough they had brought out of Egypt, since it was unleavened; because they had been driven out of Egypt without time to prepare supplies for themselves.
40The time the people of Isra’el lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41At the end of 430 years to the day, all the divisions of Adonai left the land of Egypt. 42This was a night when Adonai kept vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt, and this same night continues to be a night when Adonai keeps vigil for all the people of Isra’el through all their generations.
43Adonai said to Moshe and Aharon, “This is the regulation for the Pesach lamb: no foreigner is to eat it. 44But if anyone has a slave he bought for money, when you have circumcised him, he may eat it. 45Neither a traveler nor a hired servant may eat it. 46It is to be eaten in one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you are not to break any of its bones. 47The whole community of Isra’el is to keep it. 48If a foreigner staying with you wants to observe Adonai’s Pesach, all his males must be circumcised. Then he may take part and observe it; he will be like a citizen of the land. But no uncircumcised person is to eat it. 49The same teaching is to apply equally to the citizen and to the foreigner living among you.”
50All the people of Isra’el did just as Adonai had ordered Moshe and Aharon. 51On that very day, Adonai brought the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.
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