Exodus 12

1. And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

2. “This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.

3. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them each man a lamb for a father’s house, a lamb for a house.

4. And if the household is too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take according to the number of the souls, each one, according to the eating of his mouth, you shall count concerning the lamb.

5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.

6. And you shall keep it up until the beginning of the fourteenth day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it between the two evenings.Heb. ben ha arbayim — between sunset and dark at the beginning of the fourteenth day.

7. And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and upon the upper doorpost of the houses in which they shall eat it.

8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.

9. Do not eat of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire, its head with its legs, and with its inward parts.

10. And you shall not let any of it remain until the morning. And that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.

11. And this is the way you shall eat it: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in trepidation. It is the LORD’S Passover,

12. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.

13. And the blood shall be a sign to you upon the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.

14. And this day shall be a memorial to you. And you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it a feast as a law forever.

15. You shall eat unleavened bread seven days; even the first day you shall have put away leaven out of your houses; for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16. And in the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.

17. And you shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for in this very same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall keep this day in your generations as a law forever.

18. In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at sunset, Heb. ba erev—sunset, which ends the 14th day and begins the 15th day. you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at sunset.Heb. ba erev—sunset which ends the 21st day (ending the Feast of Unleavened Bread) and begins the 22nd day.

19. Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

20. You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

21. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Draw out and take a lamb for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb.

22. And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip in the blood that is in the bowl, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood in the bowl. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until sunrise,

23. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians. And when He sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you.

24. And you shall observe this thing as a law to you and to your children forever.

25. And it shall be when you have come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as He has promised that you shall keep this service.

26. And it will be, when your children shall say to you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’

27. Then you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S Passover, Who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our houses.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

28. And the children of Israel went away and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron; so they did.

29. And it came to pass at midnight the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the captive that was in the prison, also all the firstborn of livestock.

30. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and 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.

31. And during the night he sent word to Moses and Aaron saying, “Rise up! Get away from my people, both you and the children of Israel! And go serve the LORD, as you have said.

32. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone. And bless me also.”

33. And the Egyptians were urging the people, that they might send them out of the land quickly, for they said, “We are all dead men.”

34. And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

35. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses. And they asked for articles of silver, and articles of gold, and clothing from the Egyptians.

36. And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and they granted their request, and they stripped the Egyptians.

37. And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, the men being about six hundred thousand on foot, apart from little ones.

38. And also a mixed multitude went up with them, and flocks and herds, very much livestock.

39. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not stay, neither had they prepared any food for themselves for the journey.

40. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years,

41. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, it was even on that very same day, all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

42. It is a night to be much observed to the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD to be observed by all the children of Israel in their generations.

43. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No stranger shall eat of it.

44. But every man’s servant that is bought for silver, when you have circumcised him, then he shall eat of it.

45. A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.

46. It shall be eaten in one house. You shall not carry any of the flesh out of the house. Neither shall you break a bone of it.

47. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

48. And when a stranger shall dwell with you, and desires 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 one that is born in the land. And no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

49. There shall be one law to the one born at home and to the stranger that dwells among you.”

50. Thus did all the children of Israel. Even as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

51. And it came to pass the very same day, when the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies, This verse should be the first part of