January 21
Exodus 11:1 —
13:22
11 And
Jehovah proceeded to say to Moses: “One plague more I am going to bring upon
Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he will send YOU away from here. At the time he
sends YOU away altogether, he will literally drive YOU out from here.
2 Speak,
now, in the ears of the people, that they should ask every man of his companion
and every woman of her companion articles of silver and articles of gold.”
3 Accordingly
Jehovah gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. The man Moses too
was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants and in
the eyes of the people.
4 And
Moses went on to say: “This is what Jehovah has said, ‘About midnight I am going
out into the midst of Egypt,
5 and
every firstborn in the land of Egypt must die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh
who is sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the maidservant who is at the
hand mill and every firstborn of beast.
6 And
there will certainly occur a great outcry in all the land of Egypt, the like of
which has never yet occurred, and the like of which will never be brought about
again.
7 But
against any of the sons of Israel will no dog move eagerly its tongue, from man
to beast; in order that YOU people may know that Jehovah can make a distinction
between the Egyptians and the sons of Israel.’
8 And
all these servants of yours will certainly come down to me and prostrate
themselves to me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow your steps.’
And after that I shall go out.” With that he went out from Pharaoh in the heat
of anger.
9 Then
Jehovah said to Moses: “Pharaoh will not listen to YOU men, in order for my
miracles to be increased in the land of Egypt.”
10 And
Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles before Pharaoh; but Jehovah would
let Pharaoh’s heart become obstinate, so that he did not send the sons of
Israel away from his land.
12
Jehovah now said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2 “This
month will be the start of the months for YOU. It will be the first of the
months of the year for YOU.
3 Speak
to the entire assembly of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month they
are to take for themselves each one a sheep for the ancestral house, a sheep to
a house.
4 But
if the household proves to be too small for the sheep, then he and his neighbor
close by must take it into his house according to the number of souls; YOU
should compute each one proportionate to his eating as regards the sheep.
5 The
sheep should prove to be sound, a male, a year old, for YOU. YOU may pick from
the young rams or from the goats.
6 And
it must continue under safeguard by YOU until the fourteenth day of this month,
and the whole congregation of the assembly of Israel must slaughter it between
the two evenings.
7 And
they must take some of the blood and splash it upon the two doorposts and the
upper part of the doorway belonging to the houses in which they will eat it.
8 “‘And
they must eat the flesh on this night. They should eat it roasted with fire and
with unfermented cakes along with bitter greens.
9 Do
not eat any of it raw or boiled, cooked in water, but roast with fire, its head
together with its shanks and its interior parts.
10 And
YOU must not leave any of it over till morning, but what is left over of it till
morning YOU should burn with fire.
11 And
in this way YOU should eat it, with YOUR hips girded, sandals on YOUR feet and
YOUR staff in YOUR hand; and YOU must eat it in haste. It is Jehovah’s passover.
12 And
I must pass through the land of Egypt on this night and strike every firstborn
in the land of Egypt, from man to beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I shall
execute judgments. I am Jehovah.
13 And
the blood must serve as YOUR sign upon the houses where YOU are; and I must see
the blood and pass over YOU, and the plague will not come on YOU as a ruination
when I strike at the land of Egypt.
14 “‘And
this day must serve as a memorial for YOU, and YOU must celebrate it as a
festival to Jehovah throughout YOUR generations. As a statute to time indefinite
YOU should celebrate it.
15 Seven
days YOU are to eat unfermented cakes. Yes, on the first day YOU are to take
away sourdough from YOUR houses, because anyone eating what is leavened, from
the first day down to the seventh, that soul must be cut off from Israel.
16 And
on the first day there is to take place for YOU a holy convention, and on the
seventh day a holy convention. No work is to be done on them. Only what every
soul needs to eat, that alone may be done for YOU.
17 “‘And
YOU must keep the festival of unfermented cakes, because on this very day I must
bring YOUR armies out from the land of Egypt. And YOU must keep this day
throughout YOUR generations as a statute to time indefinite.
18 In
the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening YOU are to
eat unfermented cakes down till the twenty-first day of the month in the
evening.
19 Seven
days no sourdough is to be found in YOUR houses, because anyone tasting what is
leavened, whether he is an alien resident or a native of the land, that soul
must be cut off from the assembly of Israel.
20 Nothing
leavened are YOU to eat. In all YOUR dwellings YOU are to eat unfermented
cakes.’”
21 Promptly
Moses called all the older men of Israel and said to them: “Draw out and take
for yourselves small cattle according to YOUR families, and slaughter the
passover victim.
22 And
YOU must take a bunch of hyssop and dip it into the blood in a basin and strike
upon the upper part of the doorway and upon the two doorposts some of the blood
that is in the basin; and none of YOU should go out of the entrance of his house
until morning.
23 Then
when Jehovah does pass through to plague the Egyptians and does see the blood
upon the upper part of the doorway and upon the two doorposts, Jehovah will
certainly pass over the entrance, and he will not allow the ruination to enter
into YOUR houses to plague YOU.
24 “And
YOU must keep this thing as a regulation for you and your sons to time
indefinite.
25 And
it must occur that when YOU come into the land that Jehovah will give YOU, just
as he has stated, then YOU must keep this service.
26 And
it must occur that when YOUR sons say to YOU, ‘What does this service mean to
YOU?’
27 then
YOU must say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the passover to Jehovah, who passed over
the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when he plagued the Egyptians, but he
delivered our houses.’”
Then the people bowed low and prostrated themselves.
28 Subsequently
the sons of Israel went and did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron.
They did just so.
29 And
it came about that at midnight Jehovah struck every firstborn in the land of
Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of
the captive who was in the prison hole, and every firstborn of beast.
30 Then
Pharaoh got up at night, he and all his servants and all [other] Egyptians; and
there began arising a great outcry among the Egyptians, because there was not a
house where there was not one dead.
31 At
once he called Moses and Aaron by night and said: “Get up, get out from the
midst of my people, both YOU and the [other] sons of Israel, and go, serve
Jehovah, just as YOU have stated.
32 Take
both YOUR flocks and YOUR herds, just as YOU have stated, and go. Also, YOU must
bless me besides.”
33 And
the Egyptians began to urge the people in order to send them away quickly out of
the land, “because,” they said, “we are all as good as dead!”
34 Consequently
the people carried their flour dough before it was leavened, with their kneading
troughs wrapped up in their mantles upon their shoulder.
35 And
the sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses in that they went asking
from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold and mantles.
36 And
Jehovah gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that these
granted them what was asked; and they stripped the Egyptians.
37 And
the sons of Israel proceeded to depart from Rameses
for Succoth, to the number of six hundred thousand able-bodied men on foot,
besides little ones.
38 And
a vast mixed company also went up with them, as well as flocks and herds, a very
numerous stock of animals.
39 And
they began to bake the flour dough that they had brought out from Egypt into
round cakes, unfermented cakes, because it had not leavened, for they had been
driven out of Egypt and had not been able to linger and too they had not
prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 And
the dwelling of the sons of Israel, who had dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and
thirty years.
41 And
it came about at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, it even came
about on this very day that all the armies of Jehovah went out of the land of
Egypt.
42 It
is a night for observance with regard to Jehovah for bringing them out of the
land of Egypt. With regard to Jehovah this night is one for observance on the
part of all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.
43 And
Jehovah went on to say to Moses and Aaron: “This is the statute of the passover:
No foreigner may eat of it.
44 But
where there is any slave man purchased with money, you must circumcise him. Then
first he may share in eating it.
45 A
settler and a hired laborer may not eat of it.
46 In
one house it is to be eaten. You must not take any of the flesh out of the house
to some place outside. And YOU must not break a bone in it.
47 All
the assembly of Israel are to celebrate it.
48 And
in case an alien resident resides as an alien with you and he will actually
celebrate the passover to Jehovah, let there be a circumcising of every male of
his. First then he may come near to celebrate it; and he must become like a
native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.
49 One
law is to exist for the native and for the alien resident who is residing as an
alien in YOUR midst.”
50 So
all the sons of Israel did just as Jehovah had commanded Moses and Aaron. They
did just so.
51 And
it came about on this very day that Jehovah brought the sons of Israel together
with their armies out of the land of Egypt.
13
And Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying:
2 “Sanctify
to me every male firstborn that opens each womb among the sons of Israel, among
men and beasts. It is mine.”
3 And
Moses went on to say to the people: “Let there be a remembering of this day on
which YOU went out of Egypt, from the house of slaves, because by strength of
hand Jehovah brought YOU out from here. So nothing leavened may be eaten.
4 Today
YOU are going out in the month of Abib.
5 And
it must occur that when Jehovah will have brought you into the land of the Canaanites
and the Hittites and the Amorites
and the Hivites and the Jebusites,
which he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and
honey, then you must render this service in this month.
6 Seven
days you are to eat unfermented cakes, and on the seventh day is a festival to
Jehovah.
7 Unfermented
cakes are to be eaten for the seven days; and nothing leavened is to be seen
with you, and no sourdough is to be seen with you within all your boundaries.
8 And
you must tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of that which Jehovah
has done to me when I came out of Egypt.’
9 And
it must serve for you as a sign upon your hand and as a memorial between your
eyes, in order that Jehovah’s law may prove to be in your mouth; because by a
strong hand Jehovah brought you out of Egypt.
10 And
you must keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
11 “And
it must occur that when Jehovah brings you into the land of the Canaanites,
just as he has sworn to you and to your forefathers, and when he does give it to
you,
12 then
you must devote everyone that opens the womb to Jehovah, and every firstling,
the young of a beast, which will come to be yours. The males belong to Jehovah.
13 And
every firstling ass you are to redeem with a sheep, and if you will not redeem
it, then you must break its neck. And every firstborn of man among your sons you
are to redeem.
14 “And
it must occur that in case your son should inquire of you later on, saying,
‘What does this mean?’ then you must say to him, ‘By strength of hand Jehovah
brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slaves.
15 And
it came about that Pharaoh showed obstinacy toward sending us away, and Jehovah
proceeded to kill every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of
man to the firstborn of beast. That is why I am sacrificing to Jehovah all the
males that open the womb, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16 And
it must serve as a sign upon your hand and as a frontlet band between your eyes,
because by strength of hand Jehovah brought us out of Egypt.”
17 And
it came about at the time of Pharaoh’s sending the people away that God did not
lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines
just because it was near, for God said: “It might be the people will feel regret
when they see war and will certainly return to Egypt.”
18 Hence
God made the people go round about by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea.
But it was in battle formation that the sons of Israel went up out of the land
of Egypt.
19 And
Moses was taking Joseph’s bones with him, because he had made the sons of Israel
solemnly swear, saying: “God will without fail turn his attention to YOU, and
YOU must take my bones up out of here with YOU.”
20 And
they proceeded to depart from Succoth and to encamp at Etham at the edge of
the wilderness.
21 And
Jehovah was going ahead of them in the daytime in a pillar of cloud to lead them
by the way, and in the nighttime in a pillar of fire to give them light to go in
the daytime and nighttime.
22 The
pillar of cloud would not move away from before the people in the daytime nor
the pillar of fire in the nighttime.