Exodus 12:31–13:16

The Exodus

31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worshipu the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds,v as you have said, and go. And also blessw me.”

33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurryx and leavey the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”z 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughsa wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and goldb and for clothing.c 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposedd toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plunderede the Egyptians.

37 The Israelites journeyed from Ramesesf to Sukkoth.g There were about six hundred thousand menh on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other peoplei 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 outj of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egyptb was 430 years.k 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisionsl left Egypt.m 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.n

Passover Restrictions

43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:o

“No foreignerp may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcisedq him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired workerr may not eat it.

46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.s 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.

48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land.t No uncircumcisedu male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreignerv residing among you.”

50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commandedw Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egyptx by their divisions.y

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.z The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,a out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.b Eat nothing containing yeast.c 4 Today, in the month of Aviv,d you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,e Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusitesf—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honeyg—you are to observe this ceremonyh in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festivali to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son,j ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your handk and a reminder on your foreheadl that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.m 10 You must keep this ordinancen at the appointed timeo year after year.

11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanitesp and gives it to you, as he promised on oathq to you and your ancestors,r 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.s 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,t but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.u Redeemv every firstborn among your sons.w

14 “In days to come, when your sonx asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.y 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’z 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your foreheada that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”