Exodus, 12

1. Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,

1. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

2. 'This month must be the first of all the months for you, the first month of your year.

2. This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the first month of the year to you.

3. Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, "On the tenth day of this month each man must take an animal from the flock for his family: one animal for each household.

3. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for an house:

4. If the household is too small for the animal, he must join with his neighbour nearest to his house, depending on the number of persons. When you choose the animal, you will take into account what each can eat.

4. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take [it] according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

5. It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may choose it either from the sheep or from the goats.

5. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take [it] out from the sheep, or from the goats:

6. You must keep it till the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter it at twilight.

6. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

7. Some of the blood must then be taken and put on both door-posts and the lintel of the houses where it is eaten.

7. And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

8. That night, the flesh must be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

8. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; [and] with bitter [herbs] they shall eat it.

9. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with the head, feet and entrails.

9. Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast [with] fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

10. You must not leave any of it over till the morning: whatever is left till morning you must burn.

10. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

11. This is how you must eat it: with a belt round your waist, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You must eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover in Yahweh's honour.

11. And thus shall ye eat it; [with] your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it [is] the LORD'S passover.

12. That night, I shall go through Egypt and strike down all the first-born in Egypt, man and beast alike, and shall execute justice on all the gods of Egypt, I, Yahweh!

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 against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I [am] the LORD.

13. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood I shall pass over you, and you will escape the destructive plague when I strike Egypt.

13. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye [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. This day must be commemorated by you, and you must keep it as a feast in Yahweh's honour. You must keep it as a feast-day for all generations; this is a decree for all time.

14. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.

15. "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you must clean the leaven out of your houses, for anyone who eats leavened bread from the first to the seventh day must be outlawed from Israel.

15. Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

16. On the first day you must hold a sacred assembly, and on the seventh day a sacred assembly. On those days no work may be done; you will prepare only what each requires to eat.

16. And in the first day [there shall be] an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save [that] which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.

17. You must keep the feast of Unleavened Bread because it was on that same day that I brought your armies out of Egypt. You will keep that day, generation after generation; this is a decree for all time.

17. And ye shall observe [the feast of] unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever.

18. In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you must eat unleavened bread.

18. In the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

19. For seven days there may be no leaven in your houses, since anyone, either stranger or citizen of the country, who eats leavened bread will be outlawed from the community of Israel.

19. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth 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 will eat nothing with leaven in it; wherever you live, you will eat unleavened bread." '

20. Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

21. Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, 'Go and choose a lamb or kid for your families, and kill the Passover victim.

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

22. Then take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and with the blood from the basin touch the lintel and both door-posts; then let none of you venture out of the house till morning.

22. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that [is] in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

23. Then, when Yahweh goes through Egypt to strike it, and sees the blood on the lintel and on both door-posts, he will pass over the door and not allow the Destroyer to enter your homes and strike.

23. For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite [you].

24. You will observe this as a decree binding you and your children for all time,

24. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever.

25. and when you have entered the country which Yahweh will give you, as he has promised, you will observe this ritual.

25. And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

26. And when your children ask you, "What does this ritual mean?"

26. And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

27. you will tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice in honour of Yahweh who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, and struck Egypt but spared our houses." ' And the people bowed in worship.

27. That ye 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 smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.

28. The Israelites then went away and did as Yahweh had ordered Moses and Aaron.

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

29. And at midnight Yahweh struck down all the first-born in Egypt from the first-born of Pharaoh, heir to his throne, to the first-born of the prisoner in the dungeon, and the first-born of all the livestock.

29. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that [was] in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

30. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up in the night, and there was great wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without its dead.

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. It was still dark when Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Up, leave my subjects, you and the Israelites! Go and worship Yahweh as you have asked!

31. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, [and] get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

32. And take your flocks and herds as you have asked, and go! And bless me too!'

32. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

33. The Egyptians urged the people on and hurried them out of the country because, they said, 'Otherwise we shall all be dead.'

33. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We [be] all dead [men].

34. So the people carried off their dough still unleavened, their bowls wrapped in their cloaks, on their shoulders.

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

35. The Israelites did as Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for silver and golden jewellery, and clothing.

35. And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

36. Yahweh made the Egyptians so much impressed with the people that they gave them what they asked. So they despoiled the Egyptians.

36. And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them [such things as they required]. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

37. The Israelites left Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand on the march-men, that is, not counting their families.

37. And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot [that were] men, beside children.

38. A mixed crowd of people went with them, and flocks and herds, quantities of livestock.

38. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, [even] very much cattle.

39. And with the dough which they had brought from Egypt they baked unleavened cakes, because the dough had not risen, since they had been driven out of Egypt without time to linger or to prepare food for themselves.

39. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

40. The time that the Israelites spent in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.

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

41. And on the very day the four hundred and thirty years ended, all Yahweh's armies left Egypt.

41. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

42. The night when Yahweh kept vigil to bring them out of Egypt must be kept as a vigil in honour of Yahweh by all Israelites, for all generations.

42. It [is] a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this [is] that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

43. Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, 'This is the ritual for the Passover: no alien may eat it,

43. And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This [is] the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof:

44. but any slave bought for money may eat it, once you have circumcised him.

44. But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

45. No stranger and no hired servant may eat it.

45. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

46. It must be eaten in one house alone; you will not take any of the meat out of the house; nor may you break any of its bones.

46. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof.

47. 'The whole community of Israel must keep it.

47. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

48. Should a stranger residing with you wish to keep the Passover in honour of Yahweh, all the males of his household must be circumcised: he will then be allowed to keep it and will count as a citizen of the country. But no uncircumcised person may eat it.

48. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will 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: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

49. The same law will apply to the citizen and the stranger resident among you.'

49. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

50. The Israelites all did as Yahweh had ordered Moses and Aaron,

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

51. and that same day Yahweh brought the Israelites out of Egypt in their armies.

51. And it came to pass the selfsame day, [that] the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.