The Last Plague
11 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. 2 Speak now in the [a]hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3 The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was [b]greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. 4 Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5 and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7 But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even [c]bark, whether against man or beast, that you may [d]understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves [e]before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who [f]follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord [g]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Footnotes
Exodus 11:2 Lit ears
Exodus 11:3 Lit very great
Exodus 11:7 Lit sharpen his tongue
Exodus 11:7 Lit know
Exodus 11:8 Lit to
Exodus 11:8 Lit are at your feet
Exodus 11:10 Lit made strong
The Passover Lamb
12 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of [a]Egypt, 2 “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a [b]lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a [c]lamb for [d]each household. 4 Now if the household is too small for a [e]lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the [f]number of persons in them; according to [g]what each man should eat, you are to [h]divide the lamb. 5 Your [i]lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 [j]You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it [k]at twilight. 7 Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel [l]of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread [m]and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails. 10 And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. 11 Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you [n]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you [o]to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
Feast of Unleavened Bread
14 ‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as [p]a permanent ordinance. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall [q]remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that [r]person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten [s]by every person, that alone may be [t]prepared by you. 17 You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a [u]permanent ordinance. 18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that [v]person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. 20 You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’” 21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “[w]Go and take for yourselves [x]lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and [y]apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.
A Memorial of Redemption
23 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. 24 And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25 When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has [z]promised, you shall observe this [aa]rite. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘[ab]What does this rite mean to you?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord [ac]who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but [ad]spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped. 28 Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 29 Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31 Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, [ae]worship the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”
Exodus of Israel
33 The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders. 35 Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; 36 and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians. 37 Now the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, [af]along with flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock. 39 They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they [ag]prepared any provisions for themselves. 40 Now the time [ah]that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. 41 And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, [ai]to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.
Ordinance of the Passover
42 It is a night [aj]to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, [ak]to be observed [al]by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations. 43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: no [am]foreigner is to eat of it; 44 but every man’s slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. 45 A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it. 46 It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it. 47 All the congregation of Israel are to [an]celebrate this. 48 But if a [ao]stranger sojourns with you, and [ap]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to [aq]celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. 49 [ar]The same law shall [as]apply to the native as to the [at]stranger who sojourns among you.” 50 Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that same day the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt [au]by their hosts.
Footnotes
Exodus 12:1 Lit Egypt, saying
Exodus 12:3 Or kid
Exodus 12:3 Or kid
Exodus 12:3 Lit the
Exodus 12:4 Or kid
Exodus 12:4 Or amount
Exodus 12:4 Lit each man’s eating
Exodus 12:4 Lit compute for
Exodus 12:5 Or kid
Exodus 12:6 Lit It shall be to you for a guarding
Exodus 12:6 Lit between the two evenings
Exodus 12:7 Lit upon
Exodus 12:8 Lit in addition to
Exodus 12:13 Lit are
Exodus 12:13 Lit for destruction
Exodus 12:14 Or an eternal
Exodus 12:15 Lit cause to cease
Exodus 12:15 Lit soul
Exodus 12:16 Lit pertaining to
Exodus 12:16 Lit done
Exodus 12:17 Or eternal
Exodus 12:19 Lit soul
Exodus 12:21 Lit Draw out
Exodus 12:21 Lit sheep
Exodus 12:22 Lit cause to touch
Exodus 12:25 Lit spoken
Exodus 12:25 Lit service
Exodus 12:26 Lit What is this service to you?
Exodus 12:27 Lit because He
Exodus 12:27 Lit delivered
Exodus 12:31 Or serve
Exodus 12:38 Lit and
Exodus 12:39 Lit made
Exodus 12:40 Or of the sons of Israel who dwelt
Exodus 12:41 Lit that it happened on this very day
Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
Exodus 12:42 Or of vigil
Exodus 12:42 Lit to the sons
Exodus 12:43 Lit son of a stranger
Exodus 12:47 Lit do
Exodus 12:48 Lit sojourner
Exodus 12:48 Lit does
Exodus 12:48 Lit do
Exodus 12:49 Lit One law
Exodus 12:49 Lit be
Exodus 12:49 Lit sojourner
Exodus 12:51 Lit according to
Consecration of the Firstborn
13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first [a]offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.” 3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of [b]slavery; for by [c]a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten. 4 On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth. 5 It shall be when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall [d]observe this rite in this month. 6 For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen [e]among you, nor shall any leaven be seen [f]among you in all your borders. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall [g]serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder [h]on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from [i]year to year. 11 “Now when the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you shall [j]devote to the Lord the first [k]offspring of every womb, and [l]the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord. 13 But every first [m]offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘With a [n]powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of [o]slavery. 15 It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first [p]offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 So it shall [q]serve as a sign on your hand and as [r]phylacteries [s]on your forehead, for with a [t]powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
God Leads the People
17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18 Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the [u]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely [v]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 20 Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might [w]travel by day and by night. 22 [x]He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Footnotes
Exodus 13:2 Lit opening
Exodus 13:3 Lit slaves
Exodus 13:3 Lit strength of hand
Exodus 13:5 Lit serve this service
Exodus 13:7 Lit to
Exodus 13:7 Lit to
Exodus 13:9 Lit be for
Exodus 13:9 Lit between your eyes
Exodus 13:10 Lit days to days
Exodus 13:12 Lit cause to pass over
Exodus 13:12 Lit opening
Exodus 13:12 Lit every issue the offspring of a beast
Exodus 13:13 Lit opening
Exodus 13:14 Lit strength of hand
Exodus 13:14 Lit slaves
Exodus 13:15 Lit opening
Exodus 13:16 Lit be for
Exodus 13:16 Or frontlet-bands
Exodus 13:16 Lit between your eyes
Exodus 13:16 Lit strength of hand
Exodus 13:18 Lit Sea of Reeds
Exodus 13:19 Lit visit
Exodus 13:21 Lit go
Exodus 13:22 Or The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart
Pharaoh in Pursuit
14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 Thus I will [a]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, [b]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord [c]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out [d]boldly. 9 Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel [e]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, [f]bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘[g]Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
The Sea Is Divided
13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! [h]Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall [i]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. 17 As for Me, behold, I will [j]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.” 19 The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud [k]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord [l]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. 22 The sons of Israel [m]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 At the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the [n]army of the Egyptians [o]through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the [p]army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He [q]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let [r]us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing [s]right into it; then the Lord [t]overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, [u]even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great [v]power which the Lord had [w]used against the Egyptians, the people [x]feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.
Footnotes
Exodus 14:4 Lit make strong
Exodus 14:5 Lit the heart of Pharaoh...was changed
Exodus 14:8 Lit made strong
Exodus 14:8 Lit with a high hand
Exodus 14:10 Lit lifted up their eyes
Exodus 14:11 Lit so as to bring
Exodus 14:12 Lit Cease from us
Exodus 14:13 Or Take your stand
Exodus 14:16 Lit enter the
Exodus 14:17 Lit make strong
Exodus 14:20 Lit and the darkness
Exodus 14:21 Lit caused to go
Exodus 14:22 Lit entered the
Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
Exodus 14:24 Or in
Exodus 14:24 Lit camp
Exodus 14:25 Or removed
Exodus 14:25 Lit me
Exodus 14:27 Lit to meet it
Exodus 14:27 Lit shook off
Exodus 14:28 Lit in respect to
Exodus 14:31 Lit hand
Exodus 14:31 Lit done
Exodus 14:31 Or revered
The Song of Moses and Israel
15 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, [a]and said,
“[b]I will sing to the Lord, for He [c]is highly exalted;
The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
2 “[d]The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will extol Him.
3 “The Lord is a warrior;
[e]The Lord is His name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are [f]drowned in the [g]Red Sea.
5 “The deeps cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power,
Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 “And in the greatness of Your [h]excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You;
You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.
8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,
The flowing waters stood up like a heap;
The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;
My [i]desire shall be [j]gratified against them;
I will draw out my sword, my hand will [k]destroy them.’
10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the [l]mighty waters.
11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in praises, working wonders?
12 “You stretched out Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed;
In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble;
Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;
All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 “Terror and dread fall upon them;
By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone;
Until Your people pass over, O Lord,
Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.
17 “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
The place, O Lord, which You have made for Your dwelling,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
18 “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”
19 For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea. 20 Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with [m]dancing. 21 Miriam answered them,
“Sing to the Lord, for He [n]is highly exalted;
The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”
The Lord Provides Water
22 Then Moses [o]led Israel from the [p]Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters [q]of Marah, for they were [r]bitter; therefore it was named [s]Marah. 24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. 26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.
Footnotes
Exodus 15:1 Lit and said, saying
Exodus 15:1 Or Let me sing
Exodus 15:1 Or triumphed gloriously
Exodus 15:2 Heb Yah
Exodus 15:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
Exodus 15:4 Lit sunk
Exodus 15:4 Lit Sea of Reeds
Exodus 15:7 Or exaltation
Exodus 15:9 Lit soul
Exodus 15:9 Lit be filled with them
Exodus 15:9 Or dispossess, bring to ruin
Exodus 15:10 Or majestic
Exodus 15:20 Lit dances
Exodus 15:21 Or has triumphed gloriously
Exodus 15:22 Lit caused Israel to journey
Exodus 15:22 Lit Sea of Reeds
Exodus 15:23 Lit from
Exodus 15:23 Heb Marim
Exodus 15:23 I.e. bitterness
