Exodus 12

New King James Version

The Passover Instituted^(A)

12 Now theLordspoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,^2 (B)“This monthshall beyour beginning of months; itshall bethe first month of the year to you.³ Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the^(C)tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house ofhisfather, a lamb for a household.⁴ And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house takeitaccording to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.⁵ Your lamb shall be^(D)without^[a]blemish, a male^[b]of the first year. You may takeitfrom the sheep or from the goats.⁶ Now you shall keep it until the^(E)fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.⁷ And they shall takesomeof the blood and putiton the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.⁸ Then they shall eat the flesh on that^(F)night;^(G)roasted in fire, with^(H)unleavened breadandwith bitterherbsthey shall eat it.⁹ Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but^(I)roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.^10 (J)You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.¹¹ And thus you shall eat it:^[c]witha belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste.^(K)ItistheLord’s Passover.

¹² ‘For I^(L)will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and^(M)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment:^(N)IamtheLord.¹³ Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where youare.And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroyyouwhen I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ ‘So this day shall be to you^(O)a memorial; and you shall keep it as a^(P)feast to theLordthroughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast^(Q)by an everlasting ordinance.^15 (R)Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day,^(S)that^[d]person shall be^[e]cut off from Israel.¹⁶ On the first daythere shall be^(T)a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; butthatwhich everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.¹⁷ So you shall observethe Feast ofUnleavened Bread, for^(U)on this same day I will have brought your^[f]armies^(V)out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.^18 (W)In the firstmonth,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 For^(X)seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whetherhe isa stranger or a native of the land.²⁰ You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

²¹ Then^(Y)Moses called for all the^(Z)elders of Israel and said to them,^(AA)“Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passoverlamb.^22 (AB)And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dipitin the blood thatisin the basin, and^(AC)strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood thatisin the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.^23 (AD)For theLordwill pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the^(AE)blood on the^[g]lintel and on the two doorposts, theLordwill pass over the door and^(AF)not allow^(AG)the destroyer to come into your houses to strikeyou.²⁴ And you shall^(AH)observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.²⁵ It will come to pass when you come to the land which theLordwill give you,^(AI)just as He promised, that you shall keep this service.^26 (AJ)And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’²⁷ that you shall say,^(AK)‘Itisthe Passover sacrifice of theLord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So the people^(AL)bowed their heads and worshiped.²⁸ Then the children of Israel went away and^(AM)didso;just as theLordhad commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn^(AN)

^29 (AO)And it came to pass at midnight that^(AP)theLordstruck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive whowas^[h]in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of^(AQ)livestock.³⁰ So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, forthere wasnot a house wherethere wasnot one dead.

The Exodus

³¹ Then he^(AR)called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people,^(AS)both you and the children of Israel. And go, serve theLordas you have^(AT)said.^32 (AU)Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”

^33 (AV)And the Egyptians^(AW)urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “Weshallallbedead.”³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.³⁵ Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians^(AX)articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.^36 (AY)And theLordhad given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted themwhat they requested.Thus^(AZ)they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ Then^(BA)the children of Israel journeyed from^(BB)Rameses to Succoth, about^(BC)six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.³⁸ A^(BD)mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of^(BE)livestock.³⁹ And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because^(BF)they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the^[i]sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in^[j]Egyptwas^(BG)four hundred and thirty years.⁴¹ And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that^(BH)all the armies of theLordwent out from the land of Egypt.⁴² Itis^(BI)a^[k]night of solemn observance to theLordfor bringing them out of the land of Egypt. Thisisthat night of theLord, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

Passover Regulations^(BJ)

⁴³ And theLordsaid to Moses and Aaron, “Thisis^(BK)the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.⁴⁴ But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have^(BL)circumcised him, then he may eat it.^45 (BM)A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.⁴⁶ In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house,^(BN)nor shall you break one of its bones.^47 (BO)All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.⁴⁸ And^(BP)when a stranger^[l]dwells with youand wantsto keep the Passover to theLord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.^49 (BQ)One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”

⁵⁰ Thus all the children of Israel did; as theLordcommanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.^51 (BR)And it came to pass, on that very same day, that theLordbrought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt^(BS)according to their armies.