Exodus 12

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

1The LORD, which is God's own name, spoke to Moses and Aaron. They were still in the land of Egypt.

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

2God said, "This month will now be the first month of your year. Your year will start here."

3Speak 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:

3"Tell all the people of Israel this. On the tenth day of this month, each man takes a lamb. One lamb is for one family's house."

4And 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.

4"Some families are too small to eat a whole lamb. Then they share one with the closest neighbors. Count the people, and take enough lamb to feed them all."

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

5"The lamb must be perfect, with nothing wrong with it. It must be a male that is one year old. You may take a young sheep or a young goat."

6And 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.

6"Keep the lamb until the fourteenth day of the month. Then all the people of Israel will kill their lambs in the evening."

7And 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.

7"Take some of the blood from the lamb. Paint it on both sides and the top of the door. Do this on the houses where you eat the lamb."

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

8"That same night, cook the meat over a fire and eat it. Eat flat bread with it, bread made without yeast. Eat bitter green plants with it too."

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

9"Do not eat the meat raw. Do not boil it in water. Cook all of it over a fire, the head, the legs, and the parts inside."

NoteThe old word "sodden" means boiled in water, and "purtenance" means the parts inside the animal.

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

10"Do not leave any of it until morning. If any is left, burn it up in the fire."

11And 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.

11"Eat it dressed and ready to travel. Keep your shoes on and your walking stick in your hand. Eat it fast. This meal is the LORD's Passover."

12For 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.

12"Tonight I will pass through the land of Egypt. I will strike down every firstborn son, the oldest boy in each family. Every firstborn animal will die too. I will judge all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD."

13And 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.

13"The blood will be a sign on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. No deadly trouble will hurt you when I strike Egypt."

14And 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.

14"Remember this day always. Keep it as a feast for the LORD. Your children and their children must keep it forever."

15Seven 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.

15"For seven days, eat only bread made without yeast. On the first day, take all the yeast out of your houses. Anyone who eats bread with yeast in those seven days must be put out of Israel."

16And 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.

16"On the first day, meet together for a holy gathering. Do the same on the seventh day. Do no work on those days. You may only fix the food that people need to eat."

17And 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.

17"Keep this feast of bread made without yeast. On this very day I brought your groups out of Egypt. So keep this day, you and your children, forever."

18In 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.

18"In the first month, begin on the evening of the fourteenth day. Eat bread without yeast until the evening of the twenty-first day."

19Seven 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.

19"For seven days, no yeast may be found in your houses. Anyone who eats food with yeast must be put out of Israel. This is true for visitors and for people born in the land."

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

20"Do not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat bread made without yeast."

21Then 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.

21Then Moses called all the leaders of Israel together. He said, "Go now and pick out a lamb for each family. Kill it for the Passover."

22And 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.

22"Take a bunch of hyssop, which is a small leafy plant. Dip it in the bowl of blood. Brush the blood on the top and both sides of your door. No one may go out the door until morning."

23For 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.

23"The LORD will pass through the land to strike the Egyptians. He will see the blood on your door and pass over it. He will not let the destroyer come in and hurt you."

NoteIn old English, "suffer" meant allow. God will not allow the destroyer to come in.

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

24"Keep this rule forever, you and your sons after you."

25And 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.

25"The LORD promised to give you a land of your own. When you get there, keep doing this."

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

26"Someday your children will ask you, 'What does this special meal mean?'"

27That 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.

27"Then say to them, 'It is the Passover gift to the LORD. He passed over our houses in Egypt. He struck the Egyptians, but he kept our homes safe.'" Then the people bowed down low and worshipped.

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

28The people of Israel went and did just what the LORD told Moses and Aaron.

29And 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.

29At midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn son in Egypt. Even the son of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, died. So did the son of the prisoner down in the jail. Every firstborn farm animal died too.

30And 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.

30Pharaoh got up in the night. So did his helpers and all the Egyptians. Loud crying filled the whole land. There was not one house without someone dead in it.

31And 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.

31That night Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. He said, "Get up and leave my people, you and all the people of Israel. Go and worship the LORD, just as you asked."

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

32"Take your sheep and your cows too, just as you said. Now go. And ask God to bless me also."

33And 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.

33The Egyptians begged the people to hurry and leave the land. They said, "If you stay, we will all die."

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

34The people took their bread dough before any yeast was mixed in. They wrapped their mixing bowls in clothes and carried them on their shoulders.

35And 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:

35The people of Israel did what Moses had told them. They asked the Egyptians for silver, gold, and clothes.

NoteThe old words "borrowed" and "lent" sound like a loan, but nothing was to be given back. The people asked, and the Egyptians handed the things over to keep.

36And 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.

36The LORD made the Egyptians want to be kind to them. So the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. In this way the people of Israel took the riches of Egypt.

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

37The people of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth. About 600,000 men walked, plus all the women and children.

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

38Many other people went along with them too. They took huge flocks of sheep and big herds of cows.

39And 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.

39Their dough had no yeast in it, so they baked it into flat cakes. They had been pushed out of Egypt in a hurry. They could not wait, and they had packed no food.

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

40The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years.

41And 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.

41At the end of the 430 years, on that very day, all the LORD's groups marched out of Egypt.

42It 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.

42That night the LORD stayed awake to bring them out of Egypt. So the people of Israel keep watch on that same night, always.

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

43The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Here is the rule for the Passover. No one from another land may eat it."

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

44"A servant you bought with money may eat it. First he must be circumcised, a small cut that marks him as one of God's people."

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

45"A visitor who is only staying a while may not eat it. Neither may a hired worker."

46In 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.

46"Eat the lamb inside one house. Do not carry any of the meat outside. Do not break any of its bones."

47All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

47"All the people of Israel must keep this meal."

48And 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.

48"Someone from another land may live with you and want to keep the LORD's Passover. Then every male in his house must be circumcised. After that he may come and join in. He will be treated like someone born in the land. No man who is not circumcised may eat it."

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

49"The same law is for people born here and for visitors living among you."

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

50All the people of Israel did this. They did just what the LORD told Moses and Aaron.

51And 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.

51On that very day the LORD led the people of Israel out of Egypt, group by group.