The Passover Instituted(A)

12 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, (B)“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 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 of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be (D)without[a] blemish, a male [b]of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 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. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that (F)night; (G)roasted in fire, with (H)unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 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]with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. (K)It is the Lord’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)I am the Lord. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when 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 the Lord throughout 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 day there 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; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you. 17 So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened 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 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 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, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:5 perfect or sound
  2. Exodus 12:5 a year old
  3. Exodus 12:11 Made ready to travel
  4. Exodus 12:15 soul
  5. Exodus 12:15 Put to death
  6. Exodus 12:17 hosts

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread(A)

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month,(B) the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb[a](C) for his family, one for each household.(D) If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect,(E) and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month,(F) when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.(G) Then they are to take some of the blood(H) and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night(I) they are to eat the meat roasted(J) over the fire, along with bitter herbs,(K) and bread made without yeast.(L) Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.(M) 10 Do not leave any of it till morning;(N) if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste;(O) it is the Lord’s Passover.(P)

12 “On that same night I will pass through(Q) Egypt and strike down(R) every firstborn(S) of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods(T) of Egypt. I am the Lord.(U) 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over(V) you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.(W)

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate;(X) for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.(Y) 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.(Z) On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off(AA) from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work(AB) at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread,(AC) because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.(AD) Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.(AE) 18 In the first month(AF) you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner(AG) or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off(AH) from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live,(AI) you must eat unleavened bread.”(AJ)

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 12:3 The Hebrew word can mean lamb or kid; also in verse 4.

Three Annual Feasts(A)

14 (B)“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 (C)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; (D)none shall appear before Me empty); 16 (E)and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and (F)the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

17 (G)“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord [a]God.

18 (H)“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened (I)bread; nor shall the fat of My [b]sacrifice remain until morning. 19 (J)The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. (K)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 23:17 Heb. YHWH, usually translated Lord
  2. Exodus 23:18 feast

The Three Annual Festivals

14 “Three times(A) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(B) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(C) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(D)

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(E) with the firstfruits(F) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(G) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(H)

17 “Three times(I) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

18 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.(J)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.(K)

19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(L) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.(M)

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18 “The Feast of (A)Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the (B)month of Abib you came out from Egypt.

19 (C)“All [a]that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. 20 But (D)the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.

“And none shall appear before Me (E)empty-handed.

21 (F)“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

22 “And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.

23 (G)“Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. 24 For I will (H)cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

25 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, (I)nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning.

26 (J)“The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:19 the firstborn

18 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(A) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,(B) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(C) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

19 “The first offspring(D) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(E) Redeem all your firstborn sons.(F)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(G)

21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;(H) even during the plowing season and harvest(I) you must rest.

22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits(J) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering(K) at the turn of the year.[a] 23 Three times(L) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations(M) before you and enlarge your territory,(N) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,(O) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.(P)

26 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(Q) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”(R)

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:22 That is, in the autumn