NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 118
J A N U A R Y
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the Egyptians, he spared our families.’ ”
When Moses had finished speaking, all
the people bowed down to the ground
and worshiped.
28So the people of Israel did just as the
Lord had commanded through Moses
and Aaron. 29And that night at midnight,
the Lord struck down all the firstborn
sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his
throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn
of their livestock were killed. 30Pharaoh
and all his officials and all the people of
Egypt woke up during the night, and loud
wailing was heard throughout the land
of Egypt. There was not a single house
where someone had not died.
31Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron
during the night. “Get out!” he ordered.
“Leave my people—and take the rest of
the Israelites with you! Go and worship
the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take
your flocks and herds, as you said, and be
gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.” 33All
the Egyptians urged the people of Israel
to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!”
34 The Israelites took their bread
dough before yeast was added. They
wrapped their kneading boards in their
cloaks and carried them on their shoulders. 35And the people of Israel did as
Moses had instructed; they asked the
Egyptians for clothing and articles of
silver and gold. 36The Lord caused the
Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the
Egyptians of their wealth!
37 That night the people of Israel left
Rameses and started for Succoth. There
were about 600,000 men,* plus all the
women and children. 38A rabble of nonIsraelites went with them, along with
great flocks and herds of livestock.
39For bread they baked flat cakes from
the dough without yeast they had
brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were
driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that
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they had no time to prepare the bread or
other food.
40The people of Israel had lived in
Egypt* for 430 years. 41In fact, it was on
the last day of the 430th year that all the
Lord’s forces left the land. 42On this
night the Lord kept his promise to bring
his people out of the land of Egypt. So
this night belongs to him, and it must be
commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.
43 Then the Lord said to Moses and
Aaron, “These are the instructions for
the festival of Passover. No outsiders are
allowed to eat the Passover meal. 44But
any slave who has been purchased may
eat it if he has been circumcised.
45 Temporary residents and hired servants may not eat it. 46 Each Passover
lamb must be eaten in one house. Do
not carry any of its meat outside, and do
not break any of its bones. 47 The whole
community of Israel must celebrate this
Passover festival.
48“If there are foreigners living among
you who want to celebrate the Lord’s
Passover, let all their males be circumcised. Only then may they celebrate the
Passover with you like any native-born
Israelite. But no uncircumcised male
may ever eat the Passover meal. 49 This
instruction applies to everyone, whether
a native-born Israelite or a foreigner living among you.”
50So all the people of Israel followed
all the Lord’s commands to Moses and
Aaron. 51On that very day the Lord
brought the people of Israel out of the
land of Egypt like an army.
13:1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2“Dedicate to me every firstborn among the
Israelites. The first offspring to be born,
of both humans and animals, belongs to
me.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “This is a
day to remember forever—the day you
left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the
power of his mighty hand. (Remember,
eat no food containing yeast.) 4On this
day in early spring, in the month of
