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EXODUS 12
page 63
of the doorframe, the Lord will pass over your
home. He will not permit his death angel to enter
your house and strike you down.
24 “Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants
must observe forever. 25 When you enter the
land the Lord has promised to give you, you
will continue to observe this ceremony. 26 Then
your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’ 27 And you will reply, ‘It is the
Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed
over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And
though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our
families.’” When Moses had finished speaking,
all the people bowed down to the ground and
worshiped.
28 So the people of Israel did just as the Lord
had commanded through Moses and Aaron.
29 And 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. 30 Pharaoh 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.
Israel’s Exodus from Egypt
31 Pharaoh 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.” 33 All 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. 35 And the people of Israel did
as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold.
36 The 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. 38 A rabble of non-Israelites went with
them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock. 39 For 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
12:37 Or fighting men; Hebrew reads men on foot.
12:40 Samaritan Pentateuch reads in Canaan and Egypt;
Greek version reads in Egypt and Canaan.
that they had no time to prepare the bread or
other food.
40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt* for
430 years. 41 In fact, it was on the last day of the
430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land.
42 On 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.
Instructions for the Passover
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. 44 But 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
• Celebration
E XODU S 12:17
Why is celebration important to God?
When we think of celebration we usually
think of enjoying ourselves, of having
a great time with others. We celebrate
anniversaries, birthdays, weddings,
promotions, special milestones, and
events like the birth of a new baby. But
celebration is also observing spiritually
significant occasions such as the Lord’s
Supper, the death of a loved one, and
other solemn events. What makes
celebration unique is that we take time
out from the ordinary to honor and to
observe something that is extraordinary,
something that is special, something
important to us all. God wanted the
Israelites to celebrate the Passover, so
much so that he wrapped a seven-day
festival around it! He wanted his people
to pause to remember their deliverance,
and to honor, worship, and praise God for
it. The end result of celebration should be
joy, the joy that comes from a heart full
of gratitude for God’s love, mercy, and
presence in our lives. God gives us the
ultimate reason to celebrate because he
has rescued us from the consequences
of sin and shown us the wonders of
eternity. Those who love him truly have
the most to celebrate!