Exodus 6-14

New American Standard Bible 1995

God Promises Action

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for ^[a](A)under compulsion he will let them go, and ^[b]under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”

² God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am ^(B)the Lord; ³ and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as ^[c](C)God Almighty, but by ^(D)My name, ^[d]Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. ⁴ I also established ^(E)My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the ^[e]land in which they sojourned. ⁵ Furthermore I have ^(F)heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. ⁶ Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘^(G)I am the Lord, and ^(H)I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also ^(I)redeem you with ^(J)an outstretched arm and with great judgments. ⁷ Then I will take you ^[f](K)for My people, and ^(L)I will be ^[g]your God; and ^(M)you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you to the land which ^(N)I ^[h]swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and ^(O)I will give it to you for a possession; ^(P)I am the Lord.’” ⁹ So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on ^(Q)account of their ^[i]despondency and cruel bondage.

¹⁰ Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹¹ “^(R)Go, ^[j]tell Pharaoh king of Egypt ^[k]to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; ^(S)how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am ^[l](T)unskilled in speech?” ¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Heads of Israel

¹⁴ These are the heads of their fathers’ households. ^(U)The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. ¹⁵ The ^(V)sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. ¹⁶ These are the names of ^(W)the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the ^[m]length of Levi’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. ^17 (X)The sons of Gershon: ^[n]Libni and Shimei, according to their families. ^18 (Y)The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the ^[o]length of Kohath’s life was one hundred and thirty-three years. ^19 (Z)The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. ^20 (AA)Amram ^[p]married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the ^[q]length of Amram’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. ^21 (AB)The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. ^22 (AC)The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and ^[r]Elzaphan and Sithri. ²³ Aaron ^[s]married Elisheba, the daughter of ^(AD)Amminadab, the sister of ^(AE)Nahshon, and she bore him ^(AF)Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ²⁴ The ^(AG)sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and ^[t]Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. ²⁵ Aaron’s son ^(AH)Eleazar ^[u]married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him ^(AI)Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. ²⁶ It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “^(AJ)Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their ^(AK)hosts.” ²⁷ They were the ones ^(AL)who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt ^[v]about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

²⁸ Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “^(AM)I am the Lord; ^(AN)speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” ³⁰ But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am ^[w](AO)unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

“I Will Stretch Out My Hand”

7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(AP)See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother ^(AQ)Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. ³ But ^(AR)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may ^(AS)multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ When ^(AT)Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and ^(AU)bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by ^(AV)great judgments. ^5 (AW)The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I ^(AX)stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron did it; ^(AY)as the Lord commanded them, thus they did. ⁷ Moses was ^(AZ)eighty years old and Aaron ^[x]eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Rod Becomes a Serpent

⁸ Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ⁹ “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘^[y](BA)Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘^(BB)Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and ^[z]his servants, and it ^(BC)became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh also ^(BD)called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the ^[aa](BE)magicians of Egypt, did ^[ab]the same with ^(BF)their secret arts. ¹² For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet ^(BG)Pharaoh’s heart was ^[ac]hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

Water Is Turned to Blood

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is ^[ad]stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh in the morning ^[ae]as ^(BH)he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand ^(BI)the staff that was turned into a serpent. ^16 (BJ)You shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “^(BK)Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.” ¹⁷ Thus says the Lord, “^(BL)By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike ^[af]the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and ^(BM)it will be turned to blood. ^18 (BN)The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will ^[ag]become foul, and the Egyptians will ^[ah](BO)find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.”’” ¹⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and ^(BP)stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their ^[ai]streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

²⁰ So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up ^[aj](BQ)the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and ^(BR)all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood. ²¹ The fish that were in the Nile died, and the Nile ^[ak]became foul, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. And the blood was through all the land of Egypt. ^22 (BS)But the ^[al]magicians of Egypt did ^[am]the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was ^[an]hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. ²³ Then Pharaoh turned and went into his house ^[ao]with no concern even for this. ²⁴ So all the Egyptians dug around the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the Nile. ²⁵ Seven days ^[ap]passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

Frogs over the Land

8 ^[aq]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(BT)Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite your whole territory with frogs. ³ The Nile will ^(BU)swarm with frogs, which will come up and go into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed, and into the houses of your servants and on your people, and into your ovens and into your kneading bowls. ⁴ So the frogs will come up on you and your people and all your servants.”’” ^5 [ar]Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘^(BV)Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the ^[as]streams and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” ⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the ^[at](BW)frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ^7 (BX)The ^[au]magicians did ^[av]the same with their secret arts, ^[aw]making frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh ^(BY)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “^(BZ)Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and ^(CA)I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.” ⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “^[ax]The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be ^[ay]destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?”

¹⁰ Then he said, “Tomorrow.” So he said, “May it be according to your word, that you may know that there is ^(CB)no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The ^(CC)frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile.” ¹² Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and ^(CD)Moses cried to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had ^[az]inflicted upon Pharaoh. ¹³ The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, the courts, and the fields. ¹⁴ So they piled them in heaps, and the land ^[ba]became foul. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he ^[bb]hardened his heart and ^(CE)did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Insects

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become ^[bc]gnats through all the land of Egypt.’” ¹⁷ They did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff, and struck the dust of the earth, and there were ^[bd]gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became ^[be](CF)gnats through all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The ^[bf]magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth ^[bg]gnats, but ^(CG)they could not; so there were ^[bh]gnats on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the ^[bi]magicians said to Pharaoh, “^(CH)This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was ^[bj]hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

²⁰ Now the Lord said to Moses, “^(CI)Rise early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, ^[bk]as ^(CJ)he comes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “^(CK)Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ²¹ For if you do not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and on your servants and on your people and into your houses; and the houses of the Egyptians will be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they dwell. ^22 (CL)But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where My people are ^[bl]living, so that no swarms of flies will be there, in order that you may know that ^[bm](CM)I, the Lord, am in the midst of the land. ²³ I will ^[bn]put a division between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign will occur.”’” ²⁴ Then the Lord did so. And there came ^[bo]great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and the land was ^(CN)laid waste because of the swarms of flies in all the land of Egypt.

²⁵ Pharaoh ^(CO)called for Moses and Aaron and said, “^(CP)Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” ²⁶ But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the Lord our God ^[bp]what is ^(CQ)an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice ^[bq]what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us? ²⁷ We must go a ^(CR)three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as He ^[br]commands us.” ²⁸ Pharaoh said, “^(CS)I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. ^(CT)Make supplication for me.” ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow; only do not let Pharaoh ^(CU)deal deceitfully again in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”

³⁰ So ^(CV)Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. ³¹ The Lord did ^[bs]as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants and from his people; not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh ^[bt]hardened his heart this time also, and ^(CW)he did not let the people go.

Egyptian Cattle Die

9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “^(CX)Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ² For ^(CY)if you refuse to let them go and ^[bu]continue to hold them, ³ behold, ^(CZ)the hand of the Lord ^[bv]will come with a very severe pestilence on your livestock which are in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the herds, and on the flocks. ^4 (DA)But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that ^(DB)nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’” ⁵ The Lord set a definite time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” ⁶ So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and ^(DC)all the livestock of Egypt died; ^(DD)but of the livestock of the sons of Israel, not one died. ⁷ Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead. But ^(DE)the heart of Pharaoh was ^[bw]hardened, and he did not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of soot from a kiln, and let Moses throw it toward the sky in the sight of Pharaoh. ⁹ It will become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and will become ^(DF)boils breaking out with sores on man and beast through all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ So they took soot from a kiln, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it toward the sky, and it became boils breaking out with sores on man and beast. ^11 (DG)The ^[bx]magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils were on the magicians ^[by]as well as on all the Egyptians. ¹² And ^(DH)the Lord ^[bz]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(DI)Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “^(DJ)Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ¹⁴ For this time I will send all My plagues ^[ca]on you and your servants and your people, so that ^(DK)you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth. ¹⁵ For if by now I had put forth My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, you would then have been cut off from the earth. ¹⁶ But, indeed, ^(DL)for this reason I have allowed you to ^[cb]remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. ¹⁷ Still you exalt yourself against My people ^[cc]by not letting them go.

The Plague of Hail

¹⁸ Behold, about this time tomorrow, ^(DM)I will ^[cd]send a very heavy hail, such as has not been seen in Egypt from the day it was founded ^[ce]until now. ¹⁹ Now therefore send, bring ^(DN)your livestock and whatever you have in the field to safety. ^(DO)Every man and beast that is found in the field and is not brought home, when the hail comes down on them, will die.”’” ^20 (DP)The one among the servants of Pharaoh who ^[cf]feared the word of the Lord made his servants and his livestock flee into the houses; ²¹ but he who ^[cg]paid no regard to the word of the Lord ^[ch]left his servants and his livestock in the field.

²² Now the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that ^[ci](DQ)hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, on man and on beast and on every plant of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.” ²³ Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord ^[cj]sent ^[ck]thunder and ^(DR)hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. ²⁴ So there was hail, and fire ^[cl]flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very severe, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ^25 (DS)The hail struck all that was in the field through all the land of Egypt, both man and beast; the hail also struck every plant of the field and shattered every tree of the field. ^26 (DT)Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh ^[cm](DU)sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “^(DV)I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. ^28 (DW)Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s ^[cn]thunder and hail; and ^(DX)I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” ²⁹ Moses said to him, “As soon as I go out of the city, I will ^(DY)spread out my ^[co]hands to the Lord; the ^[cp]thunder will cease and there will be hail no longer, that you may know that ^(DZ)the earth is the Lord’s. ^30 (EA)But as for you and your servants, I know that ^(EB)you do not yet ^[cq]fear ^[cr]the Lord God.” ³¹ (Now the flax and the ^(EC)barley were ^[cs]ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. ³² But the wheat and the spelt were not ^[ct]ruined, for they ripen late.) ^33 (ED)So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread out his ^[cu]hands to the Lord; and the ^[cv]thunder and the hail ceased, and rain ^[cw]no longer poured on the earth. ³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the ^[cx]thunder had ceased, he sinned again and ^[cy]hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵ Pharaoh’s heart was ^[cz]hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the ^(EE)Lord had spoken through Moses.

The Plague of Locusts

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for ^(EF)I have ^[da]hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may ^[db]perform these signs of Mine ^[dc]among them, ² and ^(EG)that you may tell in the ^[dd]hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I ^[de]performed My signs among them, ^(EH)that you may know that I am the Lord.”

³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to ^(EI)humble yourself before Me? ^(EJ)Let My people go, that they may serve Me. ⁴ For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. ⁵ They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. ^(EK)They will also eat the rest of what has escaped—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field. ⁶ Then ^(EL)your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they ^[df]came upon the earth until this day.’” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. ^7 (EM)Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be ^(EN)a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not ^[dg]realize that Egypt is destroyed?” ⁸ So Moses and Aaron ^(EO)were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “^(EP)Go, serve the Lord your God! ^[dh]Who are the ones that are going?” ⁹ Moses said, “^(EQ)We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, ^(ER)with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we ^[di]must hold a feast to the Lord.” ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Thus may the Lord be with you, ^[dj]if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is ^[dk]in your mind. ¹¹ Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for ^[dl]that is what you desire.” So ^(ES)they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹² Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(ET)Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and ^(EU)eat every plant of the land, even all that the hail has left.” ¹³ So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind ^[dm]brought the ^(EV)locusts. ^14 (EW)The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very ^[dn]numerous. There had never been so many ^[do]locusts, nor would there be so many ^[dp]again. ¹⁵ For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ^(EX)ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing green was left on tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ Then Pharaoh hurriedly ^(EY)called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, “^(EZ)I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ^(FA)make supplication to the Lord your God, that He would only remove this death from me.” ^18 (FB)He went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. ¹⁹ So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the ^[dq]Red Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. ²⁰ But ^(FC)the Lord ^[dr]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

Darkness over the Land

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(FD)Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness ^(FE)which may be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was ^(FF)thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, ^(FG)but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. ²⁴ Then Pharaoh ^(FH)called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even ^(FI)your little ones may go with you.” ²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also ^[ds]let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may ^[dt]sacrifice them to the Lord our God. ^26 (FJ)Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.” ²⁷ But ^(FK)the Lord ^[du]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “^(FL)Get away from me! ^[dv]Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” ²⁹ Moses said, “You are right; ^(FM)I shall never see your face again!”

The Last Plague

11 Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; ^(FN)after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. ² Speak now in the ^[dw]hearing of the people that ^(FO)each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” ^3 (FP)The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. ^(FQ)Furthermore, the man Moses himself was ^[dx]greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴ Moses said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘About ^(FR)midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, ⁵ and ^(FS)all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. ⁶ Moreover, there shall be ^(FT)a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. ^7 (FU)But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even ^[dy]bark, whether against man or beast, that you may ^[dz]understand how the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ ^8 (FV)All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves ^[ea]before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who ^[eb]follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” ^(FW)And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(FX)Pharaoh will not listen to you, so ^(FY)that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” ^10 (FZ)Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet ^(GA)the Lord ^[ec]hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

The Passover Lamb

12 Now the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of ^[ed]Egypt, ² “^(GB)This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. ³ Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a ^[ee]lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a ^[ef]lamb for ^[eg]each household. ⁴ Now if the household is too small for a ^[eh]lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the ^[ei]number of persons in them; according to ^[ej]what each man should eat, you are to ^[ek]divide the lamb. ⁵ Your ^[el]lamb shall be ^(GC)an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. ^6 [em]You shall keep it until the ^(GD)fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it ^[en](GE)at twilight. ^7 (GF)Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel ^[eo]of the houses in which they eat it. ⁸ They shall eat the flesh ^(GG)that same night, ^(GH)roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with ^(GI)unleavened bread ^[ep](GJ)and bitter herbs. ⁹ Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather ^(GK)roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with ^(GL)its entrails. ^10 (GM)And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. ¹¹ Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is ^(GN)the Lord’s Passover. ¹² For ^(GO)I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and ^(GP)against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—^(GQ)I am the Lord. ^13 (GR)The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you ^[eq]live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you ^[er]to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

¹⁴ ‘Now ^(GS)this day will be ^(GT)a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as ^[es](GU)a permanent ordinance. ^15 (GV)Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall ^[et]remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, ^(GW)that ^[eu]person shall be cut off from Israel. ^16 (GX)On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten ^[ev]by every person, that alone may be ^[ew]prepared by you. ¹⁷ You shall also observe ^(GY)the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this ^(GZ)very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as ^(HA)a ^[ex]permanent ordinance. ^18 (HB)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 (HC)Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that ^[ey](HD)person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. ²⁰ You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

²¹ Then ^(HE)Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “^[ez]Go and ^(HF)take for yourselves ^[fa]lambs according to your families, and slay ^(HG)the Passover lamb. ^22 (HH)You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and ^[fb]apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

A Memorial of Redemption

²³ For ^(HI)the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will ^(HJ)not allow the ^(HK)destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. ²⁴ And ^(HL)you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. ²⁵ When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as He has ^[fc]promised, you shall observe this ^[fd]rite. ^26 (HM)And when your children say to you, ‘^[fe]What does this rite mean to you?’ ²⁷ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to ^(HN)the Lord ^[ff]who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but ^[fg]spared our homes.’” ^(HO)And the people bowed low and worshiped.

²⁸ Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

²⁹ Now it came about at ^(HP)midnight that ^(HQ)the Lord struck all ^(HR)the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of ^(HS)cattle. ³⁰ Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was ^(HT)a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. ³¹ Then ^(HU)he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, ^(HV)get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, ^[fh]worship the Lord, as you have said. ³² Take ^(HW)both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”

Exodus of Israel

^33 (HX)The Egyptians urged the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We will all be dead.” ³⁴ So the people took ^(HY)their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls bound up in the clothes on their shoulders.

^35 (HZ)Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; ³⁶ and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they ^(IA)plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ Now the ^(IB)sons of Israel journeyed from ^(IC)Rameses to Succoth, about ^(ID)six hundred thousand men on foot, aside from children. ³⁸ A ^(IE)mixed multitude also went up with them, ^[fi]along with flocks and herds, a ^(IF)very large number of livestock. ³⁹ They baked the dough which they had brought out of Egypt into cakes of unleavened bread. For it had not become leavened, since they were ^(IG)driven out of Egypt and could not delay, nor had they ^[fj]prepared any provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the time ^[fk]that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was ^(IH)four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, ^[fl]to ^(II)the very day, ^(IJ)all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

Ordinance of the Passover

^42 (IK)It is a night ^[fm]to be observed for the Lord for having brought them out from the land of Egypt; this night is for the Lord, ^[fn]to be observed ^[fo]by all the sons of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of ^(IL)the Passover: no ^[fp](IM)foreigner is to eat of it; ⁴⁴ but every man’s ^(IN)slave purchased with money, after you have circumcised him, then he may eat of it. ^45 (IO)A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it. ⁴⁶ It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, ^(IP)nor are you to break any bone of it. ^47 (IQ)All the congregation of Israel are to ^[fq]celebrate this. ⁴⁸ But ^(IR)if a ^[fr]stranger sojourns with you, and ^[fs]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near to ^[ft]celebrate it; and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person may eat of it. ^49 [fu](IS)The same law shall ^[fv]apply to the native as to the ^[fw]stranger who sojourns among you.”

⁵⁰ Then all the sons of Israel did so; they did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ And on that same day ^(IT)the Lord brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt ^[fx](IU)by their hosts.

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(IV)Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first ^[fy]offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”

³ Moses said to the people, “^(IW)Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of ^[fz]slavery; for ^(IX)by ^[ga]a powerful hand the Lord brought you out from this place. ^(IY)And nothing leavened shall be eaten. ⁴ On this day in the ^(IZ)month of Abib, you are about to go forth. ⁵ It shall be when the Lord ^(JA)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which ^(JB)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^(JC)that you shall ^[gb]observe this rite in this month. ⁶ For ^(JD)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. ⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and ^(JE)nothing leavened shall be seen ^[gc]among you, nor shall any leaven be seen ^[gd]among you in all your borders. ^8 (JF)You shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ And ^(JG)it shall ^[ge]serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder ^[gf]on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with ^(JH)a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰ Therefore, you shall ^(JI)keep this ordinance at its appointed time from ^[gg]year to year.

¹¹ “Now when ^(JJ)the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as ^(JK)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, ^12 (JL)you shall ^[gh]devote to the Lord the first ^[gi]offspring of every womb, and ^[gj]the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the Lord. ¹³ But ^(JM)every first ^[gk]offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and ^(JN)every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ^14 (JO)And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘^(JP)With a ^[gl]powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of ^[gm]slavery. ¹⁵ It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the ^(JQ)Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord the males, the first ^[gn]offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶ So ^(JR)it shall ^[go]serve as a sign on your hand and as ^[gp]phylacteries ^[gq]on your forehead, for with a ^[gr]powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

God Leads the People

¹⁷ Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “^(JS)The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the ^[gs]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ^(JT)in martial array from the land of Egypt. ¹⁹ Moses took ^(JU)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely ^[gt]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” ²⁰ Then they set out from ^(JV)Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. ^21 (JW)The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might ^[gu]travel by day and by night. ^22 [gv]He ^(JX)did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Pharaoh in Pursuit

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before ^(JY)Pi-hahiroth, between ^(JZ)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. ³ For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴ Thus ^(KA)I will ^[gw]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and ^(KB)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and ^(KC)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, ^[gx]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶ So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him; ⁷ and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. ^8 (KD)The Lord ^[gy]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out ^[gz](KE)boldly. ⁹ Then ^(KF)the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, ^(KG)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel ^[ha]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; ^(KH)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then ^(KI)they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, ^[hb]bringing us out of Egypt? ^12 (KJ)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘^[hc]Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

The Sea Is Divided

¹³ But Moses said to the people, “^(KK)Do not fear! ^[hd]Stand by and see ^(KL)the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. ^14 (KM)The Lord will fight for you while ^(KN)you keep silent.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ As for you, lift up ^(KO)your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall ^[he]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. ¹⁷ As for Me, behold, ^(KP)I will ^[hf]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ^18 (KQ)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

^19 (KR)The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. ²⁰ So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud ^[hg]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

^21 (KS)Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord ^[hh]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into ^(KT)dry land, so ^(KU)the waters were divided. ^22 (KV)The sons of Israel ^[hi]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and ^(KW)the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. ²³ Then ^(KX)the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. ²⁴ At the morning watch, ^(KY)the Lord looked down on the ^[hj]army of the Egyptians ^[hk]through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the ^[hl]army of the Egyptians into confusion. ²⁵ He ^[hm]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let ^[hn]us flee from Israel, ^(KZ)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(LA)Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” ²⁷ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and ^(LB)the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing ^[ho]right into it; then the Lord ^[hp](LC)overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, ^[hq]even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; ^(LD)not even one of them remained. ²⁹ But the sons of Israel walked on ^(LE)dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

^30 (LF)Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel ^(LG)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹ When Israel saw the great ^[hr]power which the Lord had ^[hs]used against the Egyptians, the people ^[ht]feared the Lord, and ^(LH)they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.