28“Depart from me!” Pharaoh said to Moses. “Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”

29“As you say,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”

The Plague on the Firstborn Foretold

1Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt one more plague. After that, he will allow you to leave this place. And when he lets you go, he will drive you out completely.2Now announce to the people that men and women alike should ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”3And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.

4So Moses declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,5and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle.6Then a great cry will go out over all the land of Egypt. Such an outcry has never been heard before and will never be heard again.7But among all the Israelites, not even a dog will snarl at man or beast.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.8And all these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.” And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.

9The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”10Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.

The First Passover

1Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,2“This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.4If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.6You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.7They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.8They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.9Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.10Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.11This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.12On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.13The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

14And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.

15For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.16On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.17So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent statute for the generations to come.18In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.19For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel.20You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

21Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.22Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.23When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.24And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.25When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.26When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’27you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.28And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

29Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.30During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.

The Exodus Begins

31Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.32Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”

33And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!”34So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.35Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.36And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

37The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.38And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.39Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.40Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years.41At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.42Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.

Instructions for the Passover

43And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it.44But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him.45A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.46It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.47The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it.48If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.49The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”50Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.51And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.

The Dedication of the Firstborn

1Then the LORD said to Moses,2“Consecrate to Me every firstborn male. The firstborn from every womb among the Israelites belongs to Me, both of man and beast.”

3So Moses told the people, “Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; for the LORD brought you out of it by the strength of His hand. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.4Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving.5And when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you shall keep this service in this month.6For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.7Unleavened bread shall be eaten during those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, nor shall leaven be found anywhere within your borders.8And on that day you are to explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’9It shall be a sign for you on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that the Law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.10Therefore you shall keep this statute at the appointed time year after year.

11And after the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as He swore to you and your fathers,12you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.13You must redeem every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. And every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.14In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.15And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’16So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

The Pillars of Cloud and Fire

17When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”18So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.”20They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.21And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel by day or night.22Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place before the people.

Pharaoh Pursues the Israelites

1Then the LORD said to Moses,2“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon.3For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.’4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So this is what the Israelites did.

5When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”6So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him.7He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.8And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out defiantly.9The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.

10As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD.