Self-interpreting Bible

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Exodus 12

1The beginning of the year is changed. 3The passover is instituted. 11The rite of the passover. 15The days of unleavened bread. 21Moses giveth directions to keep the passover. 29The firstborn are slain. 31The Israelites are driven out of the land. 37They come to Succoth. 40The time of the Israelites' sojourning in Egypt. 43The ordinance of the passover.


1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

    2 This amonth shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.

    3 ¶Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall btake to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a 1lamb for an house:

    4 And if the household be ctoo little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.

    5 Your lamb shall be dwithout blemish, a 2male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:

    6 And ye shall ekeep it up until the ffourteenth day of the same month: and the gwhole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it 3in the evening.

    7 And they shall htake of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

    8 And they shall ieat the flesh in that night, jroast with fire, and kunleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

    9 Eat not of it raw, nor l*sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and mwith the *purtenance thereof.

    10 And ye shall let nnothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.

    11 ¶And thus shall ye eat it; owith your loins *girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the pLORD's passover.

    12 For qI will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the 4gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: rI am the LORD.

    13 And the sblood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you 5to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

    14 And this day shall be unto you for a tmemorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast uby an ordinance for ever.

    15 vSeven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away *leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, wthat soul shall be cut off from Israel.

    16 And in the first day there shall be an holy *convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be xan holy convocation to you; no y*manner of work shall be done in them, *save that which every 6man must eat, that only may be done of you.

    17 And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe zthis day in your generations by an ordinance afor ever.

    18 ¶In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.

      19 Seven days shall there be no *leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be bcut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land.

      • *: leaven-yeast, fermented dough.
      • b: Ex. 12:15

      20 Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread.

        21 ¶Then Moses called for all the celders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a 7lamb daccording to your families, and kill the passover.

        22 And eye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the flintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.

        23 For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will gpass over the door, and will not suffer the hdestroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

        24 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons ifor ever.

        25 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land jwhich the LORD will give you, kaccording as he hath promised, that lye shall keep this service.

        26 And mit shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service?

        27 That ye shall say, It is the nsacrifice of the LORD's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people obowed the head and worshipped.

        28 And the children of Israel went away, and pdid as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

        29 ¶qAnd it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD rsmote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, sfrom the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the 8dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.

        30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a tgreat cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.

        31 ¶And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, uRise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said.

        32 Also vtake your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and wbless me also.

        33 And the Egyptians were xurgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead ymen.

        34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their 9kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

        35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they 10borrowed zof the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and *raiment:

        36 And the LORD agave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they *required. And bthey spoiled the Egyptians.

        37 ¶And cthe children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about dsix hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

        38 And 11a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

        39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were ethrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

        40 ¶Now the f*sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was gfour hundred and thirty years.

        41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the hselfsame day it came to pass, that all ithe hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.

        42 It is 12a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

        43 ¶And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There jshall no stranger eat thereof:

        44 But every man's servant kthat is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.

        45 lA foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.

        46 In mone house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh *abroad out of the house; nneither shall ye break a bone thereof.

        47 oAll the congregation of Israel shall 13keep it.

        48 And when pa stranger shall *sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his qmales be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

        49 One rlaw shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that *sojourneth among you.

        50 Thus did all the children of Israel; sas the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.

        51 And it came to pass tthe selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their uarmies.