Exodus 12
Big idea: The longest chapter of the exodus, and it is mostly instructions. Before the plague falls, God gives Israel a calendar (this month shall be the beginning of months), a lamb without defect chosen on the tenth and killed on the fourteenth, blood on the two doorposts and the lintel, meat roasted and eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, belts on, sandals on, staff in hand — eaten in haste, because you are leaving. And the reason: when I see the blood, I will pass over you. The feast is given as a permanent memorial with an answer prepared for a child's future question. At midnight the plague falls, Pharaoh summons Moses by night and tells them to go, and 430 years end to the day.
Chapter 12 gets Israel out of Egypt in a single night with dough still unleavened on their shoulders. Chapter 13 turns the departure into a permanent practice: consecrate the firstborn, keep the feast, and tell your son why.
12:1–14 — A lamb for a household
Yahweh gives Moses and Aaron a new calendar — this month shall be the beginning of months — and the ordinance: on the tenth day each household takes a lamb, small households joining with neighbours according to what each can eat; a male without defect, a year old, kept until the fourteenth and killed at evening. Blood on the two doorposts and the lintel; meat roasted with fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; nothing left till morning. Eat it with your belt on, sandals on your feet, staff in your hand, in haste. For I will go through Egypt and strike every firstborn and execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt — and the blood shall be a token: when I see the blood, I will pass over you. This day shall be a memorial, a feast forever.
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household; 4 and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls. You shall make your count for the lamb according to what everyone can eat. 5 Your lamb shall be without defect, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at evening. 7 They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it. 8 They shall eat the meat in that night, roasted with fire, with unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs. 9 Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts. 10 You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire. 11 This is how you shall eat it: with your belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh’s Passover. 12 For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh. 13 The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 This day shall be a memorial for you. You shall keep it as a feast to Yahweh. You shall keep it as a feast throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.
12:15–20 — Seven days without yeast
The feast of unleavened bread is given alongside: seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, putting away yeast from your houses on the first day. Holy convocations on the first and seventh days, with no work except preparing food. You shall observe it because on this same day I brought your armies out of Egypt. From the evening of the fourteenth to the evening of the twenty-first, no yeast is to be found in your houses — whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off, whether a foreigner or one born in the land.
15 “‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel. 16 In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no kind of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, only that may be done by you. 17 You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day I have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever. 18 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 There shall be no yeast found in your houses for seven days, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a foreigner, or one who is born in the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.’”
12:21–28 — Tell your children why
Moses calls the elders and relays the instruction in practical form: take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts; none of you shall go out of the door until morning. Yahweh will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood he will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come in. Keep this as an ordinance forever — and when your children ask what you mean by this service, you shall say: it is the sacrifice of Yahweh's Passover, who passed over our houses in Egypt. The people bow their heads and worship, and go and do exactly as commanded.
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, “Draw out, and take lambs according to your families, and kill the Passover. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For Yahweh will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two door posts, Yahweh will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever. 25 It shall happen when you have come to the land which Yahweh will give you, as he has promised, that you shall keep this service. 26 It will happen, when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 that you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of Yahweh’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.’” The people bowed their heads and worshiped. 28 The children of Israel went and did so; as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
12:29–39 — At midnight
At midnight Yahweh strikes all the firstborn in Egypt, from Pharaoh's own to the captive's in the dungeon and the firstborn of the livestock. Pharaoh rises in the night with all his servants and all Egypt, and there is a great cry, for there is not a house without one dead. He calls Moses and Aaron by night: rise up, get out from among my people, go serve Yahweh as you have said, take your flocks and herds — and bless me also. The Egyptians press them to leave in haste, saying we are all dead men. The people carry their dough before it is leavened, kneading troughs bound in their clothes on their shoulders, and ask for silver, gold and clothing — and they plunder the Egyptians. About six hundred thousand men on foot besides children, and a mixed multitude, go up from Rameses to Succoth.
29 At midnight, Yahweh struck all 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 livestock. 30 Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead. 31 He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said! 32 Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!” 33 The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, “We are all dead men.” 34 The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders. 35 The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing. 36 Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They plundered the Egyptians. 37 The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, in addition to children. 38 A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock. 39 They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt; for it wasn’t leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and couldn’t wait, and they had not prepared any food for themselves.
12:40–51 — Four hundred thirty years, to the day
The sojourn in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years, and at the end of them, to the very day, all Yahweh's armies went out. It is a night to be much observed to Yahweh by all the children of Israel throughout their generations. Then the ordinance is completed: no foreigner shall eat of it, but a bought servant may once circumcised; it must be eaten in one house, no meat carried outside, no bone broken. All the congregation shall keep it — and when a stranger living among you wants to keep the Passover, let all his males be circumcised, and he shall be as one born in the land: one law for the native and the stranger. All the children of Israel did so; that same day Yahweh brought them out by their armies.
40 Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years. 41 At the end of four hundred thirty years, to the day, all of Yahweh’s armies went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It is a night to be much observed to Yahweh for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of Yahweh, to be much observed by all the children of Israel throughout their generations. 43 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it. 45 A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it. 46 It must be eaten in one house. You shall not carry any of the meat outside of the house. Do not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 When a stranger lives as a foreigner with you, and would like to keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it. He shall be as one who is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you.” 50 All the children of Israel did so. As Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. 51 That same day, Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).