Chapter 12

And Yehovah speaketh unto Moses and unto Aaron, in the land of Egypt, saying,

`This month is to you the chief of months -- it is the first to you of the months of the year;

speak ye unto all the company of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month -- they take to them each man a lamb for the house of the fathers, a lamb for a house.

`(And if the household be too few for a lamb, then hath he taken, he and his neighbour who is near unto his house, for the number of persons, each according to his eating ye do count for the lamb,)

a lamb, a perfect one, a male, a son of a year, let be to you; from the sheep or from the goats ye do take it.

`And it hath become a charge to you, until the fourteenth day of this month, and the whole assembly of the company of Israel have slaughtered it between the evenings;

and they have taken of the blood, and have put on the two side-posts, and on the lintel over the houses in which they eat it.

`And they have eaten the flesh in this night, roast with fire; with unleavened things and bitters they do eat it;

ye do not eat of it raw, or boiled at all in water, but roast with fire, its head with its legs, and with its inwards;

and ye do not leave of it till morning, and that which is remaining of it till morning with fire ye do burn.

`And thus ye do eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and ye have eaten it in haste; it is Yehovah`s passover,

and I have passed over through the land of Egypt during this night, and have smitten every first-born in the land of Egypt, from man even unto beast, and on all the gods of Egypt I do judgments; I am Yehovah.

`And the blood hath become a sign for you on the houses where ye are, and I have seen the blood, and have passed over you, and a plague is not on you for destruction in My smiting in the land of Egypt.

`And this day hath become to you a memorial, and ye have kept it a feast to Yehovah to your generations; -- a statute age-during; ye keep it a feast.

Seven days ye eat unleavened things; only -- in the first day ye cause leaven to cease out of your houses; for any one eating anything fermented from the first day till the seventh day, even that person hath been cut off from Israel.

`And in the first day is a holy convocation, and in the seventh day ye have a holy convocation; any work is not done in them, only that which is eaten by any person -- it alone is done by you,

and ye have observed the unleavened things, for in this self-same day I have brought out your hosts from the land of Egypt, and ye have observed this day to your generations -- a statute age-during.

`In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, ye do eat unleavened things until the one and twentieth day of the month, at evening;

seven days leaven is not found in your houses, for any one eating anything fermented -- that person hath been cut off from the company of Israel, among the sojourners or among the natives of the land;

anything fermented ye do not eat, in all your dwellings ye do eat unleavened things.`

And Moses calleth for all the elders of Israel, and saith unto them, `Draw out and take for yourselves from the flock, for your families, and slaughter the passover-sacrifice;

and ye have taken a bunch of hyssop, and have dipped it in the blood which is in the basin, and have struck it on the lintel, and on the two side-posts, from the blood which is in the basin, and ye, ye go not out each from the opening of his house till morning.

`And Yehovah hath passed on to smite the Egyptians, and hath seen the blood on the lintel, and on the two side-posts, and Yehovah hath passed over the opening, and doth not permit the destruction to come into your houses to smite.

`And ye have observed this thing, for a statute to thee, and to thy sons -- unto the age;

and it hath been, when ye come in unto the land which Yehovah giveth to you, as He hath spoken, that ye have kept this service;

and it hath come to pass when your sons say unto you, What is this service ye have?

that ye have said, A sacrifice of passover it is to Yehovah, who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, in His smiting the Egyptians, and our houses He delivered.`

And the people bow and do obeisance, and the sons of Israel go and do as Yehovah commanded Moses and Aaron; so have they done.

And it cometh to pass, at midnight, that Yehovah hath smitten every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who is sitting on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive who is in the prison-house, and every first-born of beasts.

And Pharaoh riseth by night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians, and there is a great cry in Egypt, for there is not a house where there is not one dead,

and he calleth for Moses and for Aaron by night, and saith, `Rise, go out from the midst of my people, both ye and the sons of Israel, and go, serve Yehovah according to your word;

both your flock and your herd take ye, as ye have spoken, and go; then ye have blessed also me.`

And the Egyptians are urgent on the people, hasting to send them away out of the land, for they said, `We are all dead;`

and the people taketh up its dough before it is fermented, their kneading-troughs are bound up in their garments on their shoulder.

And the sons of Israel have done according to the word of Moses, and they ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments;

and Yehovah hath given the grace of the people in the eyes of the Egyptians, and they cause them to ask, and they spoil the Egyptians.

And the sons of Israel journey from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, apart from infants;

and a great rabble also hath gone up with them, and flock and herd -- very much cattle.

And they bake with the dough which they have brought out from Egypt unleavened cakes, for it hath not fermented; for they have been cast out of Egypt, and have not been able to delay, and also provision they have not made for themselves.

And the dwelling of the sons of Israel which they have dwelt in Egypt is four hundred and thirty years;

and it cometh to pass, at the end of four hundred and thirty years -- yea, it cometh to pass in this self-same day -- all the hosts of Yehovah have gone out from the land of Egypt.

A night of watchings it is to Yehovah, to bring them out from the land of Egypt; it is this night to Yehovah of watchings to all the sons of Israel to their generations.

And Yehovah saith unto Moses and Aaron, `This is a statute of the passover; Any son of a stranger doth not eat of it;

and any man`s servant, the purchase of money, when thou hast circumcised him -- then he doth eat of it;

a settler or hired servant doth not eat of it;

in one house it is eaten, thou dost not carry out of the house any of the flesh without, and a bone ye do not break of it;

all the company of Israel do keep it.

`And when a sojourner sojourneth with thee, and hath made a passover to Yehovah, every male of his is to be circumcised, and then he doth come near to keep it, and he hath been as a native of the land, but any uncircumcised one doth not eat of it;

one law is to a native, and to a sojourner who is sojourning in your midst.`

And all the sons of Israel do as Yehovah commanded Moses and Aaron; so have they done.

And it cometh to pass in this self-same day, Yehovah hath brought out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, by their hosts.