Exodus 12:1-11

1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2 "This month will be the beginning of months, the first month of the year for you.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must get one lamb for the people in his house.
4 If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, he must share it with his closest neighbor, considering the number of people. There must be enough lamb for everyone to eat.
5 The lamb must be a one-year-old male that has nothing wrong with it. This animal can be either a young sheep or a young goat.
6 Take care of the animals until the fourteenth day of the month. On that day all the people of the community of Israel will kill them in the evening before dark.
7 The people must take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8 On this night they must roast the lamb over a fire. They must eat it with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast.
9 Do not eat the lamb raw or boiled in water. Roast the whole lamb over a fire -- with its head, legs, and inner organs.
10 You must not leave any of it until morning, but if any of it is left over until morning, you must burn it with fire.
11 "This is the way you must eat it: You must be fully dressed as if you were going on a trip. You must have your sandals on and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry; this is the Lord's Passover.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.