New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the LORD gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron:
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God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt,
2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you.
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"This month is to be the first month of the year for you.
3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household.
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Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house.
4 If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat.
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If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat.
5 The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.
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Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats.
6 “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight.
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Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it - the entire community of Israel will do this - at dusk.
7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal.
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Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it.
8 That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast.
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You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs.
9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire.
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Don't eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it's roasted - the whole animal, head, legs, and innards.
10 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.
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Don't leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.
11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the LORD ’s Passover.
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"And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it's the Passover to God.
12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the LORD !
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"I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God.
13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
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The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you - no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the LORD . This is a law for all time.
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"This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always.
15 For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival will be cut off from the community of Israel.
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You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses - anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel.
16 On the first day of the festival and again on the seventh day, all the people must observe an official day for holy assembly. No work of any kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food.
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The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that.
17 “Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation.
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"Keep the Festival of Unraised Bread! This marks the exact day I brought you out in force from the land of Egypt. Honor the day down through your generations, a fixed festival to be observed always.
18 The bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of that month.
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In the first month, beginning on the fourteenth day at evening until the twenty-first day at evening, you are to eat unraised bread.
19 During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These regulations apply both to the foreigners living among you and to the native-born Israelites.
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For those seven days not a trace of yeast is to be found in your houses. Anyone, whether a visitor or a native of the land, who eats anything raised shall be cut off from the community of Israel.
20 During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.”
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Don't eat anything raised. Only matzoth."
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and said to them, “Go, pick out a lamb or young goat for each of your families, and slaughter the Passover animal.
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Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, "Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb.
22 Drain the blood into a basin. Then take a bundle of hyssop branches and dip it into the blood. Brush the hyssop across the top and sides of the doorframes of your houses. And no one may go out through the door until morning.
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Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.
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God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two door posts, God will pass over the doorway; he won't let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.
24 “Remember, these instructions are a permanent law that you and your descendants must observe forever.
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"Keep this word. It's the law for you and your children, forever.
25 When you enter the land the LORD has promised to give you, you will continue to observe this ceremony.
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When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this.
26 Then your children will ask, ‘What does this ceremony mean?’
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And when your children say to you, 'Why are we doing this?'
27 And you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he struck the Egyptians, he spared our families.’” When Moses had finished speaking, all the people bowed down to the ground and worshiped.
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tell them: 'It's the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.'" The people bowed and worshiped.
28 So the people of Israel did just as the LORD had commanded through Moses and Aaron.
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The Israelites then went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it all.
29 And that night at midnight, the LORD struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed.
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At midnight God struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, right down to the firstborn of the prisoner locked up in jail. Also the firstborn of the animals.
30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died.
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Pharaoh got up that night, he and all his servants and everyone else in Egypt - what wild wailing and lament in Egypt! There wasn't a house in which someone wasn't dead.
31 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron during the night. “Get out!” he ordered. “Leave my people—and take the rest of the Israelites with you! Go and worship the LORD as you have requested.
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Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron that very night and said, "Get out of here and be done with you - you and your Israelites! Go worship God on your own terms.
32 Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.”
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And yes, take your sheep and cattle as you've insisted, but go. And bless me."
33 All the Egyptians urged the people of Israel to get out of the land as quickly as possible, for they thought, “We will all die!”
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The Egyptians couldn't wait to get rid of them; they pushed them to hurry up, saying, "We're all as good as dead."
34 The Israelites took their bread dough before yeast was added. They wrapped their kneading boards in their cloaks and carried them on their shoulders.
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The people grabbed their bread dough before it had risen, bundled their bread bowls in their cloaks and threw them over their shoulders.
35 And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold.
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The Israelites had already done what Moses had told them; they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold things and clothing.
36 The LORD caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth!
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God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people and so readily gave them what they asked for. Oh yes! They picked those Egyptians clean.
37 That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth. There were about 600,000 men, plus all the women and children.
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The Israelites moved on from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 on foot, besides their dependents.
38 A rabble of non-Israelites went with them, along with great flocks and herds of livestock.
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There was also a crowd of riffraff tagging along, not to mention the large flocks and herds of livestock.
39 For bread they baked flat cakes from the dough without yeast they had brought from Egypt. It was made without yeast because the people were driven out of Egypt in such a hurry that they had no time to prepare the bread or other food.
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They baked unraised cakes with the bread dough they had brought out of Egypt; it hadn't raised - they'd been rushed out of Egypt and hadn't time to fix food for the journey. The Passover
40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years.
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The Israelites had lived in Egypt 430 years.
41 In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the LORD ’s forces left the land.
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At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, God's entire army left Egypt.
42 On this night the LORD kept his promise to bring his people out of the land of Egypt. So this night belongs to him, and it must be commemorated every year by all the Israelites, from generation to generation.
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God kept watch all night, watching over the Israelites as he brought them out of Egypt. Because God kept watch, all Israel for all generations will honor God by keeping watch this night - a watchnight.
43 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the instructions for the festival of Passover. No outsiders are allowed to eat the Passover meal.
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God said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the rules for the Passover: No foreigners are to eat it.
44 But any slave who has been purchased may eat it if he has been circumcised.
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Any slave, if he's paid for and circumcised, can eat it.
45 Temporary residents and hired servants may not eat it.
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No casual visitor or hired hand can eat it.
46 Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones.
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Eat it in one house - don't take the meat outside the house. Don't break any of the bones.
47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate this Passover festival.
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The whole community of Israel is to be included in the meal.
48 “If there are foreigners living among you who want to celebrate the LORD ’s Passover, let all their males be circumcised. Only then may they celebrate the Passover with you like any native-born Israelite. But no uncircumcised male may ever eat the Passover meal.
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"If an immigrant is staying with you and wants to keep the Passover to God, every male in his family must be circumcised, then he can participate in the Meal - he will then be treated as a native son. But no uncircumcised person can eat it.
49 This instruction applies to everyone, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner living among you.”
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"The same law applies both to the native and the immigrant who is staying with you."
50 So all the people of Israel followed all the LORD ’s commands to Moses and Aaron.
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All the Israelites did exactly as God commanded Moses and Aaron.
51 On that very day the LORD brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt like an army.
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That very day God brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, tribe by tribe.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.