Then GOD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them,
and that you may recount in the hearing of your child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am GOD.”
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go that they may worship Me.
They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the surviving remnant that was left to you after the hail; and they shall eat away all your trees that grow in the field.
Moreover, they shall fill your palaces and the houses of all your courtiers and of all the Egyptians—something that neither your fathers nor fathers’ fathers have seen from the day they appeared on earth to this day.’” With that he turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
Pharaoh’s courtiers said to him, “How long shall this one be a snare to us? Let those involvedathose involved I.e., a delegation of leaders; cf. Ramban at v. 8. In contrast to others “the men” or “the people.” go to worship the ETERNAL their God! Are you not yet aware that Egypt is lost?”
Moses replied, “We will all go—regardless of our stationbregardless of our station Lit. “with our underlings and with our elders.” Or “young and old.”—we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe GOD’s festival.”
Then GOD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat up all the grasses in the land, whatever the hail has left.”
So Moses held out his rod over the land of Egypt, and GOD drove an east wind over the land all that day and all night; and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.
Locusts invaded all the land of Egypt and settled within all the territory of Egypt in a thick mass; never before had there been so many, nor will there ever be so many again.
They hid all the land from view, and the land was darkened; and they ate up all the grasses of the field and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left, so that nothing green was left, of tree or grass of the field, in all the land of Egypt.
GOD caused a shift to a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and hurled them into the Sea of Reeds;cSea of Reeds Traditionally, but incorrectly, “Red Sea.” not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
our own livestock, too, shall go along with us—not a hoof shall remain behind: for we must select from it for the worship of the ETERNAL our God; and we shall not know with what we are to worship GOD until we arrive there.”
And GOD said to Moses, “I will bring but one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; after that he shall let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you out of here one and all.
GOD disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of Egypt, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people.
and every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave woman who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle.
but not a dog shall snarlasnarl In contrast to others “move (or whet) his tongue.” at any of the Israelites, at human or animal—in order that you may know that GOD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
“Then all these courtiers of yours shall come down to me and bow low to me, saying, ‘Depart, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will depart.” And he left Pharaoh’s presence in hot anger.
Moses and Aaron had performed all these marvels before Pharaoh, but GOD had stiffened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the Israelites go from his land.
Speak to the whole community of Israelawhole community of Israel Or the leadership, on everyone’s behalf; cf. v. 21. and say that on the tenth of this month each family shall take for itself a lamb,blamb Or “kid.” Heb. seh means either “sheep” or “goat”; cf. v. 5. a lamb to a household.
But if the household is too small for a lamb, let it share one with a neighbor who dwells nearby, in proportion to the number of persons: you shall contribute for the lamb according to what each household will eat.
You shall keep watch over it until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight.
This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a passover offeringcpassover offering Or “protective offering”; Heb. pesaḥ. to GOD.
For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, both human and animal; and I will mete out punishments to all the gods of Egypt, I GOD.
And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass overdpass over Or “protect”; cf. v. 11 and note there. you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to GOD throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time.
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the very first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
You shall celebrate a sacred occasion on the first day, and a sacred occasion on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them; only what every person is to eat, that alone may be prepared for you.
You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.
In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats what is leavened, that person—whether a stranger or a citizen of the country—shall be cut off from the community of Israel.
Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and to the two doorposts. None of you shall go outside the door of your house until morning.
For GOD, when going through to smite the Egyptians, will see the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, and GOD will pass overepass over See note at v. 13. the door and not let the Destroyer enter and smite your home.
you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to GOD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when smiting the Egyptians, but saved our houses.’” Those assembled then bowed low in homage.
In the middle of the night GOD struck down all the [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle.
And Pharaoh arose in the night, with all his courtiers and all the Egyptians—because there was a loud cry in Egypt; for there was no house where there was not someone dead.
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, since they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
That was for GOD a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is GOD’s, one of vigil for all the children of Israel throughout the ages.
If a stranger who dwells with you would offer the passovergstranger … would offer the passover Which is done on a per-household basis; cf. vv. 3–4. to GOD, all his males must be circumcised; then he shall be admitted to offer it; he shall then be as a citizen of the country. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.
And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how GOD freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten.
הַיּ֖וֹם אַתֶּ֣ם יֹצְאִ֑ים בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב׃
You go free on this day, in the monthain the month Or “on the new moon.” of Abib.
So, when GOD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which was sworn to your fathersbfathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; see Gen. 24.7; 26.3; 50.24; Deut. 1.8. to be given you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall observe in this month the following practice:
Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.
“And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your foreheadcon your forehead Lit. “between your eyes”; cf. Deut. 6.8.—in order that GOD’s Teaching may be in your mouth—that with a mighty hand GOD freed you from Egypt.
“And when GOD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as was sworn to you and to your fathers,dfathers See note at v. 5. and has given it to you,
But every firstling donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children.
And when, in time to come, a child of yours asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall reply, ‘It was with a mighty hand that GOD brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.
When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, GOD slew every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, the first-born of both human and animal. Therefore I sacrifice to GOD every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every male first-born among my children.’
“And so it shall be as a sign upon your hand and as a symbolesymbol In contrast to others “frontlet.” on your forehead that with a mighty hand GOD freed us from Egypt.”