Israel’s Suffering in Egypt
1Now athese are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:
2Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5All those 1who were descendants of Jacob were bseventy2 persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already).
6And cJoseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.
7dBut the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and 3grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, ewho did not know Joseph. Egyptian Kings of the New Kingdom
9And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and fmightier than we;
10g“come, let us hdeal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”
11Therefore they set taskmasters over them ito afflict them with their jburdens. And they built for Pharaoh ksupply cities, Pithom land Raamses.
12But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13So the Egyptians made the children of Israel mserve with 4rigor.
14And they nmade their lives bitter with hard bondage—oin mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
15Then the king of Egypt spoke to the pHebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;
16and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a qson, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
17But the midwives rfeared God, and did not do sas the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
18So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
19And tthe midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they 5are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20uTherefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and 6grew very mighty.
21And so it was, because the midwives feared God, vthat He 7provided households for them.
22So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, w“Every son who is 8born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
Moses Is Born
1And aa man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
2So the woman conceived and bore a son. And bwhen she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
3But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of cbulrushes for him, daubed it with dasphalt and epitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds fby the river’s bank.
4gAnd his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5Then the hdaughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
8And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother.
9Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became iher son. So she called his name 1Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
Moses Flees to Midian
(Heb. 11:24, 25)
11Now it came to pass in those days, jwhen Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he kkilled the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13And lwhen he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men mwere fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”
14Then he said, n“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” So Moses ofeared and said, “Surely this thing is known!”
15When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But pMoses fled from 2the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of qMidian; and he sat down by ra well.
16sNow the priest of Midian had seven daughters. tAnd they came and drew water, and they filled the utroughs to water their father’s flock.
17Then the vshepherds came and wdrove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and xwatered their flock.
18When they came to yReuel3 their father, zhe said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”
19And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”
20So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may aeat bread.”
21Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave bZipporah his daughter to Moses.
22And she bore him a son. He called his name cGershom,4 for he said, “I have been da 5stranger in a foreign land.”
23Now it happened ein the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel fgroaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and gtheir cry came up to God because of the bondage.
24So God hheard their groaning, and God iremembered His jcovenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25And God klooked upon the children of Israel, and God lacknowledged them.
Moses at the Burning Bush
(Ex. 6:2—7:7; 11:1–4; 12:35, 36)
1Now Moses was tending the flock of aJethro his father-in-law, bthe priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to cHoreb, dthe mountain of God.
2And ethe Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this fgreat sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called gto him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. hTake your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6Moreover He said, i“I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for jhe was afraid to look upon God.
7And the LORD said: k“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry lbecause of their taskmasters, mfor I know their 1sorrows.
8“So nI have come down to odeliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land pto a good and large land, to a land qflowing with milk and honey, to the place of rthe Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
9“Now therefore, behold, sthe cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the toppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10u“Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11But Moses said to God, v“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12So He said, w“I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a xsign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God’s Name
14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, y‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
15Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is zMy name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
16“Go and agather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, b“I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;
17“and I have said cI will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
18“Then dthey will heed your voice; and eyou shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has fmet with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
19“But I am sure that the king of Egypt gwill not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
20“So I will hstretch out My hand and strike Egypt with iall My wonders which I will do in its midst; and jafter that he will let you go.
21“And kI will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.
22l“But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, marticles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So nyou shall plunder the Egyptians.”
Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh
1Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ ”
2So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod.”
3And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),
5“that they may abelieve that the bLORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6Furthermore the LORD said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, clike snow.
7And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, dit was restored like his other flesh.
8“Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the efirst sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
9“And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from 1the river and pour it on the dry land. fThe water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
10Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but gI am slow of speech and 2slow of tongue.”
11So the LORD said to him, h“Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
12“Now therefore, go, and I will be iwith your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
13But he said, “O my Lord, jplease send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
14So kthe anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your lbrother? I know that he can speak well. And look, mhe is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
15“Now nyou shall speak to him and oput the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and pI will teach you what you shall do.
16“So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and qyou shall be to him as God.
17“And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
Moses Goes to Egypt
18So Moses went and returned to rJethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, s“Go in peace.”
19Now the LORD said to Moses in tMidian, “Go, return to uEgypt; for all the men who vsought your life are dead.”
20Then Moses wtook his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took xthe rod of God in his hand.
21And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those ywonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But zI will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
22“Then you shall asay to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD: b“Israel is My son, cMy firstborn.
23“So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed dI will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”
24And it came to pass on the way, at the eencampment, that the LORD fmet him and sought to gkill him.
25Then hZipporah took ia sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and 3cast it at 4Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”
26So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a 5husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.
27And the LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness jto meet Moses.” So he went and met him on kthe mountain of God, and kissed him.
28So Moses ltold Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the msigns which He had commanded him.
29Then Moses and Aaron nwent and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
30oAnd Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.
31So the people pbelieved; and when they heard that the LORD had qvisited the children of Israel and that He rhad looked on their affliction, then sthey bowed their heads and worshiped.
First Encounter with Pharaoh
1Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may 1hold aa feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”
2And Pharaoh said, b“Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, cnor will I let Israel go.”
3So they said, d“The God of the Hebrews has emet with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with fpestilence or with the sword.”
4Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your glabor.”
5And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are hmany now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
6So the same day Pharaoh commanded the itaskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
7“You shall no longer give the people straw to make jbrick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8“And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9“Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”
10And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw.
11‘Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ”
12So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.”
14Also the kofficers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were lbeaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
15Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants?
16“There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”
17But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
18“Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”
19And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
20Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them.
21mAnd they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made 2us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
Israel’s Deliverance Assured
22So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me?
23“For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For awith a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand bhe will drive them out of his land.”
2And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am 1the LORD. Historicity of the Exodus
3c“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as dGod Almighty, but by My name eLORD2 I was not known to them.
4f“I have also 3established My covenant with them, gto give them the land of Canaan, the land of their 4pilgrimage, hin which they were 5strangers.
5“And iI have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.
6“Therefore say to the children of Israel: j‘I am the LORD; kI will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will lrescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with 6an outstretched arm and with great judgments.
7‘I will mtake you as My people, and nI will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out ofrom under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8‘And I will bring you into the land which I pswore7 to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ”
9So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; qbut they did not heed Moses, because of ranguish8 of spirit and cruel bondage.
10And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
11“Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
12And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for sI am 9of uncircumcised lips?”
13Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a tcommand10 for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. The Timing of the Exodus
The Family of Moses and Aaron
14These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: uThe sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben.
15vAnd the sons of Simeon were 11Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon.
16These are the names of wthe sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven.
17xThe sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families.
18And ythe sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three.
19zThe sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.
20Now aAmram took for himself bJochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him cAaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven.
21dThe sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.
22And ethe sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri.
23Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of fAmminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him gNadab, Abihu, hEleazar, and Ithamar.
24And ithe sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.
25Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and jshe bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.
26These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their karmies.”12
27These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, lto bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.
Aaron Is Moses’ Spokesman
28And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
29that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD. mSpeak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”
30But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, nI am 13of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”
1So the LORD said to Moses: “See, I have made you aas God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be byour prophet.
2“You cshall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.
3“And dI will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and emultiply My fsigns and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
4“But gPharaoh will not heed you, so hthat I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My 1armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt iby great judgments.
5“And the Egyptians jshall know that I am the LORD, when I kstretch out My hand on Egypt and lbring out the children of Israel from among them.”
6Then Moses and Aaron mdid so; just as the LORD commanded them, so they did.
7And Moses was neighty years old and oAaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Miraculous Rod
8Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,
9“When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, p‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, q‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ”
10So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just ras the LORD commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it sbecame a serpent.
11But Pharaoh also tcalled the wise men and uthe 2sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also vdid in like manner with their 3enchantments.
12For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the LORD had said.
The First Plague: Waters Become Blood
14So the LORD said to Moses: w“Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go. Interpreting the Plagues
15“Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the xwater, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and ythe rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.
16“And you shall say to him, z‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let My people go, athat they may 4serve Me in the wilderness”; but indeed, until now you would not hear!
17‘Thus says the LORD: “By this byou shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, I will strike the waters which are in the river with the rod that is in my hand, and cthey shall be turned dto blood.
18“And the fish that are in the river shall die, the river shall stink, and the Egyptians will eloathe5 to drink the water of the river.” ’ ”
19Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and fstretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ”
20And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he glifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the hwaters that were in the river were turned to blood.
21The fish that were in the river died, the river stank, and the Egyptians icould not drink the water of the river. So there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.
22jThen the magicians of Egypt did kso with their 6enchantments; and Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, las the LORD had said.
23And Pharaoh turned and went into his house. Neither was his heart moved by this.
24So all the Egyptians dug all around the river for water to drink, because they could not drink the water of the river.
25And seven days passed after the LORD had struck the river.
The Second Plague: Frogs
1And the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let My people go, athat they may serve Me.
2“But if you brefuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with cfrogs.
3“So the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into your house, into your dbedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your servants, on your people, into your ovens, and into your kneading bowls.
4“And the frogs shall come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants.” ’ ”
5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, e‘Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.’ ”
6So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and fthe frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.
7gAnd the magicians did so with their 1enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt.
8Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, h“Entreat2 the LORD that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people igo, that they may sacrifice to the LORD.”
9And Moses said to Pharaoh, “Accept the honor of saying when I shall intercede for you, for your servants, and for your people, to destroy the frogs from you and your houses, that they may remain in the river only.”
10So he said, “Tomorrow.” And he said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that jthere is no one like the LORD our God.
11“And the frogs shall depart from you, from your houses, from your servants, and from your people. They shall remain in the river only.”
12Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses kcried out to the LORD concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh.
13So the LORD did according to the word of Moses. And the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courtyards, and out of the fields.
14They gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.
15But when Pharaoh saw that there was lrelief, mhe hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the LORD had said. The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart
The Third Plague: Lice
16So the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become 3lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ”
17And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and nit became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
18Now othe magicians so worked with their 4enchantments to bring forth lice, but they pcould not. So there were lice on man and beast.
19Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is qthe5 finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s rheart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.
The Fourth Plague: Flies
20And the LORD said to Moses, s“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD: t“Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
21“Or else, if you will not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.
22“And in that day uI will set apart the land of vGoshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may wknow that I am the LORD in the midst of the xland.
23“I will 6make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this ysign shall be.” ’ ”
24And the LORD did so. zThick swarms of flies came into the house of Pharaoh, into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms of flies.
25Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”
26And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing athe abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not 7stone us?
27“We will go bthree days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as cHe will command us.”
28So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. dIntercede for me.”
29Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms of flies may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not edeal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”
30So Moses went out from Pharaoh and fentreated the LORD.
31And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.
32But Pharaoh ghardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.
The Fifth Plague: Livestock Diseased
1Then the LORD said to Moses, a“Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may bserve Me.
2“For if you crefuse to let them go, and still hold them,
3“behold, the dhand of the LORD will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence.
4“And ethe LORD will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.” ’ ”
5Then the LORD appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this thing in the land.”
6So the LORD did this thing on the next day, and fall the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died.
7Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the gheart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go.
The Sixth Plague: Boils
8So the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take for yourselves handfuls of ashes from a furnace, and let Moses scatter it toward the heavens in the sight of Pharaoh.
9“And it will become fine dust in all the land of Egypt, and it will cause hboils that break out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”
10Then they took ashes from the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses scattered them toward heaven. And they caused iboils that break out in sores on man and beast.
11And the jmagicians could not stand before Moses because of the kboils, for the boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.
12But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh; and he ldid not heed them, just mas the LORD had spoken to Moses.
The Seventh Plague: Hail
13Then the LORD said to Moses, n“Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: “Let My people go, that they may oserve Me,
14“for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, pthat you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.
15“Now if I had qstretched out My hand and struck you and your people with rpestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.
16“But indeed for sthis purpose I have raised you up, that I may tshow My power in you, and that My uname may be declared in all the earth.
17“As yet you exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go.
18“Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding until now.
19“Therefore send now and gather your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought home; and they shall die.” ’ ”
20He who vfeared the word of the LORD among the wservants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses.
21But he who did not regard the word of the LORD left his servants and his livestock in the field.
22Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be xhail in all the land of Egypt—on man, on beast, and on every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.”
23And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and ythe LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt.
24So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25And the zhail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of the field.
26aOnly in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.
27And Pharaoh sent and bcalled for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, c“I have sinned this time. dThe LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.
28e“Entreat1 the LORD, that there may be no more 2mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you fgo, and you shall stay no longer.”
29So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will gspread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the hearth is the LORD’s.
30“But as for you and your servants, iI know that you will not yet fear the LORD God.”
31Now the flax and the barley were struck, jfor the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud.
32But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are 3late crops.
33So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and kspread out his hands to the LORD; then the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain was not poured on the earth.
34And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants.
35So lthe heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
1Now the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh; afor I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, bthat I may show these signs of Mine before him,
2“and that cyou may tell in the hearing of your son and your son’s son the mighty things I have done in Egypt, and My signs which I have done among them, that you may dknow that I am the LORD.”
3So Moses and Aaron came in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of the Hebrews: ‘How long will you refuse to ehumble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may fserve Me.
4‘Or else, if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring glocusts into your territory.
5‘And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and hthey shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field.
6‘They shall ifill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians—which neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’ ” And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7Then Pharaoh’s jservants said to him, “How long shall this man be ka snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8So Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. Who are the ones that are going?”
9And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for lwe must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10Then he said to them, “The LORD had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you.
11“Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven mout from Pharaoh’s presence.
12Then the LORD said to Moses, n“Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt, and oeat every herb of the land—all that the hail has left.”
13So Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
14And pthe locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested on all the territory of Egypt. They were very severe; qpreviously there had been no such locusts as they, nor shall there be such after them.
15For they rcovered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they sate every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. So there remained nothing green on the trees or on the plants of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
16Then Pharaoh called tfor Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, u“I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.
17“Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ventreat1 the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.”
18So he wwent out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.
19And the LORD turned a very strong west wind, which took the locusts away and blew them xinto the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the territory of Egypt.
20But the LORD yhardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
21Then the LORD said to Moses, z“Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, 2darkness which may even be felt.”
22So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was athick darkness in all the land of Egypt bthree days.
23They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. cBut all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
24Then Pharaoh called to Moses and dsaid, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your elittle ones also go with you.”
25But Moses said, “You must also give 3us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
26“Our flivestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”
27But the LORD ghardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
28Then Pharaoh said to him, h“Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!”
29So Moses said, “You have spoken well. iI will never see your face again.”
Death of the Firstborn Announced
1And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. aAfterward he will let you go from here. bWhen he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether.
2“Speak now in the hearing of the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from her neighbor, carticles of silver and articles of gold.”
3dAnd the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man eMoses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.
4Then Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: f‘About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt;
5‘and gall the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals.
6h‘Then there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, isuch as was not like it before, nor shall be like it again.
7j‘But against none of the children of Israel kshall a dog 1move its tongue, against man or beast, that you may know that the LORD does make a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.’
8“And lall these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will go out.” mThen he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
9But the LORD said to Moses, n“Pharaoh will not heed you, so that oMy wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”
10So Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; pand the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.
The Passover Instituted
(Num. 9:1–14; Deut. 16:1–8; Ezek. 45:21–25)
1Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, Passover
2a“This month shall be your 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 btenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
4‘And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.
5‘Your lamb shall be cwithout1 blemish, a male 2of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6‘Now you shall keep it until the dfourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
7‘And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.
8‘Then they shall eat the flesh on that enight; froasted in fire, with gunleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
9‘Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but hroasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.
10i‘You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.
11‘And thus you shall eat it: 3with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. jIt is the LORD’s Passover.
12‘For I kwill pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and lagainst all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: mI am the LORD.
13‘Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14‘So this day shall be to you na memorial; and you shall keep it as a ofeast to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast pby an everlasting ordinance.
15q‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, rthat 4person shall be 5cut off from Israel.
16‘On the first day there shall be sa holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat—that only may be prepared by you.
17‘So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for ton this same day I will have brought your 6armies uout of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
18v‘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‘For wseven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.
20‘You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’ ”
21Then xMoses called for all the yelders of Israel and said to them, z“Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb.
22a“And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and bstrike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.
23c“For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the dblood on the 7lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and enot allow fthe destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. Hebrew Calendar and Selected Events
24“And you shall gobserve this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever.
25“It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, hjust as He promised, that you shall keep this service.
26i“And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’
27“that you shall say, j‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’ ” So the people kbowed their heads and worshiped.
28Then the children of Israel went away and ldid so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn
29mAnd it came to pass at midnight that nthe LORD 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 8in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of olivestock.
30So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, 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.
The Exodus
31Then he pcalled for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise, go out from among my people, qboth you and the children of Israel. And go, serve the LORD as you have rsaid.
32s“Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.”
33tAnd the Egyptians uurged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.”
34So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.
35Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians varticles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing.
36wAnd the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus xthey plundered the Egyptians.
37Then ythe children of Israel journeyed from zRameses to Succoth, about asix hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.
38A bmixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of clivestock.
39And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because dthey were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.
40Now the 9sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in 10Egypt was efour hundred and thirty years.
41And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that fall the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42It is ga 11night of solemn observance to the LORD for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This is that night of the LORD, a solemn observance for all the children of Israel throughout their generations.
Passover Regulations
43And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is hthe ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it.
44“But every man’s servant who is bought for money, when you have icircumcised him, then he may eat it.
45j“A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it.
46“In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, knor shall you break one of its bones.
47l“All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48“And mwhen a stranger 12dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49n“One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
50Thus all the children of Israel did; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.
51oAnd it came to pass, on that very same day, that the LORD brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt paccording to their armies.
The Firstborn Consecrated
1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2a“Consecrate1 to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
3And Moses said to the people: b“Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of 2bondage; for cby strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. dNo leavened bread shall be eaten.
4e“On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.
5“And it shall be, when the LORD fbrings you into the gland of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He hswore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ithat you shall keep this service in this month.
6j“Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.
7“Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And kno leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters.
8“And you shall ltell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.’
9“It shall be as ma sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt.
10n“You shall therefore keep this 3ordinance in its season from year to year.
The Law of the Firstborn
11“And it shall be, when the LORD obrings you into the land of the pCanaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you,
12q“that you shall 4set apart to the LORD all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the LORD’s.
13“But revery firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons syou shall redeem.
14t“So it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, u‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
15‘And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that vthe LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16“It shall be as wa sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
The Wilderness Way
(Ex. 40:34–38; Num. 9:15–23; 1 Kin. 8:10, 11)
17Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people xchange their minds when they see war, and yreturn to Egypt.”
18So God zled the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt. The Red Sea
19And Moses took the abones of bJoseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, c“God will surely 5visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
20So dthey took their journey from eSuccoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.
21And fthe LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
22He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
The Red Sea Crossing
1Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
2“Speak to the children of Israel, athat they turn and camp before bPi Hahiroth, between cMigdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.
3“For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, d‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’
4“Then eI will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I fwill gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, gthat the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
5Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and hthe heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
6So he 1made ready his chariot and took his people with him.
7Also, he took isix hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.
8And the LORD jhardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and kthe children of Israel went out with boldness.
9So the lEgyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
10And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel mcried out to the LORD.
11nThen they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
12o“Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
13And Moses said to the people, p“Do not be afraid. qStand still, and see the rsalvation2 of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall ssee again no more forever.
14t“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall uhold3 your peace.”
15And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
16“But vlift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17“And I indeed will wharden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will xgain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.
18“Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19And the Angel of God, ywho went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and zmade the sea into dry land, and the waters were adivided.
22So bthe children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were ca wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
23And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24Now it came to pass, in the morning dwatch, that ethe LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He 4troubled the army of the Egyptians.
25And He 5took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD ffights for them against the Egyptians.”
26Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.”
27And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea greturned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD hoverthrew6 the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28Then ithe waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
29But jthe children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30So the LORD ksaved7 Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel lsaw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31Thus Israel saw the great 8work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and mbelieved the LORD and His servant Moses.
The Song of Moses
(Ex. 14:13, 14; Ps. 78:12–14)
1Then aMoses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying:
“I will bsing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea! Yahweh’s Victory
2The LORD is my strength and csong,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and dI will praise Him;
My efather’s God, and I fwill exalt Him.
3The LORD is a man of gwar;
The LORD is His hname.
4iPharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
jHis chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
5The depths have covered them;
kThey sank to the bottom like a stone.
6“Your lright hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
7And in the greatness of Your mexcellence
You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth nYour wrath;
It oconsumed them plike stubble.
8And qwith the blast of Your nostrils
The waters were gathered together;
rThe floods stood upright like a heap;
The depths 1congealed in the heart of the sea.
9sThe enemy said, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake,
I will tdivide the spoil;
My desire shall be satisfied on them.
I will draw my sword,
My hand shall destroy them.’
10You blew with Your wind,
The sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11“Whou is like You, O LORD, among the 2gods?
Who is like You, vglorious in holiness,
Fearful in wpraises, xdoing wonders?
12You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.
13You in Your mercy have yled forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To zYour holy habitation.
14“The apeople will hear and be afraid;
bSorrow3 will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
15cThen dthe chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
eThe mighty men of Moab,
Trembling will take hold of them;
fAll the inhabitants of Canaan will gmelt away.
16hFear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be ias still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O LORD,
Till the people pass over
jWhom You have purchased.
17You will bring them in and kplant them
In the lmountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O LORD, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The msanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
19For the ohorses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and pthe LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.
The Song of Miriam
20Then Miriam qthe prophetess, rthe sister of Aaron, stook the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her twith timbrels and with dances.
21And Miriam uanswered them:
v“Sing to the LORD,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”
Bitter Waters Made Sweet
22So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of wShur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no xwater.
23Now when they came to yMarah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called 4Marah.
24And the people zcomplained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
25So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. aWhen he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He bmade a statute and an 5ordinance for them, and there cHe tested them,
26and said, d“If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the ediseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD fwho heals you.”
27gThen they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
Bread from Heaven
1And they ajourneyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and bSinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.
2Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel ccomplained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3And the children of Israel said to them, d“Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, ewhen we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain fbread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather 1a certain quota every day, that I may gtest them, whether they will hwalk in My law or not.
5“And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and iit shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”
6Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, j“At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt.
7“And in the morning you shall see kthe glory of the LORD; for He lhears your complaints against the LORD. But mwhat are we, that you complain against us?”
8Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but nagainst the LORD.”
9Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, o‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your complaints.’ ”
10Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD pappeared in the cloud.
11And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
12q“I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, r‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and sin the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’ ”
13So it was that tquails came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning uthe dew lay all around the camp.
14And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was va small round wsubstance, as fine as frost on the ground.
15So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, x“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
16“This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it yaccording to each one’s need, one zomer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”
17Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less.
18So when they measured it by omers, ahe who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need.
19And Moses said, “Let no one bleave any of it till morning.”
20Notwithstanding they did not 2heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
21So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.
22And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
23Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is ca Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ”
24So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not dstink, nor were there any worms in it.
25Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.
26e“Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
27Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.
28And the LORD said to Moses, “How long fdo you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?
29“See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”
30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31And the house of Israel called its name 3Manna. And git was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
32Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ”
33And Moses said to Aaron, h“Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.”
34As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up ibefore the Testimony, to be kept.
35And the children of Israel jate manna kforty years, luntil they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.
Water from the Rock
1Then aall the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of bSin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to cdrink.
2dTherefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you etempt the LORD?”
3And the people thirsted there for water, and the people fcomplained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our glivestock with thirst?”
4So Moses hcried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to istone1 me!”
5And the LORD said to Moses, j“Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which kyou struck the river, and go.
6l“Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7So he called the name of the place mMassah2 and 3Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they 4tempted the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Victory over the Amalekites
(Gen. 14:7; Num. 13:29; 14:25)
8nNow Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with othe rod of God in my hand.”
10So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11And so it was, when Moses pheld up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12But Moses’ hands became 5heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14Then the LORD said to Moses, q“Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that rI will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Literacy
15And Moses built an altar and called its name, 6The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;
16for he said, “Because 7the LORD has ssworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Jethro’s Advice
1And aJethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that bGod had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took cZipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back,
3with her dtwo sons, of whom the name of one was 1Gershom (for he said, e“I have been a 2stranger in a foreign land”)
4and the name of the other was 3Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my fhelp, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”);
5and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at gthe mountain of God.
6Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”
7So Moses hwent out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and ikissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent.
8And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had jdelivered them.
9Then Jethro rejoiced for all the kgood which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10And Jethro said, l“Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
11“Now I know that the LORD is mgreater than all the gods; nfor in the very thing in which they 4behaved oproudly, He was above them.”
12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, 5took a burnt poffering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel qto eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
13And so it was, on the next day, that Moses rsat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.
14So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone 6sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”
15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because sthe people come to me to inquire of God.
16“When they have ta 7difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”
17So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.
18“Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; uyou are not able to perform it by yourself.
19“Listen now to my voice; I will give you 8counsel, and God will be with you: Stand vbefore God for the people, so that you may wbring the difficulties to God.
20“And you shall xteach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and ythe work they must do.
21“Moreover you shall select from all the people zable men, such as afear God, bmen of truth, chating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
22“And let them judge the people at all times. dThen it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for ethey will bear the burden with you.
23“If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their fplace in peace.”
24So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
25And gMoses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
26So they judged the people at all times; the hhard9 cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.
27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and ihe went his way to his own land.
Israel at Mount Sinai
1In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, athey came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
2For they had departed from bRephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before cthe mountain.
3And dMoses went up to God, and the LORD ecalled to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
4f‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how gI 1bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
5‘Now htherefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and ikeep My covenant, then jyou shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is kMine. Covenants
6‘And you shall be to Me a lkingdom of priests and a mholy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
7So Moses came and called for the nelders of the people, and 2laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him.
8Then oall the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.
9And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you pin the thick cloud, qthat the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
10Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and rconsecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.
11“And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Mount Sinai
12“You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. sWhoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
13‘Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”
14So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.
15And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; tdo not come near your wives.”
16Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were uthunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp vtrembled.
17And wMoses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18Now xMount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon yit in fire. zIts smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and 3the awhole mountain quaked greatly.
19And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, bMoses spoke, and cGod answered him by voice.
20Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through dto gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish.
22“Also let the epriests who come near the LORD fconsecrate themselves, lest the LORD gbreak out against them.”
23But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, h‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”
24Then the LORD said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.”
25So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.
The Ten Commandments
1And God spoke aall these words, saying:
2b“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, cout of the house of 1bondage.
3d“You shall have no other gods before Me.
4e“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5fyou shall not bow down to them nor 2serve them. gFor I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, hvisiting3 the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6but ishowing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7j“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD kwill not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8l“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9mSix days you shall labor and do all your work,
10but the nseventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, onor your stranger who is within your gates. Ancient Laws, Scripture and Modern Issues
11For pin six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12q“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be rlong upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
14t“You shall not commit uadultery.
16w“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17x“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; yyou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
The People Afraid of God’s Presence
18Now zall the people awitnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain bsmoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.
19Then they said to Moses, c“You speak with us, and we will hear; but dlet not God speak with us, lest we die.”
20And Moses said to the people, e“Do not fear; ffor God has come to test you, and gthat His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”
21So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near hthe thick darkness where God was.
The Law of the Altar
22Then the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you ifrom heaven.
23‘You shall not make anything to be jwith Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.
24‘An altar of kearth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, lyour sheep and your oxen. In every mplace where I 4record My name I will come to you, and I will nbless you.
25‘And oif you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you puse your tool on it, you have profaned it.
26‘Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your qnakedness may not be exposed on it.’
The Law Concerning Servants
1“Now these are the 1judgments which you shall aset before them:
2b“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.
3“If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4“If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
5c“But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’
6“then his master shall bring him to the djudges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.
7“And if a man esells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.
8“If she 2does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.
9“And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.
10“If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, fand her marriage rights.
11“And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.
The Law Concerning Violence
12g“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.
13“However, hif he did not lie in wait, but God idelivered him into his hand, then jI will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
14“But if a man acts with kpremeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, lyou shall take him from My altar, that he may die.
15“And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16m“He who kidnaps a man and nsells him, or if he is ofound in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
17“And phe who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18“If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed,
19“if he rises again and walks about outside qwith his staff, then he who struck him shall be 3acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.
20“And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
21“Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his rproperty.
22“If men 4fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that 5she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall spay as the judges determine.
23“But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,
24t“eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25“burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26“If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye.
27“And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
Animal Control Laws
28“If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then uthe ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be 6acquitted.
29“But if the ox 7tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.
30“If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay vto redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him.
31“Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.
32“If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master wthirty shekels of silver, and the xox shall be stoned.
33“And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it,
34“the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.
35“If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide.
36“Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.
Responsibility for Property
1“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall arestore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
2“If the thief is found bbreaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be cno guilt for his bloodshed.
3“If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be dsold1 for his theft.
4“If the theft is certainly efound alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall frestore double.
5“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
6“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
7“If a man gdelivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, hif the thief is found, he shall pay double.
8“If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the ijudges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods. Divine Verdict
9“For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the jcause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.
10“If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it,
11“then an koath of the LORD shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good.
12“But lif, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it.
13“If it is mtorn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
14“And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good.
15“If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.
Moral and Ceremonial Principles
16n“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife.
17“If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the obride-price of virgins.
18p“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19q“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.
20r“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
21s“You shall neither mistreat a 2stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22t“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
23“If you afflict them in any way, and they ucry at all to Me, I will surely vhear their cry;
24“and My wwrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; xyour wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25y“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him zinterest.
26a“If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down.
27“For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am bgracious.
28c“You shall not revile God, nor curse a druler of your people.
29“You shall not delay to offer ethe first of your ripe produce and your juices. fThe firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me.
30g“Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother hseven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
31“And you shall be iholy men to Me: jyou shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.
Justice for All
1“You ashall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an bunrighteous witness.
2c“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; dnor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.
3“You shall not show partiality to a epoor man in his dispute.
4f“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
5g“If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
6h“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute.
7i“Keep yourself far from a false matter; jdo not kill the innocent and righteous. For kI will not justify the wicked.
8“And lyou shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
9“Also myou shall not oppress a 1stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Law of Sabbaths
10n“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce,
11“but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your 2olive grove.
12o“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
13“And in all that I have said to you, pbe circumspect and qmake no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.
Three Annual Feasts
14r“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year:
15s“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; tnone shall appear before Me empty);
16u“and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and vthe Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
17w“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord 3GOD.
18x“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened ybread; nor shall the fat of My 4sacrifice remain until morning.
19z“The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. aYou shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
The Angel and the Promises
20b“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21“Beware of Him and obey His voice; cdo not provoke Him, for He will dnot pardon your transgressions; for eMy name is in Him.
22“But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then fI will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23g“For My Angel will go before you and hbring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will 5cut them off.
24“You shall not ibow down to their gods, nor serve them, jnor do according to their works; kbut you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
25“So you shall lserve the LORD your God, and mHe will bless your bread and your water. And nI will take sickness away from the midst of you.
26o“No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will pfulfill the number of your days.
27“I will send qMy fear before you, I will rcause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28“And sI will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you.
29t“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.
30“Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.
31“And uI will set your 6bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the 7River. For I will vdeliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
32w“You shall make no 8covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33“They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, xit will surely be a snare to you.”