Exodus 12:43-13:16

New International Version

Passover Restrictions

⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:^(A)

“No foreigner^(B) may eat it. ⁴⁴ Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised^(C) him, ⁴⁵ but a temporary resident or a hired worker^(D) may not eat it.

⁴⁶ “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.^{(E) 47} The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.

⁴⁸ “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land.^(F) No uncircumcised^(G) male may eat it. ⁴⁹ The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner^(H) residing among you.”

⁵⁰ All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded^(I) Moses and Aaron. ⁵¹ And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt^(J) by their divisions.^(K)

Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.^(L) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

³ Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,^(M) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.^(N) Eat nothing containing yeast.^{(O) 4} Today, in the month of Aviv,^(P) you are leaving. ⁵ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,^(Q) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites^(R)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey^(S)—you are to observe this ceremony^(T) in this month: ⁶ For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival^(U) to the Lord. ⁷ Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. ⁸ On that day tell your son,^(V) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand^(W) and a reminder on your forehead^(X) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.^{(Y) 10} You must keep this ordinance^(Z) at the appointed time^(AA) year after year.

¹¹ “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites^(AB) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath^(AC) to you and your ancestors,^{(AD) 12} you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.^{(AE) 13} Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,^(AF) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(AG) Redeem^(AH) every firstborn among your sons.^(AI)

¹⁴ “In days to come, when your son^(AJ) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^{(AK) 15} When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’^{(AL) 16} And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead^(AM) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”