Exodus 12

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,	1 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2 'This month must be the first of al the months for you, the first month of your year.	2 “This month will be for you the beginning of the months. It will be first in the months of the year.
3 Speak to the whole community of Israel and say, "On the tenth day of this month each man must takean animal from the flock for his family: one animal for each household.	3 Speak to the entire assembly of the sons of Israel, and say to them: On the tenth day of this month, let everyone take a lamb, by their families and houses.
4 If the household is too smal for the animal, he must join with his neighbour nearest to his house,depending on the number of persons. When you choose the animal, you wil take into account what each caneat.	4 But if the number is less than may suffice to be able to consume the lamb, he shall accept his neighbor, who has been joined with his house according to the number of souls that may suffice to be able to eat the lamb.
5 It must be an animal without blemish, a male one year old; you may choose it either from the sheep orfrom the goats.	5 And it shall be a lamb without blemish, a one year old male. According to this rite, you shall also take a young goat.
6 You must keep it til the fourteenth day of the month when the whole assembly of the community ofIsrael wil slaughter it at twilight.	6 And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. And the entire multitude of the sons of Israel shall immolate it toward evening.
7 Some of the blood must then be taken and put on both door-posts and the lintel of the houses where itis eaten.	7 And they shall take from its blood, and place it on both the door posts and the upper threshold of the houses, in which they will consume it.
8 That night, the flesh must be eaten, roasted over the fire; it must be eaten with unleavened bread andbitter herbs.	8 And that night they shall eat the flesh, roasted by fire, and unleavened bread with wild lettuce.
9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with the head, feet and entrails.	9 You shall not consume anything from it raw, nor boiled in water, but only roasted by fire. You shall devour the head with its feet and entrails.
10 You must not leave any of it over till the morning: whatever is left till morning you must burn.	10 Neither shall there remain anything from it until morning. If anything will have been left over, you shall burn it with fire.
11 This is how you must eat it: with a belt round your waist, your sandals on your feet and your staff inyour hand. You must eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover in Yahweh's honour.	11 Now you shall consume it in this way: You shall gird your waist, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves in your hands, and you shall consume it in haste. For it is the Passover (that is, the Crossing) of the Lord.
12 That night, I shal go through Egypt and strike down all the first-born in Egypt, man and beast alike,and shal execute justice on al the gods of Egypt, I, Yahweh!	12 And I will cross through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from man, even to cattle. And I will bring judgments against all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.
13 The blood wil be a sign for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood I shall pass overyou, and you wil escape the destructive plague when I strike Egypt.	13 But the blood will be for you as a sign in the buildings where you will be. And I will see the blood, and I will pass over you. And the plague will not be with you to destroy, when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 This day must be commemorated by you, and you must keep it as a feast in Yahweh's honour. Youmust keep it as a feast-day for al generations; this is a decree for al time.	14 Then you shall have this day as a memorial, and you shall celebrate it as a solemnity to the Lord, in your generations, as an everlasting devotion.
15 "For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you must clean the leaven out ofyour houses, for anyone who eats leavened bread from the first to the seventh day must be outlawed from Israel.	15 For seven days, you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day there shall be no leaven in your houses. Whoever will consume anything leavened, from the first day, even until the seventh day, that soul shall perish from Israel.
16 On the first day you must hold a sacred assembly, and on the seventh day a sacred assembly. Onthose days no work may be done; you wil prepare only what each requires to eat.	16 The first day shall be holy and solemn, and the seventh day shall be venerated with the same festivity. You shall do no work in these days, except that which pertains to the eating.
17 You must keep the feast of Unleavened Bread because it was on that same day that I brought yourarmies out of Egypt. You wil keep that day, generation after generation; this is a decree for al time.	17 And you shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. For on this same day, I will lead your army out of the land of Egypt, and you shall keep this day, in your generations, as a perpetual ritual.
18 In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, youmust eat unleavened bread.	18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, toward evening, you shall consume the unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the same month, toward evening.
19 For seven days there may be no leaven in your houses, since anyone, either stranger or citizen ofthe country, who eats leavened bread wil be outlawed from the community of Israel.	19 For seven days, there shall not be found leaven in your houses. Whoever will eat leaven, his soul will perish from the assembly of Israel, as much with the newcomers as with the natives of the land.
20 You wil eat nothing with leaven in it; wherever you live, you will eat unleavened bread." '	20 You shall not consume any leaven. In all your dwelling places, you shall eat unleavened bread.”
21 Moses summoned al the elders of Israel and said to them, 'Go and choose a lamb or kid for yourfamilies, and kil the Passover victim.	21 Then Moses called all the elders of the sons of Israel, and he said to them: “Go, taking an animal by your families, and sacrifice the Passover.
22 Then take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and with the blood from the basintouch the lintel and both door-posts; then let none of you venture out of the house til morning.	22 And dip a little bundle of hyssop in the blood which is at the entrance, and sprinkle the upper threshold with it, and both of the door posts. Let none of you go out of the door of his house until morning.
23 Then, when Yahweh goes through Egypt to strike it, and sees the blood on the lintel and on bothdoor-posts, he wil pass over the door and not al ow the Destroyer to enter your homes and strike.	23 For the Lord will cross through, striking the Egyptians. And when he will see the blood on the upper threshold, and on both the door posts, he will pass over the door of the house and not permit the Striker to enter into your houses or to do harm.
24 You wil observe this as a decree binding you and your children for al time,	24 You shall keep this word as a law for you and for your sons, forever.
25 and when you have entered the country which Yahweh will give you, as he has promised, you wilobserve this ritual.	25 And when you have entered into the land that the Lord will give to you, just as he has promised, you shall observe these ceremonies.
26 And when your children ask you, "What does this ritual mean?"	26 And when your sons will say to you, ‘What is the meaning of this religious observance?’
27 you will tel them, "It is the Passover sacrifice in honour of Yahweh who passed over the houses ofthe Israelites in Egypt, and struck Egypt but spared our houses." ' And the people bowed in worship.	27 You shall say to them: ‘It is the victim of the crossing of the Lord, when he passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, striking the Egyptians, and freeing our houses.’ ” And the people, bowing down, worshipped.
28 The Israelites then went away and did as Yahweh had ordered Moses and Aaron.	28 And the sons of Israel, departing, did just as the Lord had instructed Moses and Aaron.
29 And at midnight Yahweh struck down al the first-born in Egypt from the first-born of Pharaoh, heir tohis throne, to the first-born of the prisoner in the dungeon, and the first-born of all the livestock.	29 Then it happened, in the middle of the night: the Lord struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the captive woman who was in prison, and all the firstborn of the cattle.
30 Pharaoh and al his officials and al the Egyptians got up in the night, and there was great wailing inEgypt, for there was not a house without its dead.	30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, and all his servants, and all of Egypt. And there arose a great outcry in Egypt. For there was not a house in which no one lay dead.
31 It was stil dark when Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, 'Up, leave my subjects, youand the Israelites! Go and worship Yahweh as you have asked!	31 And Pharaoh, calling Moses and Aaron in the night, said: “Rise up and go forth from among my people, you and the sons of Israel. Go, sacrifice to the Lord, just as you say.
32 And take your flocks and herds as you have asked, and go! And bless me too!'	32 Your sheep and herds take along with you, as you requested, and as you go away, bless me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people on and hurried them out of the country because, they said,'Otherwise we shal al be dead.'	33 And the Egyptians urged the people to go away from the land quickly, saying, “We will all die.”
34 So the people carried off their dough stil unleavened, their bowls wrapped in their cloaks, on theirshoulders.	34 Therefore, the people took bread dough before it was leavened. And tying it in their cloaks, they placed it on their shoulders.
35 The Israelites did as Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for silver and golden jewel ery,and clothing.	35 And the sons of Israel did just as Moses had instructed. And they petitioned the Egyptians for vessels of silver and of gold, and very many garments.
36 Yahweh made the Egyptians so much impressed with the people that they gave them what theyasked. So they despoiled the Egyptians.	36 Then the Lord granted favor to the people in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they bestowed on them. And they despoiled the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites left Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand on the march-men, that is, notcounting their families.	37 And the sons of Israel set out from Rameses to Soccoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides little ones.
38 A mixed crowd of people went with them, and flocks and herds, quantities of livestock.	38 But also an innumerable mix of common people ascended with them, sheep and herds and animals of diverse kinds, exceedingly many.
39 And with the dough which they had brought from Egypt they baked unleavened cakes, because thedough had not risen, since they had been driven out of Egypt without time to linger or to prepare food forthemselves.	39 And they baked the bread, which a little while ago they had taken out of Egypt as dough. And they made unleavened bread baked under ashes. For it was not able to be leavened, with the Egyptians compelling them to leave and not permitting them to cause any delay. Neither did they have occasion to prepare any meat.
40 The time that the Israelites spent in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years.	40 Now the habitation of the sons of Israel, while they remained in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.
41 And on the very day the four hundred and thirty years ended, al Yahweh's armies left Egypt.	41 Having been completed, on the same day all the army of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt.
42 The night when Yahweh kept vigil to bring them out of Egypt must be kept as a vigil in honour ofYahweh by al Israelites, for al generations.	42 This night is a worthy observance of the Lord, when he led them out of the land of Egypt. This all the sons of Israel must observe in their generations.
43 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, 'This is the ritual for the Passover: no alien may eat it,	43 And the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron: “This is the religious observance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat from it.
44 but any slave bought for money may eat it, once you have circumcised him.	44 But every bought servant shall be circumcised, and so he may eat from it.
45 No stranger and no hired servant may eat it.	45 The newcomer and the hired hand shall not eat from it.
46 It must be eaten in one house alone; you wil not take any of the meat out of the house; nor may youbreak any of its bones.	46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry its flesh outside, nor shall you break its bone.
47 'The whole community of Israel must keep it.	47 The entire assembly of the sons of Israel shall do this.
48 Should a stranger residing with you wish to keep the Passover in honour of Yahweh, al the males ofhis household must be circumcised: he wil then be al owed to keep it and wil count as a citizen of the country.But no uncircumcised person may eat it.	48 And if any sojourner will be willing to cross over into your settlement, and to keep the Passover of the Lord, all his males shall first be circumcised, and then he shall celebrate the rite. And he shall be just like a native of the land. But if any man is not circumcised, he shall not eat from it.
49 The same law will apply to the citizen and the stranger resident among you.'	49 The law shall be the same for the native born and for the settler who sojourns with you.”
50 The Israelites all did as Yahweh had ordered Moses and Aaron,	50 And all the sons of Israel did just as the Lord had instructed Moses and Aaron.
51 and that same day Yahweh brought the Israelites out of Egypt in their armies.	51 And on the same day, the Lord led the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their companies.