Study Desk

The king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, "This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and my people and I are in the wrong.

Moses raised his hand toward the sky, and there was total darkness throughout Egypt for three days.

Moses answered, "Then you would have to provide us with animals for sacrifices and burnt offerings to offer to the Lord our God.

Now speak to the people of Israel and tell all of them to ask their neighbors for gold and silver jewelry."

"This month is to be the first month of the year for you.

Give these instructions to the whole community of Israel: On the tenth day of this month each man must choose either a lamb or a young goat for his household.

You are to eat it quickly, for you are to be dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your walking stick in your hand. It is the Passover Festival to honor me, the Lord .

You must celebrate this day as a religious festival to remind you of what I, the Lord , have done. Celebrate it for all time to come."

The Lord said, "For seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast—eat only unleavened bread. On the first day you are to get rid of all the yeast in your houses, for if anyone during those seven days eats bread made with yeast, he shall no longer be considered one of my people.

On the first day and again on the seventh day you are to meet for worship. No work is to be done on those days, but you may prepare food.

Keep this festival, because it was on this day that I brought your tribes out of Egypt. For all time to come you must celebrate this day as a festival.

For seven days no yeast must be found in your houses, for if anyone, native-born or foreign, eats bread made with yeast, he shall no longer be considered one of my people."

Moses called for all the leaders of Israel and said to them, "Each of you is to choose a lamb or a young goat and kill it, so that your families can celebrate Passover.

That same night the king sent for Moses and Aaron and said, "Get out, you and your Israelites! Leave my country; go and worship the Lord , as you asked.

Take your sheep, goats, and cattle, and leave. Also pray for a blessing on me."

The Israelites had done as Moses had said, and had asked the Egyptians for gold and silver jewelry and for clothes.

The Lord made the Egyptians respect the people and give them what they asked for. In this way the Israelites carried away the wealth of the Egyptians.

The Israelites set out on foot from Rameses for Sukkoth. There were about 600,000 men, not counting women and children.

They baked unleavened bread from the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for they had been driven out of Egypt so suddenly that they did not have time to get their food ready or to prepare leavened dough.

The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years.