Study Desk

The king quickly called for Moses and Aaron. He said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

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

No one could see anyone else, and no one could go anywhere for three days. But the Israelites had light where they lived.

Again the king of Egypt called for Moses. He said, "All of you may go and worship the Lord . You may take your women and children with you, but you must leave your flocks and herds here."

Tell the men and women of Israel to ask their neighbors for things made of silver and gold."

"This month will be the beginning of months, the first month of the year for you.

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must get one lamb for the people in his house.

If there are not enough people in his house to eat a whole lamb, he must share it with his closest neighbor, considering the number of people. There must be enough lamb for everyone to eat.

For this feast you must eat bread made without yeast for seven days. On the first day, you are to remove all the yeast from your houses. No one should eat any yeast for the full seven days of the feast, or that person will be cut off from Israel.

For seven days there must not be any yeast in your houses. Anybody who eats yeast during this time, either an Israelite or non-Israelite, must be cut off from the community of Israel.

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel together and told them, "Get the animals for your families and kill the lamb for the Passover.

"You must keep this command as a law for you and your descendants from now on.

During the night the king called for Moses and Aaron and said, "Get up and leave my people. You and your people may do as you have asked; go and worship the Lord .

So the people took their dough before the yeast was added. They wrapped the bowls for making dough in clothing and carried them on their shoulders.

The Israelites did what Moses told them to do and asked their Egyptian neighbors for things made of silver and gold and for clothing.

The Lord caused the Egyptians to think well of them, and the Egyptians gave the people everything they asked for. So the Israelites took rich gifts from them.

The Israelites used the dough they had brought out of Egypt to bake loaves of bread without yeast. The dough had no yeast in it, because they had been rushed out of Egypt and had no time to get food ready for their trip.

The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for four hundred thirty years;

The Lord told Moses and Aaron, "Here are the rules for Passover: No foreigner is to eat the Passover.

But neither a person who lives for a short time in your country nor a hired worker may eat it.