1-10 God
said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, "This month is to be the
first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel;
tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for
his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb,
then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons
involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must
be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep
or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and
then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk.
Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the
lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat,
roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast,
and bitter herbs. Don't eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure
it's roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don't leave any
of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire. 11 "And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it's the Passover to God. 12-13 "I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14-16 "This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. |
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