71 passages · Kingdom
In a deep sleep, Abram is told his descendants will be enslaved four hundred years, then leave with possessions. A flaming torch passes between the animal halves, and God promises the land from Egypt's river to the Euphrates.
God says he has seen Israel's suffering and will rescue them to a good land, and sends Moses to Pharaoh. Moses asks who he is to go, and God answers that he will be with him.
God tells Moses to gather the elders and ask Pharaoh for a three-day journey to sacrifice. He warns that Pharaoh will refuse until compelled by wonders, after which the Israelites will leave with Egyptian valuables.
The LORD says one more plague will make Pharaoh drive Israel out. He tells the people to ask their neighbors for silver and gold, and gives them favor with the Egyptians.
At midnight the LORD strikes down every firstborn in Egypt, and Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron by night and tells Israel to go. The Egyptians urge them to hurry and give them silver, gold, and clothing.
About 600,000 men on foot, plus women, children, a mixed crowd, and livestock, set out from Rameses. The text notes their unleavened bread and the 430 years of the stay, and calls it a night of vigil.
Moses tells the people to remember the day of their release and to eat no leavened bread. In the promised land they are to keep the feast each year and explain it to their children.
The LORD tells Moses to go forward, lift his staff, and divide the sea. The angel of God and the pillar of cloud move behind Israel, giving light to them and darkness to Egypt.
Moses stretches out his hand and a strong east wind divides the sea so Israel goes through with walls of water on both sides. The Egyptians follow, and at morning watch the LORD throws them into confusion.
Moses' father-in-law Jethro brings Moses' wife and sons to him. Moses tells him all the LORD has done, and Jethro rejoices, says the LORD is greater than all gods, and offers sacrifices.
The people must not eat creatures that swarm on the ground or defile themselves. The LORD grounds the rules in who he is: he brought them out of Egypt to be their God, so they are to be holy as he is holy.
For seven days beginning on the fifteenth of the seventh month, Israel is to celebrate the harvest by rejoicing and living in booths, remembering the exodus from Egypt. The chapter closes by summarizing the feasts and noting that Moses announced them.
An Israelite who sells himself must be treated as a hired worker and released at Jubilee, because Israel belongs to God. Slaves may be taken from surrounding nations, and an Israelite sold to a foreigner may be redeemed by relatives or himself.
In the first month of the second year, the LORD tells Moses to keep the Passover at twilight on the fourteenth day, and Israel does so.
The rabble and the Israelites weep for meat, remembering Egypt's food and complaining about manna. The passage describes the manna's look and taste.
Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month, followed by seven days of unleavened bread. Each day carries a set offering, with a sacred assembly on the first and seventh days.
Moses writes down each stage of Israel's journey out of Egypt at the LORD's command. It begins with leaving Rameses the day after Passover as the Egyptians buried their firstborn.
The stages from Rameses through the sea, Marah, Elim, the Desert of Sin and Rephidim to the Wilderness of Sinai are listed one after another.
The camps from Sinai through Kibroth-hattaavah, Hazeroth and many more to Ezion-geber and then Kadesh are listed in order.
The journey continues to Mount Hor, where Aaron dies at age 123, then on past Edom and Moab to the plains of Moab by the Jordan.
Moses asks whether any people has ever heard God speak from fire or been rescued by such signs as Israel was. He concludes that the LORD alone is God and calls them to keep His commands.
Moses warns that in a land full of blessings they did not build, Israel must not forget the God who freed them. They should serve Him alone, avoid other gods, and not test Him as at Massah.
Moses says that when children ask about the meaning of the laws, parents should tell the story of the exodus from Egypt and explain that keeping the commands is for Israel's good and counts as righteousness.
Moses calls Israel to love God and keep His commands, reminding them that they themselves saw the acts of God in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness. Obedience will give them strength to take the land.
Israel is to celebrate the Passover in the month of Abib with a sacrifice at the chosen place, and eat unleavened bread for seven days to remember the exodus from Egypt.
Farmers must leave forgotten sheaves, leftover olives, and leftover grapes for foreigners, orphans, and widows. Israel is again reminded that it was once enslaved in Egypt.
The worshiper recites Israel's story: a wandering forefather, slavery in Egypt, God's rescue, and the gift of the land. He presents the firstfruits, bows down, and rejoices with the Levite and the foreigner.
Moses gathers all Israel in Moab for a covenant beyond the one at Horeb. He reminds them of the wonders in Egypt, forty years of care in the wilderness, and victories over Sihon and Og, yet says they still lack understanding.
The priests carrying the ark step into the flooded Jordan and the water stops far upstream. The priests stand on dry ground while the whole nation crosses.
The men carry twelve stones to the camp, and Joshua sets up another twelve in the river. The priests leave the riverbed after everyone has crossed, and the people honor Joshua as they did Moses.