Yetziat Mitzraim - Fresh out of Egypt [G10S2T2]

(39) And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, since they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.

(40) The length of time that the Israelites lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years;

(1) ה' spoke further to Moses, saying,

(2) “Consecrate to Me every male first-born; human and beast, the first [male] issue of every womb among the Israelites is Mine.”

(3) And Moses said to the people,“Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how ה' freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten.

(4) You go free on this day, in the month*in the month Or “on the new moon.” of Abib.

(5) So, when ה' has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which was sworn to your fathers to be given you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall observe in this month the following practice:

(6) “Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival of ה'.

(7) Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.

(8) And you shall explain to your child on that day, ‘It is because of what ה' did for me when I went free from Egypt.’

(9) “And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead*on your forehead Lit. “between your eyes”; cf. Deut. 6.8. —in order that the Teaching of ה' may be in your mouth—that with a mighty hand ה' freed you from Egypt.

(10) You shall keep this institution at its set time from year to year.

(11) “And when ה' has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as [God] swore to you and to your fathers, and has given it to you,

(12) you shall set apart for ה' every first issue of the womb: every male firstling that your cattle drop shall be יהוה’s.

(13) But every firstling ass you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children.

(14) And when, in time to come, a child of yours asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall reply, ‘It was with a mighty hand that ה' brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.

(15) When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, ה' slew every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, the first-born of both human and beast. Therefore I sacrifice to ה' every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every male first-born among my children.’

(16) “And so it shall be as a sign upon your hand and as a symbol*symbol Others “frontlet.” on your forehead that with a mighty hand ה' freed us from Egypt.”

(18) So God led the people round about, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds. Now the Israelites went up *Hamushim* out of the land of Egypt.

(1) ה' said to Moses:

(2) Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.

(3) Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, “They are astray in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.”

(4) Then I will stiffen Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them, that I may gain glory through Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am ה'. And they did so.

(5) When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change of heart about the people and said, “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?”

(6) He ordered*ordered See note at Gen. 46.29. his chariot and took his force with him;

(7) he took six hundred of his picked chariots, and the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers*officers Heb. shalish; originally “third man on royal chariot”; hence “adjutant,” “officer.” in all of them.

(8) ה' stiffened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he gave chase to the Israelites. As the Israelites were departing defiantly,*defiantly Lit. “with upraised hand”; cf. Num. 33.3.

(9) the Egyptians gave chase to them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his riders, and his warriors overtook them encamped by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

(10) As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing upon them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to ה'.

(11) And they said to Moses, “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt?

(12) Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness’?”

(13) But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which ה' will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.

(14) ה' will battle for you; you hold your peace!”

(16) And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground.

(17) And I will stiffen the hearts of the Egyptians so that they go in after them; and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his warriors, his chariots, and his riders.

(18) Let the Egyptians know that I am ה', when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his riders.”

(19) The messenger of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them,

(20) and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon*and it cast a spell upon From root ’-r-r, “cast a spell” or “curse.” Others “and it lit up.” the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night.

(21) Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and ה' drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split,

(22) and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

(23) The Egyptians came in pursuit after them into the sea, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and riders.

(24) At the morning watch, ה' looked down upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into panic.

(25) [God] locked*locked From root ’-s-r, with several ancient versions. Others “took off.” the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for ה' is fighting for them against Egypt.”

(26) Then ה' said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians and upon their chariots and upon their riders.”

(27) Moses held out his arm over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state, and the Egyptians fled at its approach. But ה' hurled the Egyptians into the sea.

(28) The waters turned back and covered the chariots and the riders—Pharaoh’s entire army that followed them into the sea; not one of them remained.

(29) But the Israelites had marched through the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

(30) Thus ה' delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea.

(31) And when Israel saw the wondrous power which ה' had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared ה'; they had faith in ה' and in God’s servant Moses.

(1) Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to ה'. They said:
I will sing to ה', for He has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. (2) ה' is my strength and might(song);
He is become my deliverance.
This is my God and I will enshrine*enshrine Others “glorify.” Him;
The God of my father’s [house], and I will exalt Him.
(3) ה', the Warrior—
ה' is His name!
(4) Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
He has cast into the sea;
And the pick of his officers
Are drowned in the Sea of Reeds.
(5) The deeps covered them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
(6) Your right hand, ה', glorious in power,
Your right hand, ה', shatters the foe!
(7) In Your great triumph You break Your opponents;
You send forth Your fury, it consumes them like straw.
(8) At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up,
The floods stood straight like a wall;
The deeps froze in the heart of the sea.
(9) The foe said,
“I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil;
My desire shall have its fill of them.
I will bare my sword—
My hand shall subdue them.”
(10) You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the majestic waters.
(11) Who is like You, ה', among the celestials;*celestials Others “mighty.”
Who is like You, majestic in holiness,
Awesome in splendor, working wonders!
(12) You put out Your right hand,
The earth swallowed them.
(13) In Your love You lead the people You redeemed;
In Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode.
(14) The peoples hear, they tremble;
Agony grips the dwellers in Philistia.
(15) Now are the clans of Edom dismayed;
The tribes of Moab—trembling grips them;
All the dwellers in Canaan are aghast.
(16) Terror and dread descend upon them;
Through the might of Your arm they are still as stone—
Till Your people cross over, ה',
Till Your people cross whom You have ransomed.
(17) You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain,
The place You made to dwell in, ה',
The sanctuary, O my lord, which Your hands established.
(18) ה' will reign for ever and ever! (19) For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and riders, went into the sea; and ה' turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea.

(20) Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums.

(1) Setting out from Elim, the whole Israelite community came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.

(2) In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

(3) The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of ה' in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death.”

(4) And ה' said to Moses, “I will rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people shall go out and gather each day that day’s portion—that I may thus test them, to see whether they will follow My instructions or not.

(5) But on the sixth day, when they apportion what they have brought in, it shall prove to be double the amount they gather each day.”

(6) So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “By evening you shall know it was ה' who brought you out from the land of Egypt;

(7) and in the morning you shall behold the Presence*Presence Others “glory.” of ה', because [God] has heard your grumblings against ה'. For who are we that you should grumble against us?

(8) Since it is ה',” Moses continued, “who will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full—because ה' has heard the grumblings you utter—what is our part? Your grumbling is against ה', not against us!”

(9) Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community: Advance toward ה', who has heard your grumbling.”

(10) And as Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there, in a cloud, appeared the Presence of ה'.

(11) ה' spoke to Moses:

(12) “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Speak to them and say: By evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; and you shall know that I ה' am your God.”

(13) In the evening quail appeared and covered the camp; in the morning there was a fall of dew about the camp.

(14) When the fall of dew lifted, there, over the surface of the wilderness, lay a fine and flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

(15) When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”*What is it? Heb. man hu; others “It is manna.” —for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread which ה' has given you to eat.

(16) This is what ה' has commanded: Each household shall gather as much as it requires to eat—an omer to a person for as many of you as there are; each household shall fetch according to those in its tent.”

(18) But when they measured it by the omer, anyone who had gathered much had no excess, and anyone who had gathered little had no deficiency: each household had gathered as much as it needed to eat.

(19) And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over until morning.”

(20) But they paid no attention to Moses; some of them left of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

(21) So they gathered it every morning, as much as each one needed to eat; for when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

(22) On the sixth day they gathered double the amount of food, two omers for each; and when all the chieftains of the community came and told Moses,

(23) he said to them, “This is what ה' meant: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy sabbath of ה'. Bake what you would bake and boil what you would boil; and all that is left put aside to be kept until morning.”

(24) So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered; and it did not turn foul, and there were no maggots in it.

(25) Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath of ה'; you will not find it today on the plain.

(26) Six days you shall gather it; on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.”

(27) Yet some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found nothing.

(28) And ה' said to Moses, “How long will you all refuse to obey My commandments and My teachings?

(29) Mark that it is ה' who, having given you the sabbath, therefore gives you two days’ food on the sixth day. Let everyone remain in place: let no one leave the vicinity on the seventh day.”

(30) So the people remained inactive on the seventh day.

(31) The house of Israel named it manna;*manna Heb. man. it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like wafers*wafers Meaning of Heb. ṣappiḥith uncertain. in honey.

(32) Moses said, “This is what ה' has commanded: Let one omer of it be kept throughout the ages, in order that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.”

(33) And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, put one omer of manna in it, and place it before ה', to be kept throughout the ages.”

(34) As ה' had commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the Pact,*Pact Others “Testimony.” to be kept.

(35) And the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a settled land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

(36) The omer is a tenth of an ephah.

(1) From the wilderness of Sin the whole Israelite community continued by stages as ה' would command. They encamped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.

(2) The people quarreled with Moses. “Give us water to drink,” they said; and Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you try ה' ?”

(3) But the people thirsted there for water; and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”

(4) Moses cried out to ה', saying, “What shall I do with this people? Before long they will be stoning me!”

(5) Then ה' said to Moses, “Pass before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel, and take along the rod with which you struck the Nile, and set out.

(6) I will be standing there before you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock and water will issue from it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

(7) The place was named Massah*Massah I.e., “Trial.” and Meribah,*Meribah I.e., “Quarrel.” because the Israelites quarreled and because they tried ה', saying, “Is ה' present among us or not?”

(9) Moses said to Joshua, “Pick some troops/men for us, and go out and do battle with Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand.”

(10) Joshua did as Moses told him and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

(11) Then, whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

(12) But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set.

(13) And Joshua overwhelmed the people of Amalek with the sword.

(14) Then ה' said to Moses, “Inscribe this in a document as a reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven!”

(15) And Moses built an altar and named it Adonai-nissi.*Adonai-nissi I.e., “יהוה is my banner.”

(16) He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of ה׳ !׳ה will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”

(1) On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone forth from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they entered the wilderness of Sinai.

(2) Having journeyed from Rephidim, they entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness. Israel encamped there in front of the mountain,

(5) Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine,

(6) but you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

(7) Moses came and summoned the elders of the people and put before them all that ה' had commanded him.

(8) All those assembled answered as one, saying, “All that ה' has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the people’s words to ה'.

(9) And ה' said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to ה',

(10) and ה' said to Moses, “Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes.

(11) Let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day ה' will come down, in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai.

(12) You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death

(13) without being touched—by being either stoned or shot; beast or person, a trespasser shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.”

(14) Moses came down from the mountain to the people and warned the people to stay pure, and they washed their clothes.

(15) And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day: [the men among] you should not go near a woman.”

(16) On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.

(17) Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain.

(18) Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for ה' had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain*the whole mountain “all the people” trembled violently.

(19) The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder.

(20) ה' came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and ה' called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up.

(21) ה' said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people not to break through to ה' to gaze, lest many of them perish.

(22) The priests also, who come near ה', must stay pure, lest ה' break out against them.”

(23) But Moses said to ה', “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and sanctify it.’”

(24) So ה' said to him, “Go down, and come back together with Aaron; but let not the priests or the people break through to come up to ה', lest [God] break out against them.”

(25) And Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

(2) I ה' am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage:

(3) You shall have no other gods besides Me.

(4) You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.

(5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I your God ה' am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me.

(6) but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

(7) You shall not swear falsely by*swear falsely by Others “take in vain.” the name of your God ה'; for ה' will not clear one who swears falsely by God’s name.

(8) Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.

(9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

(10) but the seventh day is a sabbath of your God ה': you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.

(11) For in six days ה' made heaven and earth and sea—and all that is in them—and then rested on the seventh day; therefore ה' blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

(12) Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that your God ה' is assigning to you.

(13) You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

(14) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house:*house, both persons and possessions. you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox or ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

(2) Aaron said to them, “[You men,] take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

(3) And all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

(4) This he took from them and cast in a mold,*cast in a mold Others: “fashioned it with a graving tool.” and made it into a molten calf. And they exclaimed, “This is your god,*This is your god Others “These are your gods.” O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

(5) When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron announced: “Tomorrow shall be a festival of יהוה!”

(6) Early next day, the people offered up burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; they sat down to eat and drink, and then rose to dance.

(7) ה' spoke to Moses, “Hurry down, for your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have acted basely.

(8) They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them. They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it and sacrificed to it, saying: ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”

(9) ה' further said to Moses, “I see that this is a stiffnecked people.

(10) Now, let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them, and make of you a great nation.”

(11) But Moses implored his God ה', saying, “Let not Your anger, ה', blaze forth against Your people, whom You delivered from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand.

(12) Let not the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he delivered them, only to kill them off in the mountains and annihilate them from the face of the earth.’ Turn from Your blazing anger, and renounce the plan to punish Your people.

(13) Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, how You swore to them by Your Self and said to them: I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your offspring this whole land of which I spoke, to possess forever.”

(14) And ה' renounced the punishment planned for God’s people.

(15) Thereupon Moses turned and went down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, tablets inscribed on both their surfaces: they were inscribed on the one side and on the other.

(16) The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing, incised upon the tablets.

(17) When Joshua heard the sound of the people in its boisterousness, he said to Moses, “There is a cry of war in the camp.”

(18) But he answered,
“It is not the sound of the tune of triumph,
Or the sound of the tune of defeat;
It is the sound of song that I hear!”

(19) As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.

(20) He took the calf that they had made and burned it; he ground it to powder and strewed it upon the water and so made the Israelites drink it.

(21) Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such great sin upon them?”

(22) Aaron said, “Let not my lord be enraged. You know that this people is bent on evil.

(23) They said to me, ‘Make us a god to lead us; for that fellow Moses—the man who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.’

(24) So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off!’ They gave it to me and I hurled it into the fire and out came this calf!”

(25) Moses saw that the people were out of control—since Aaron had let them get out of control—so that they were a menace*a menace Others “an object of derision.” to any who might oppose them.

(26) Moses stood up in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for ה', come here!” And all the men of Levi rallied to him.

(27) He said to them, “Thus says ה', the God of Israel: Each of you put sword on thigh, go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay sibling, neighbor, and kin.”

(28) The men of Levi did as Moses had bidden; and some three thousand of the people fell that day.

(29) And Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves to ה' this day—for each of you has been against blood relations—that [God] may bestow a blessing upon you today.”

(30) The next day Moses said to the people, “You have been guilty of a great sin. Yet I will now go up to ה'; perhaps I may win forgiveness for your sin.”

(31) Moses went back to ה' and said, “Alas, this people is guilty of a great sin in making for themselves a god of gold.

(32) Now, if You will forgive their sin [well and good]; but if not, erase me from the record which You have written!”

(33) But ה' said to Moses, “Only one who has sinned against Me will I erase from My record.

(34) Go now, lead the people where I told you. See, My messenger shall go before you. But when I make an accounting, I will bring them to account for their sins.”

(35) Then ה' sent a plague upon the people, for what they did with the calf that Aaron made.