Then Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, "Go…serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds…stay: let your little ones also go with you."

And Moses said, "You must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God."

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.

And Pharaoh said unto him, "Get…from me, take heed to yourself, see my face no more; for in that day you see my face you shall die."

And Moses said, "You have spoken well, I will see your face again no more."

And Moses said, "This says the LORD, ‘About midnight will I go out into…Egypt: And all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sits upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. And all these your servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, ‘Get…out, and all the people that follow you’: and after that I will go out." And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,"Speak…unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘in the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house…. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: you shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats…and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. Then they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of the houses, in which they shall eat it.

" ‘In this way shall you eat it; with your traveling clothes on, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in a hurry: it is the LORD'S Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. The blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

" ‘This day shall be unto you for a memorial; and you shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations….’"

And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. (Through faith Moses kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the first-born should touch them.)

And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD struck all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle.

And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise up, and get you out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also."

And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in a hurry; for they said, "We are all dead men." And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they gave unto the Israelites such things as they requested. And the Israelites plundered the Egyptians.

Now the length of stay of the children of Israel, who lived in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the very same day…that all the people of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up in organized ranks…. They journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside woman and children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much livestock.

And the children of Israel took their journey from Succoth, and camped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.

And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying," Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea.… For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD." And the children of Israel did so. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel.

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, look, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were extremely afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt like this with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?"

"Is not this the word that we did tell you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

And Moses said unto the people, "Fear…not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace."

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Why cry you unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward…lift…up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the center of the sea."

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

And the children of Israel went into the…sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them…even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the army of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them against us."

And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. (By faith Israel passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians attempting to do were drowned.)

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. And Miriam answered them, "Sing you to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider has he thrown into the sea."

And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses. And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and seventy palm trees: and they camped there by the waters.

And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, "Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

And the LORD spoke unto Moses…, "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, ‘at evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’"

Then said the LORD unto Moses, "Look, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate everyday, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not."

REFERENCES

Exodus 10: 24-25, 27-29; Exodus 11:4-6, 8; Exodus 12:1,3,5, 6b-7, 11-14; Exodus 12:28; Hebrews 11:28; Exodus 12:29-33, 36, 40-41; Exodus 13:18; Exodus 12:37-38; Exodus 13:20-21; Exodus 14:1,2a, 3-4, 8, 10-16, 21-25; Exodus 14:28, 30; Hebrews 11:29; Exodus 15:20-21; Exodus 14:31; Exodus 15:27; Exodus 16:1-3, 11-12; Exodus 16:4.

CHAPTER 8