Exodus.
Exodus 4.
10 Moses told the LORD, “My Master, I’m not a man of words.
Not yesterday, not in the past, nor now that you speak to me your slave.
For I have a heavy mouth and heavy tongue.”
11 The LORD told Moses, “Who installed Adam’s mouth?
Who makes one mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Isn’t it I, the LORD?
12 Now go. I’m with your mouth. I taught you what to speak.”
13 Moses told the LORD, “Please send, send a different hand.”
14 The LORD’s nose burned at Moses, and he said, “Isn’t Aaron your brother? The Levite?
I know he can speak my message.
Look, he’s coming to meet you. When he sees you he’ll rejoice in his heart.
15 Speak to him. Put the words in his mouth.
I’m with your mouth and his mouth, and will show you both what to do.
16 He speaks for you to the Hebrews.
That’s him. He’s your mouth. You’re his ‘god.’
17 And take this staff in your hand. Do the miracles with it.”
Exodus 12.
1 In Egypt’s territory, the LORD told Moses and Aaron to say,
2 “This is your main month, your first month of the year’s months.
3 Tell the whole Israeli assembly: On the 10th of this month,
every man pick yourself a sheep for your father’s house; one sheep per house.
4 If it’s too small a house for a sheep, take your neighbor’s house,
nearest in number of souls, in mouths to feed. Figure that for the lamb.
5 Pick yourselves a sound male lamb, born this year, from your sheep or goats.
6 Put it under your watch till the 14th of this month.
The whole Israeli assembly, together: Slaughter it between the evenings. 7 Take blood from it.
Put it on the two doorjambs, on the lintel, in the house where you eat it with one another.
8 Eat the meat this night, roasted over fire. Eat it with matzot and bitter herbs.
9 Don’t eat it raw, nor boiled in boiling water,
because its head, its legs, its innards must be roasted over fire.
10 Don’t have leftovers of it in the morning.
Burn the leftovers of it in the morning in the fire.
11 Eat it like this: Your waist belted, your sandals on your feet, your staff in your hand.
Eat it quickly. It’s the LORD’s Passover.
12 “I pass over Egypt’s territory that night.
I smite every birthright in Egypt’s territory, from Adam to the animals.
I enact my judgment upon all Egypt’s gods: I’m the LORD.
13 The blood on the houses where you are is your sign. I see the blood: I pass you over.
No smiting comes to destroy you when I smite Egypt’s territory.
14 This day is your memorial. Celebrate it as a feast to the LORD.
It’s an eternal doctrine for your generations. Celebrate it!
15 Eat matzot only seven days. On the first day stop using leaven in your houses.
If anyone eats leavening, get their souls out of Israel—whether the first or the seventh day.
16 The first day’s a holy assembly, and the seventh day’s a holy assembly.
Don’t do any work on them—other than what all souls need to eat. Only do that.
17 Watch the matzot. For on this day, in power, I brought your armies from Egypt’s territory.
Watch this day! It’s an eternal doctrine for your generations.
18 On the first month, the 14th day, at evening,
eat matzot till the 21st day of the month, at evening.
19 Seven days: No leaven is to be found in your houses.
If anyone eats leavening, get their soul out of Israel’s assembly, whether stranger or national.
20 Don’t eat any leavening in any of your dwellings.
Eat matzot.”
Exodus 13.
3 Moses told the people, “Remember this day! You left Egypt, the slaves’ house!
You went out like this with the strength of the LORD’s hand! Don’t eat leavening!
4 The day you went out is in the month of Aviv.
5 Work this work in this month
once the LORD brings you to the land of Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites,
which he swore to your ancestors he’d give you—a land where milk and honey flow.
6 Eat matzot seven days. Feast to the LORD the seventh day.
7 Eat matzot seven days. Don’t even look at fermentation, at leavening in all your vicinity.
8 Proclaim it to your child on that day.
Say, ‘This action was done for me by the LORD when he took me from Egypt!’
9 It’s a sign on your hand for you. A memorial between your eyes.
It’s so the LORD’s Law would be in your mouth:
With a strong hand, the LORD took you from Egypt!
10 Keep this doctrine on its date in days to come.”
Exodus 20.
2 “I’m your god, the LORD,
who took you out of Egypt’s land, out of the slaves’ house.
3 “For you, there mustn’t be any other gods in my presence.
4 Don’t manufacture any idol for yourself;
any form from the skies above, from the land below, from the water below the land.
5 Don’t bow down to them. Don’t serve them.
For I’m your LORD God: I’m El-Qanná/‘Possessive God.’
I have children suffer consequences for their parents’ evil
—and the grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—when they hate me.
6 But I show love to a thousand generations
when they love me and observe my commands.
7 “Don’t swear by the name of your LORD God for no good reason.
For the LORD won’t free your obligation when you’ve used his name for no good reason.
8 “Remember to separate the day of Sabbath.
9 Work six days, and do all your work. 10 The seventh day is Sabbath.
It’s for me, your LORD God. Don’t start any work on it. That counts for you,
your sons, daughters, male slaves, female slaves, animals, or visitors at your gates.
11 For six days, I the LORD made the skies and the land, the sea and everything in it.
The seventh day, I stopped, so I the LORD blessed a day of Sabbath. I made it holy.
12 “Respect your father and your mother.
Thus your days will be long in the land your LORD God gives you.
13 “Don’t murder.
14 Don’t adulter.
15 Don’t steal.
16 Don’t testify about your fellow with lies.
17 “Don’t desire your fellow’s house. Don’t desire your fellow’s woman.
Nor slave, nor maid, nor ox, nor donkey—anything of your fellow’s.”
18 All the people, seeing the sound, flames, trumpet sound, smoking mountain:
The people saw, scattered, and stood far away.
19 They told Moses, “You speak with us, and we’ll listen.
Don’t let God speak with us!—or we’ll die.”
20 Moses told the people, “No fear! God came in order to test you.
He put fearful things in your presence, so you won’t sin.”
Exodus 21.
16 “Anyone who steals a man and sells him,
anyone found with the victim in their hand:
They’re dead. Put them to death.”
Exodus 23.
9 “Don’t oppress strangers.
You all know the stranger’s life: You were strangers in Egypt’s territory.”
15 “The Feast of Matzot: Keep it seven days. Eat matzot like I commanded you.
Do it at the time of the month of Avív, when you went out of Egypt.
Don’t come before my face carrying nothing.”
Exodus 24.
9 Moses, Aaron, Nadáv, Avíhu, and 70 of Israel’s elders,
went up 10 and saw Israel’s God:
Under his feet was something like a manufactured sapphire pavement,
pure as the skies themselves.
11 As for the Israeli nobles, God didn’t strike them down:
They saw God, and they ate and drank.
Exodus 31.
13 “When you speak to Israel’s sons, say, ‘Yes! Keep my Sabbaths:
It’s a sign between me, you, and your descendants.
I, the LORD, made you holy. 14 Keep Sabbath, because it’s holy for you.
Breaking it is death, death: When anyone does work on it, cut that life off from the people.
15 Do work six days; the seventh day is Sabbath rest, holy to the LORD.
When anyone does work on the Sabbath day, they die, die.
16 Israel’s sons will keep Sabbath.
They’ll make their descendants do Sabbath as our permanent covenant.”
Exodus 34.
23 “Three times a year, all your males must appear in the presence of the Master, Israel’s LORD God.
24 For I evict foreigners from your presence. I make your borders lengthy.
No man will covet your land when you go up to appear
in the presence of your LORD God three times a year.”
Exodus 35.
2 “Do work six days. On the seventh day, it’s a holy Sabbath for you.
Rest for the LORD. All who do work on it: Die.
3 Don’t burn a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”