Israel Leaves Egypt

²⁹At midnight, the LORD struck down every firstborn in Egypt — from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner locked in the dungeon, and every firstborn among the livestock. ³⁰Pharaoh got up in the middle of the night — he, all his officials, and all the Egyptians. A terrible cry of grief swept across Egypt, because there wasn't a single house without someone dead. ³¹That night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Get up! Get out from among my people — you and all the Israelites! Go and serve the LORD, just as you demanded. ³²Take your flocks and your herds, just as you said, and go! And bless me as well." ³³The Egyptians pressed the people to leave the country as fast as possible, saying, "If you don't go, we'll all be dead!" ³⁴So the people took their dough before it was leavened, wrapped their kneading bowls in cloth, and carried them on their shoulders. ³⁵The Israelites did what Moses had told them and asked the Egyptians for silver jewelry, gold jewelry, and clothing. ³⁶The LORD made the Egyptians look favorably on the Israelites, so they gave them whatever they asked for. In this way, the Israelites stripped Egypt of its wealth. ³⁷The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 men on foot, besides children. ³⁸A mixed multitude also went with them, along with flocks and herds, a large number of cattle. ³⁹They baked the dough they had brought from Egypt into flat, unleavened loaves. There was no yeast in it because they had been driven out of Egypt so suddenly that they couldn't wait for dough to rise, and they hadn't prepared any other food for the journey. ⁴⁰The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. ⁴¹At the end of 430 years, on that very same day, all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. ⁴²That night belongs to the LORD — a night to be honored because he brought them out of Egypt. Every generation of Israelites must observe this night in honor of the LORD.