¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,

² "This month shall be to you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you.

³ Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth day of this month, they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household;

⁴ and if the household is too little for a lamb, then he and his neighbor next to his house shall take one according to the number of the souls; according to what everyone can eat you shall make your count for the lamb.

⁵ Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:

⁶ and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at evening.

⁷ They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it.

⁸ They shall eat the flesh in that night, roasted with fire, and unleavened bread. They shall eat it with bitter herbs.

⁹ Don't eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted with fire; with its head, its legs and its inner parts.

¹⁰ You shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remains of it until the morning you shall burn with fire.

¹¹ This is how you shall eat it: with your belt on your waist, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste: it is Yahweh's Passover.

¹² For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Yahweh.

¹³ The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ This day shall be to you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to Yahweh: throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever.

¹⁵ "'Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; even the first day you shall put away yeast out of your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.

¹⁶ In the first day there shall be to you a holy convocation, and in the seventh day a holy convocation; no kind of work shall be done in them, except that which every man must eat, that only may be done by you.

¹⁷ You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.

¹⁸ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty first day of the month at evening.

¹⁹ Seven days shall there be no yeast found in your houses, for whoever eats that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a foreigner, or one who is born in the land.

²⁰ You shall eat nothing leavened. In all your habitations you shall eat unleavened bread.'"

²¹ Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said to them, "Draw out, and take lambs according to your families, and kill the Passover.

²² You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.

²³ For Yahweh will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood on the lintel, and on the two doorposts, Yahweh will pass over the door, and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to strike you.

²⁴ You shall observe this thing for an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.

²⁵ It shall happen when you have come to the land which Yahweh will give you, according as he has promised, that you shall keep this service.

²⁶ It will happen, when your children ask you, 'What do you mean by this service?'

²⁷ that you shall say, 'It is the sacrifice of Yahweh's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians, and spared our houses.'" The people bowed their heads and worshiped.

²⁸ The children of Israel went and did so; as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

²⁹ It happened at midnight, that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of livestock.

³⁰ 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.

³¹ He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, "Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve Yahweh, as you have said!

³² Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also!"

³³ The Egyptians were urgent with the people, to send them out of the land in haste, for they said, "We are all dead men."

³⁴ The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

³⁵ The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and clothing.

³⁶ Yahweh gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. They despoiled the Egyptians.

³⁷ The children of Israel traveled from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot who were men, besides children.

³⁸ A mixed multitude went up also with them, with flocks, herds, and even very much livestock.

³⁹ They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt; for it wasn't leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and couldn't wait, neither had they prepared for themselves any food.

⁴⁰ Now the time that the children of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.

⁴¹ It happened at the end of four hundred thirty years, even the same day it happened, that all the armies of Yahweh went out from the land of Egypt.

⁴² It is a night to be much observed to Yahweh for bringing them out from the land of Egypt. This is that night of Yahweh, to be much observed of all the children of Israel throughout their generations.

⁴³ Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "This is the ordinance of the Passover. No foreigner shall eat of it,

⁴⁴ but every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then shall he eat of it.

⁴⁵ A foreigner and a hired servant shall not eat of it.

⁴⁶ In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth anything of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall you break a bone of it.

⁴⁷ All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.

⁴⁸ When a stranger shall live as a foreigner with you, and will keep the Passover to Yahweh, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one who is born in the land: but no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.

⁴⁹ One law shall be to him who is born at home, and to the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you."

⁵⁰ All the children of Israel did so. As Yahweh commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

⁵¹ It happened the same day, that Yahweh brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

¹ Now it happened in those days, that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled.

² This was the first enrollment made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

³ All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city.

⁴ Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David;

⁵ to enroll himself with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him as wife, being pregnant.

⁶ It happened, while they were there, that the day had come that she should give birth.

⁷ She brought forth her firstborn son, and she wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a feeding trough, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸ There were shepherds in the same country staying in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

⁹ Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

¹⁰ The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.

¹¹ For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

¹² This is the sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth, lying in a feeding trough."

¹³ Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will toward men."

¹⁵ It happened, when the angels went away from them into the sky, that the shepherds said one to another, "Let's go to Bethlehem, now, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."

¹⁶ They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough.

¹⁷ When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.

¹⁸ All who heard it wondered at the things which were spoken to them by the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.

²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.

²¹ When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

²² When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord

²³ (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),

²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

²⁵ Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.

²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

²⁷ He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law,

²⁸ then he received him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹ "Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;

³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation,

³¹ which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;

³² a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel."

³³ Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him,

³⁴ and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against.

³⁵ Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

³⁶ There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,

³⁷ and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn't depart from the temple, worshipping with fastings and petitions night and day.

³⁸ Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.

³⁹ When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.

⁴⁰ The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

⁴¹ His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.

⁴² When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast,

⁴³ and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and his mother didn't know it,

⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day's journey, and they looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances.

⁴⁵ When they didn't find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him.

⁴⁶ It happened after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.

⁴⁷ All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

⁴⁸ When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Behold, your father and I were anxiously looking for you."

⁴⁹ He said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?"

⁵⁰ They didn't understand the saying which he spoke to them.

⁵¹ And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.