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Exodus 12:29-31
New Catholic Bible
Exodus 12:29-31
New Catholic Bible
The Exodus from Egypt and the Journey to Sinai
Departure from Egypt
29 Tenth Plague: The Death of the Firstborn.[a] At midnight the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat upon the throne to the firstborn of the prisoners being held in dungeons, all the firstborn, both human and animal. 30 Pharaoh got up during the night along with his ministers and all the Egyptians, and a loud cry arose out of Egypt, for every house had someone who had died.
31 Permission to Depart.[b]Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, “Arise and leave my people, you and the children of Israel! Go and serve the Lord as you have said.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 12:29 This time Egypt cannot remain indifferent to the misfortune that has come upon it.
- Exodus 12:31 This is the memorable night during which the Lord kept watch in order to deliver his people from slavery. With a view to magnifying the divine intervention, Israelite piety obviously exaggerated the numbers involved; historical fact has been transformed into liturgical story. For Christians, the Easter vigil will sing of the deliverance brought by Christ.
