Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh: Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Let my people go. Pharaoh answered: Who is Jehovah, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know Him not, and moreover I will not let Israel go.
Moses now performed the wonders that God had given him, but Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. Then God said unto Moses: Take thy rod and smite the waters in the Nile. Moses did so, and the waters became blood. When this did not help, God sent nine other plagues upon Egypt. The eighth plague was numberless locusts that covered all the land, and ate every green thing, and the ninth was a thick darkness that lasted for three days; but in Goshen there were no locusts, and there it was light.
The Lord now bade Moses speak to the children of Israel and say: Tonight ye shall kill a lamb in every house, and ye shall take the blood and put it on the two door posts; ye shall roast the lamb and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; and ye shall stand with your staff in hand, ready to go out.—Thus the Lord instituted the Passover.
At midnight the Lord passed through Egypt and slew all the first-born, from the first-born of Pharaoh to the first-born of the slave. But He saw the blood on the dwellings of Israel and passed over. And there was a great cry in Egypt, and Pharaoh urged Israel to go. So the Israelites went out of Egypt, 600,000 men who could go out to battle, and Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. And the Lord went before them in a pillar of fire by night and in a pillar of cloud by day, and he led them toward the Red Sea. But Pharaoh regretted that he had let Israel depart, and he pursued them with all his chariots and overtook them at the Red Sea. Then the Israelites murmured against Moses and said: Were there not graves enough in Egypt, that thou must take us out in the wilderness to die? Moses answered: Today you shall see the salvation of the Lord. And he stretched forth his hand, and the waters were divided, and the children of Israel walked over on dry ground, while the water stood as a wall on the right hand and on the left. The Egyptians pursued them, but when they were in the midst of the Red Sea, and the Israelites had passed over, Moses again stretched out his hand, and the waters returned and buried all the host of Pharaoh. (Ex. 5-14.)
[27. Wandering in the Wilderness]
The children of Israel were now come into the wilderness of Arabia. Here they lacked both water and food, murmured against Moses, and wished they were back to the flesh-pots in Egypt. Moses smote the rock with his rod, and there flowed water; and the Lord sent them manna for food. This lay every morning like hoar-frost on the ground, and melted when the sun rose.
In the third month after they had gone out of Egypt, the Israelites encamped at Mount Sinai. On the third day a thick cloud covered the mountain, and there was heard a sound as of a loud trumpet. The mountain shook and smoked as a furnace, for the Lord descended in fire on the mountain. The Lord then spoke thus to the people:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
3. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.