“The Passover,” Old Testament Stories (2022)
“The Passover,” Old Testament Stories
The Passover
Protected by the Lord
Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go free, so the Lord told Moses that He would send one last plague. The firstborn child of every family in the land of Egypt would die, even the firstborn of their animals.
The Lord promised that if the Israelites followed His instructions, the plague would pass over them and not hurt them.
The Lord told each Israelite family to sacrifice a perfect male lamb and paint the blood of the lamb on the doorframe of their houses.
The Lord told the Israelites to cook and quickly eat the lamb. While they ate, they should be dressed and ready to leave their homes. The Lord said if the Israelites did these things, their firstborn would be safe from the plague.
Like the Lord warned, the plague came. All the firstborn in Egypt died, including Pharaoh’s oldest son. But the plague passed over each home that had lamb’s blood on the doorframe. The firstborn of the Israelites were saved because they obeyed the Lord.
When Pharaoh saw his own son was dead because of this plague, he told Moses and Aaron to take all the Israelites and leave Egypt.
The Israelites left, but Pharaoh was angry. He gathered his army and chariots and chased after the Israelites.
The Israelites camped at the Red Sea. Soon Pharaoh and his army caught up to them. When the Israelites saw the Egyptians coming, they were afraid. But Moses told the Israelites that the Lord would protect them.
As the Egyptians got closer, the Lord told Moses to lift up his rod. Moses did, and the Lord parted the sea. The Israelites crossed the sea on dry ground. They ran away from Pharaoh and his army.
The Egyptian army chased after the Israelites. When all the Israelites were safe on the other side of the sea, the Lord let the water come down. The Egyptian army drowned in the sea.
The Israelites were free at last. They sang songs, danced, and thanked the Lord. They always remembered the Passover as the time the Lord saved their lives and led them out of Egypt.