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Wednesday, November 5th, 2025
the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Exodus 11:4

So Moses said to the king, "This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight tonight I will go through all Egypt.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Plague;   Thompson Chain Reference - Midnight;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Pharaoh;   Easton Bible Dictionary - First-Born;   Plague;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Firstborn;   Moses;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Demon, Demoniacal Possession, Demoniacs;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Plagues of Egypt;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Plagues of egypt;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Plagues, the Ten,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Plagues of Egypt;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Exodus, the Book of;   Harden;   Midnight;   Plagues of Egypt;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Eschatology;   Horology;   Talmud;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Moshe said, "This is what the LORD says: 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Mitzrayim,
King James Version
And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord , About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Lexham English Bible
And Moses said, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘About the middle of the night I will go out through the midst of Egypt,
New English Translation
Moses said, "Thus says the Lord : ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
Amplified Bible
Then Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: 'At midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
New American Standard Bible
Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD says: 'About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also Moses sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, About midnight will I goe out into the middes of Egypt.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Moses said, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
Contemporary English Version
Moses went to the king and said: I have come to let you know what the Lord is going to do. About midnight he will go through the land of Egypt,
Complete Jewish Bible
(iv) Moshe said, "Here is what Adonai says: ‘About midnight I will go out into Egypt,
Darby Translation
And Moses said, Thus saith Jehovah: About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt.
Easy-to-Read Version
Moses said to the king, "The Lord says, ‘At midnight tonight, I will go through Egypt,
English Standard Version
So Moses said, "Thus says the Lord : ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,
George Lamsa Translation
And Moses said, Thus says the LORD, About midnight I will go forth into the midst of Egypt;
Good News Translation
Moses then said to the king, "The Lord says, ‘At about midnight I will go through Egypt,
Christian Standard Bible®
So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
Literal Translation
And Moses said, So says Jehovah, About the middle of the night I will go out in the midst of Egypt.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Moses sayde: Thus sayeth the LORDE: At mydnight wil I go out in the lande of Egipte,
American Standard Version
And Moses said, Thus saith Jehovah, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Bible in Basic English
And Moses said, This is what the Lord says: About the middle of the night I will go out through Egypt:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Moyses sayde, Thus sayth the Lorde: At mydnyght, wyll I go out into the myddest of Egypt,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Moses said: 'Thus saith the LORD: About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt;
King James Version (1611)
And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, about midnight will I goe out into the midst of Egypt.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses said, These things saith the Lord, About midnight I go forth into the midst of Egypt.
English Revised Version
And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
Berean Standard Bible
So Moses declared, "This is what the LORD says: 'About midnight I will go throughout Egypt,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he seide, The Lord seith these thingis, At mydnyyt Y schal entre in to Egipt;
Young's Literal Translation
And Moses saith, `Thus said Jehovah, About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,
Update Bible Version
And Moses said, Thus says Yahweh, About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt:
Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
World English Bible
Moses said, "This is what Yahweh says: 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt,
New King James Version
Then Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: "About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt;
New Living Translation
Moses had announced to Pharaoh, "This is what the Lord says: At midnight tonight I will pass through the heart of Egypt.
New Life Bible
Moses said, "The Lord says this: ‘About midnight I will go through Egypt.
New Revised Standard
Moses said, "Thus says the Lord : About midnight I will go out through Egypt.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Moses said, Thus saith Yahweh, - About midnight, am, I, going forth in the midst of Egypt;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: Thus saith the Lord: At midnight I will enter into Egypt:
Revised Standard Version
And Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go forth in the midst of Egypt;
THE MESSAGE
Then Moses confronted Pharaoh: " God 's Message: ‘At midnight I will go through Egypt and every firstborn child in Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl working at her hand mill. Also the firstborn of animals. Widespread wailing will erupt all over the country, lament such as has never been and never will be again. But against the Israelites—man, woman, or animal—there won't be so much as a dog's bark, so that you'll know that God makes a clear distinction between Egypt and Israel.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Moses said, "Thus says the LORD, 'About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt,

Contextual Overview

4 So Moses said to the king, "This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight tonight I will go through all Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die—from the firstborn son of the king, who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl grinding grain. Also the firstborn farm animals will die. 6 There will be loud outcries everywhere in Egypt, worse than any time before or after this. 7 But not even a dog will bark at the Israelites or their animals.' Then you will know that the Lord treats Israel differently from Egypt. 8 All your officers will come to me. They will bow facedown to the ground before me and say, ‘Leave and take all your people with you.' After that, I will leave." Then Moses very angrily left the king. 9 The Lord had told Moses, "The king will not listen to you and Aaron so that I may do many miracles in the land of Egypt." 10 Moses and Aaron did all these great miracles in front of the king. But the Lord made him stubborn, and the king would not let the Israelites leave his country.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

About: Exodus 12:12, Exodus 12:23, Exodus 12:29, Job 34:20, Amos 4:10, Amos 5:17, Matthew 25:6

will I go: 2 Samuel 5:24, Psalms 60:10, Isaiah 42:13, Micah 2:13

Reciprocal: Exodus 9:15 - that Exodus 10:4 - morrow Exodus 10:29 - I will see Psalms 105:36 - He smote Isaiah 44:26 - confirmeth Ezekiel 3:8 - General Habakkuk 3:14 - the head

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God had sexual relations with the daughters of human beings. These women gave birth to children, who became famous and were the mighty warriors of long ago.
Genesis 11:8
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
Genesis 11:9
The place is called Babel since that is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over the whole world.
Genesis 11:11
After that, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 11:13
After that, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
Deuteronomy 1:28
Where can we go now? The spies we sent have made us afraid, because they said, ‘The people there are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are big, with walls up to the sky. And we saw the Anakites there!'"
Deuteronomy 4:27
The Lord will scatter you among the other nations. Only a few of you will be left alive, and those few will be in other nations where the Lord will send you.
Deuteronomy 9:1
Listen, Israel. You will soon cross the Jordan River to go in and force out nations that are bigger and stronger than you. They have large cities with walls up to the sky.
2 Samuel 8:13
David was famous after he returned from defeating eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
Psalms 92:9
Lord , surely your enemies, surely your enemies will be destroyed, and all who do evil will be scattered.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Moses said,.... To Pharaoh before he left him, when he had told him he should see his face no more; for the three preceding verses are to be read in a parenthesis, being placed here by the historian, as giving some light to this last discourse and transaction between Moses and Pharaoh:

thus saith the Lord, about midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt; perhaps to the capital and metropolis of it, which might stand in the midst of it, as usually does the royal city; or it may only signify that he would go into the very heart of it, and steer his course all around in every part and quarter of it, slaying the firstborn everywhere in all towns and cities throughout the kingdom, as follows; in order to which he is said to go out, either from the place where Moses used to go and pray to him, and where he met him and gave him his orders and instructions, or out of the land of Goshen, where he dwelt among the Israelites; or rather it only signifies the manifestation of himself in some work and action of his, the exertion of his power in inflicting punishment for sin: thus God is sometimes said to go forth out of his place when he is about to exercise judgment in the earth; for this must be understood consistent with his omnipresence, see Isaiah 26:21 and this was to be done about midnight, the middle of the night following the present day, which was the fourteenth of the month of Abib or Nisan; it was in the morning of that day Moses had this discourse with Pharaoh, and in the evening of it the passover was kept, and about the middle of the night the firstborn were slain, as follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And Moses said - The following words must be read in immediate connection with the last verse of the preceding chapter.

About midnight - This marks the hour, but not the day, on which the visitation would take place. There may have been, and probably was, an interval of some days, during which preparations might be made both for the celebration of the Passover, and the departure of the Israelites.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 11:4. About midnight will I go out — Whether God did this by the ministry of a good or of an evil angel is a matter of little importance, though some commentators have greatly magnified it. Both kinds of angels are under his power and jurisdiction, and he may employ them as he pleases. Such a work of destruction as the slaying of the first-born is supposed to be more proper for a bad than for a good angel. But the works of God's justice are not less holy and pure than the works of his mercy; and the highest archangel may, with the utmost propriety, be employed in either.


 
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