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© 2003 by George W. Knight ISBN 978-1-63058-696-6 eBook Editions: Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-168-8 Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-169-5 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher. Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: “From Pocket Bible Handbook, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.” All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Published by Value Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
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Contents Acknowledgments 9 Introduction: God’s Eternal Word 11
PART I: THE OLD TESTAMENT Chapter 1: Books of the Law 13 Genesis 14 Exodus 22 Leviticus 29 Numbers 33 Deuteronomy 42 Chapter 2: Books of History 49 Joshua 49 Judges 55 Ruth 62 1 Samuel 64 2 Samuel 72 1 Kings 80 2 Kings 89 1 Chronicles 98 2 Chronicles 105 Ezra 114 Nehemiah 118 Esther 122 Chapter 3: Books of Poetry and Wisdom 125 Job 126 Psalms 131 Proverbs 145 Ecclesiastes 150 The Song of Solomon 152 Chapter 4: Books of the Major Prophets 155 Isaiah 155 Jeremiah 164 Lamentations 174
Ezekiel 176 Daniel 182 Chapter 5: Books of the Minor Prophets 186 Hosea 187 Joel 190 Amos 192 Obadiah 194 Jonah 195 Micah 197 Nahum 200 Habakkuk 201 Zephaniah 203 Haggai 205 Zechariah 207 Malachi 209
PART II: THE NEW TESTAMENT Chapter 6: The Gospels 212 Matthew 214 Mark 230 Luke 240 John 258 Chapter 7: Acts, a History of the Early Church
267
Chapter 8: Epistles of the Apostle Paul 282 Romans 283 1 Corinthians 289 2 Corinthians 295 Galatians 299 Ephesians 302 Philippians 304 Colossians 306 1 Thessalonians 308 2 Thessalonians 310 1 Timothy 312 2 Timothy 314
Titus 316 Philemon 318 Chapter 9: The General Epistles 319 Hebrews 320 James 324 1 Peter 326 2 Peter 329 1 John 330 2 John 332 3 John 333 Jude 334 Revelation 335 Index 343
Acknowledgments
M
y thanks to several people for their encouragement and assistance in the writing of this book. Paul K. Muckley, senior editor for nonfiction at Barbour Publishing, challenged me to create a Bible handbook that would be interesting, concise, and affordable—but accurate and informative at the same time. After hours of exacting work that began with that challenge, I am pleased to present The Pocket Bible Handbook. It contains a brief introduction to each book of the Bible, along with a summary of the book and accompanying artwork and sidebars to help the book come alive for those who want to develop a deeper understanding of God’s Word. Since it gives a compact, readable overview of the entire Bible, this Pocket Bible Handbook should be especially helpful to new Christians who are just beginning their exploration of God’s Word. Its affordable price and handy size also make it an ideal guide for study groups that want to work their way through the Bible on a book-bybook basis. Even those who just enjoy reading the Bible for spiritual guidance will find this book a valuable aid for more insightful reading of the Scriptures. I am indebted to the authors and publishers of several books for providing the art spots that appear in the Pocket Bible Handbook. These books, now in the public domain, are: Bible History, Containing the Most Remarkable Events of the Old and New Testament (New York: Benziger Bros., 1881). An Illustrated History of the Holy Bible by John Kitto and Alvan Bond (Norwich, Conn.: Henry Bill, 1868). Bible Biography, or the Lives and Characters of the Principal Personages Recorded in the Sacred Writings (New York: Robert Sears, 1856). The Doré Bible Gallery (Chicago: Belford, Clarke, 1889). Finally, thanks to my wife, Dorothy, for her careful attention to the many details that go into the production of a reference book such as this. She has served as word processor, Scripture checker, 9
proofreader, and index compiler. In addition, she serves as a constant encouragement and support to me in my writing efforts. My prayer is that average, everyday students of the Bible will find this book helpful as they seek to develop a greater understanding of the Book of books. George W. Knight Nashville, Tennessee
10
Introduction: God’s Eternal Word
P
erhaps the best definition and description of the Bible is found in the Bible itself: “The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Pet. 1:24–25). Most writings end up on the ash heap of history within a few generations. But the Bible is different. About two thousand years after the Bible took its final form with the writing of the New Testament books, God’s Word is still speaking to His world. Such staying power cannot be explained in human terms. God brought the Bible into being, and He has preserved it across the centuries as a guide for human belief and behavior. The word Bible comes from the Greek word biblos, which means “book.” In a sense, the Bible is one unified book. God speaks with one voice throughout His book, calling us to accept His offer of eternal life and follow His commands. But the Bible is also made up of individual books—thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. These books were written under God’s inspiration by many different authors over a period of many centuries. To really understand the Bible, we must focus on these sixty-six books as distinct parts of the whole. The authors of these books were real people with distinctive characteristics and personality traits. They were inspired by God to write His message for various reasons and under the impulse of different circumstances. When we know who these people were and why and how they wrote God’s message in their individual books, we are on our way to a better understanding of the Bible. For ease of discussion, this Bible handbook divides these sixtysix books of the Bible into nine different categories (see the contents page). Each category is covered by a chapter in the book. Study these biblical units and the individual Bible books in each unit in more detail in the following chapters. 11
PART I The Old Testament
T
he Bible has two grand divisions—the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the larger of these two divisions, containing more than twice as much material as the New Testament. The thirty-nine individual Old Testament books were written under the inspiration of the Lord across a period of many centuries by several different authors. The Old Testament also contains many different types of literature: law, history, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom writings. The word testament means “covenant.” The Old Testament tells how God called a people, the nation of Israel, to live in covenant with Him. The five major divisions of the Old Testament are: (1) books of the Law—Genesis through Deuteronomy; (2) historical books— Joshua through Esther; (3) books of poetry and wisdom—Job through the Song of Solomon; (4) books of the major prophets—Isaiah through Daniel; and (5) books of the minor prophets—Hosea through Malachi. These divisions of the Old Testament are discussed in the following chapters.
Chapter 1 Books of the Law
T
he first five books of the Old Testament are known as the “Books of the Law.” This title is appropriate because the laws and commands of God are the central theme of this section of the Old Testament. God revealed to Moses His expectation of the nation of Israel. Moses recorded these commands as laws in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis contains no specific laws, but it does describe the covenant relationship that God established with His people, the Israelites. This covenant relationship demanded loyalty and obedience from God’s chosen people. 13
Genesis
These first five books of the Old Testament are also known as the Pentateuch, a Greek term meaning “five-volumed.” These five books together take us from the creation of the physical world through the formation of the nation of Israel under the leadership of Moses.
GENESIS Overview: Creation of man, animals, and the physical universe and establishment of the covenant relationship between God and His people.
Introduction to Genesis
T
he word Genesis means “creation, origin, source, or the coming into being of something.” Thus, Genesis is the Bible’s book of beginnings. As the first book in God’s Word, it recounts (1) the beginning of the physical world, (2) the beginning of God’s plan of salvation for the human race, and (3) the beginning of the nation of Israel. Creation. Genesis gives us a picture of a sovereign, all-powerful God who brought the physical world into being through the power of His spoken word. The words “and God said” appear as an introduction before each of the six days of creation. The six days of creation also show that God brought the world into existence in an orderly fashion in accordance with His divine plan. The crowning achievement of His creation was man, whom He created in His image. As the all-powerful Creator, God had the right to set limits and boundaries beyond which man could not go. But man chose to disobey God in the Garden of Eden. This brought about the need for the second major theme of Genesis. Sin and Salvation. Before his disobedience and sin, man enjoyed unlimited fellowship with God. But this relationship was marred and broken when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. They were banished from the garden and from God’s presence. But in an act of mercy, God killed an animal and made clothes from its hide to 14
Genesis
cover their nakedness (3:21). This symbolized His commitment to provide salvation for man, to restore the broken relationship between Himself and mankind. Throughout the Old Testament, the restoration of this relationship depended on man’s keeping the law and obeying God’s commandments. But in the New Testament, He sent Christ—His own Son—to do away with law keeping as the basis of salvation. Through His death on the cross, Christ paid the penalty for mankind’s sin. Nation of Israel. From the beginning, God was concerned for the salvation of all humanity. But He chose to channel this concern to the world through a people who would belong to Him in a special sense—the nation of Israel. God began to build this nation when He called Abraham to leave his pagan surroundings and to go to a new land “that I will shew thee” (12:1)—the land of Canaan. God made a covenant with Abraham in which He promised, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing” (12:2). The Book of Genesis shows how this covenant was renewed across several generations with the descendants of Abraham: Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons, particularly Joseph. It was several
God expels Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:22–24).
15
Genesis
hundred years before the tribal descendants of Jacob claimed the land of Canaan as their own, but the promise was planted and nourished in the Book of Genesis.
Summary of Genesis 1:1–31. God creates the world in six days (Heb. 1:10). 2:1–25. God creates Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. 3:1–24. Adam and Eve disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit and are cast out of the Garden of Eden. 4:1–2. Two sons, Cain and Abel, are born to Adam and Eve. 4:3–15. Cain murders his brother, Abel. God punishes
Cain by driving him out of his homeland but protects him by placing a mark on him. 4:16–24. Cain’s descendants are listed. 4:25–5:32. Adam’s descendants are listed. 6:1–8. Wickedness spreads throughout the earth, and God determines to destroy the world. But Noah is looked upon with favor by the Lord because of his righteousness (Exod. 33:12). 6:9–22. The Lord tells Noah to build a huge ark, or boat, in which he and his family will be safe from the catastrophe that He plans to send on the earth. Noah does exactly as God commands.
Noah’s Deliverance The account of Noah and the flood (Gen. 6:9–8:22) shows that God has never given up hope for the salvation of man. The world may be filled with sin, but He always preserves a remnant, or a tiny minority, who remain faithful to Him and His commandments. This concept of the faithful remnant appears throughout the rest of the Bible, particularly the prophets of the Old Testament.
7:1–16. Noah and his family enter the ark, along with pairs of different animals. Rain pounds the earth for forty days and forty nights. 7:17–24. The earth is struck with a great flood, which lasts for 150 days. But Noah and his family and the animals are safe in the ark (2 Pet. 2:5). 16
Genesis
8:1–22. The flood waters recede, and Noah and his family leave the ark. Noah builds an altar and offers sacrifices to the Lord.
11:10–32. Descendants of Noah’s son Shem—the ancestors of Abram/Abraham—are listed.
9:1–19. God makes a covenant with Noah and causes a rainbow to appear in the sky as a token of His promise.
12:1–20. God calls Abram/ Abraham to leave his homeland and settle in a new country, Canaan, where He will give him many descendants and make them into a great nation (Heb. 11:8).
9:20–27. Noah falls into a drunken stupor and pronounces a curse on Canaan, a descendant of Noah’s son Ham.
13:1–18. Abram/Abraham and his nephew Lot go their separate ways after a disagreement over grazing lands for their livestock.
9:28–29. Noah dies after living for 950 years.
14:1–24. Abram/Abraham rescues Lot and pays tithes to Melchizedek, a priest and king.
10:1–32. Noah’s descendants are listed. 11:1–9. God confuses human languages at the Tower of Babel because of man’s pride and arrogance.
15:1–21. God makes a covenant with Abram/Abraham and renews His promise to give
From Adam to the Twelve Tribes 1. Adam’s descendants across nine generations produced Noah (Gen. 5:1–32). 2. Noah’s descendants across eleven generations produced Abraham (Gen. 10:1–32; 11:10–32). 3. Abraham fathered Isaac, whose son Jacob was known as the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Actually, only eleven of Jacob’s sons had tribes named for them, since the tribe of Levi was excluded because of its priestly responsibilities. Rounding out the twelve tribes were Ephraim and Manasseh, sons of Jacob’s son Joseph—or Jacob’s grandsons (Gen. 48:1–49:33). 17
Genesis
him a land and many descendants (Gen. 12:1–2).
19:1–29. Lot escapes when Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by the Lord (2 Pet. 2:6).
16:1–16. Abram/Abraham fathers a son, Ishmael, by the Egyptian servant of his wife, Sarah.
19:30–38. Lot fathers two sons, who become the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites.
17:1–27. God renews His covenant with Abram, renames him Abraham, and promises that Sarah will bear a son. All males in Abraham’s household are circumcised as a sign and seal of the divine covenant.
20:1–18. Abraham tries to pass off Sarah as his sister in the territory of Abimelech, a Philistine king. 21:1–21. A son, Isaac, is born to Abraham and Sarah; Hagar and Ishmael are banished to the wilderness.
18:1–33. Abraham pleads with God to spare the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
21:22–34. Abraham and Abimelech reach an agreement about a well at Beer-sheba.
Mysterious Melchizedek
This mysterious king of Salem (a shorter, older name for Jerusalem) was apparently a priest, as well, and he worshiped the Lord, just as Abraham did. He appears suddenly out of nowhere and disappears from the biblical record just as quickly (Gen. 14:18–20). Centuries later, the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament declared that the priesthood of Jesus was far superior to that of Melchizedek, even though this strange priest of Abraham’s time seemed supernatural in origin (see Heb. 7:1–17).
22:1–14. God tests Abraham’s faithfulness, but Abraham is prevented from sacrificing his son Isaac. 22:15–19. God renews His promise to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation (Gen. 12:1–2). 22:20–24. Abraham’s relatives are listed. 23:1–20. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, dies; Abraham buys a cave at Machpelah as a burial site. 24:1–67. Marriage of Abraham’s son Isaac and Rebekah. 18
Genesis
The aging Isaac blesses his younger son, Jacob, instead of his older son, Esau (Gen. 27:18–29).
25:1–11. Death and burial of Abraham.
his older son, Esau. 28:1–22. Jacob travels to Haran in search of a wife; God assures him in a dream that His promise to Abraham will be realized through Jacob’s descendants (Gen. 15:1–21).
25:12–18. Descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, are listed. 25:19–26. Twin sons, Jacob and Esau, are born to Isaac and Rebekah.
29:1–30. In Haran, Jacob works seven years for the hand of Leah and seven years for Rachel, daughters of Laban.
25:27–34. Esau, the older brother, trades his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew (1 Chron. 5:1–2).
29:31–30:24. Jacob fathers many sons by several different wives.
26:1–35. Isaac digs several wells in the territory of the Philistines; God promises Isaac that the covenant He has made with his father, Abraham, will be continued through him and his descendants.
30:25–43. Jacob prospers while raising livestock in the household of his father-in-law, Laban. 31:1–32:23. With Laban’s blessing, Jacob returns to Canaan with his family, along with presents for his estranged brother, Esau (Gen. 27:41).
27:1–46. Jacob tricks his father into blessing him rather than 19
Genesis
35:27–29. Death of Jacob’s father, Isaac.
Jacob/Israel The name Jacob means “selfish” or “ambitious,” and he had lived up to his name in grand fashion. But after his struggle with an angel, he was renamed Israel, meaning “prince of God” (Gen. 32:28). Jacob was to be God’s agent in the establishment of God’s covenant people Israel, who took their name from him.
36:1–43. Descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, are listed. 37:1–36. Jacob’s son Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers and taken into Egypt. 38:1–30. Judah, a son of Jacob, fathers twin sons by his daughterin-law Tamar. 39:1–23. Joseph is imprisoned in Egypt on a false charge.
32:24–32. Jacob wrestles with an angel; he is renamed Israel and assured of God’s blessings.
40:1–23. Imprisoned with the pharaoh’s chief butler and baker, Joseph explains the meaning of their dreams and develops a reputation as an interpreter of dreams.
33:1–20. Jacob is greeted and forgiven by his brother, Esau (Gen. 27:41).
41:1–43. Joseph is appointed a high official in the Egyptian pharaoh’s administration after foretelling a severe famine by interpreting the pharaoh’s dream.
34:1–31. Jacob and his sons avenge the sexual assault of Jacob’s daughter Dinah by Shechem. 35:1–15. God renews His covenant with Jacob at Bethel and assures him that his descendants will receive the land promised to Abraham (Gen. 15:1–21).
41:44–52. Joseph fathers two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, through his Egyptian wife, Asenath. 41:53–57. The famine that Joseph has foretold strikes Egypt.
35:16–20. Rachel dies while giving birth to Jacob’s twelfth son, Benjamin.
42:1–6. Because of the famine, ten of Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, Joseph’s full brother and youngest
35:21–26. The twelve sons of Jacob by four different wives are listed. 20
Genesis
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen. 37:26–29).
Again, they do not recognize Joseph.
son of Jacob (Gen. 35:16–20), does not make the trip. The ten brothers appear before Joseph, now one of Egypt’s high officials.
44:1–13. Joseph sends all his brothers back to Jacob with their sacks of grain. But he plants one of his silver cups in Benjamin’s sack. Then he sends his soldiers after them to search for stolen merchandise. All the brothers are arrested and returned to Joseph after the soldiers find the silver cup.
42:7–17. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him. He has them imprisoned for several days after accusing them of being spies. 42:18–38. Joseph holds his brother Simeon as a hostage. He sends the others back to Jacob with the charge to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, to him in Egypt. This will prove that they are not spies and result in the release of their brother Simeon.
44:14–34. Judah pleads with Joseph on behalf of his brother Benjamin. He offers to become a slave of Joseph if he will let Benjamin return to his father. 45:1–28. Overcome with emotion, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers. He sends them back to their homeland to tell Jacob that his son Joseph is alive and doing well in Egypt.
43:1–34. Joseph’s brothers, including Benjamin, return to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph releases Simeon and invites all of them to a feast at his house. 21
Exodus
46:1–47:31. With the help of Joseph, Jacob and his sons and their families move to Egypt to escape the famine (Acts 7:14–15).
Sons and Tribes One of the strange quirks of biblical history is that one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, did not have a tribe named for him. But in a sense, Joseph was doubly represented among the twelve tribes through his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:1–22). Another of Jacob’s sons, Levi, was not included among the twelve tribes, either—but there was a definite reason in his case. Levi’s descendants became the priests of Israel, with responsibility for ministering to all the other tribes. Levi was not considered a separate tribal group in the same sense as the other tribes.
48:1–22. Jacob blesses the two sons of Joseph—Ephraim and Manasseh. 49:1–33. After predicting the future for each of his sons, Jacob dies in Egypt. 50:1–13. Joseph and his brothers return Jacob’s body to Canaan for burial (Acts 7:16). 50:14–21. Joseph assures his brothers of his unconditional forgiveness. 50:22–26. Joseph dies in Egypt.
EXODUS Overview: The Lord delivers His people from enslavement by the Egyptians.
Introduction to Exodus
T
he Book of Exodus begins where the Book of Genesis ends— with the descendants of Jacob who settled in Egypt to escape a severe famine in their territory (Gen. 46:1–47:31). This move to Egypt was possible because of the favored status of Joseph— one of Jacob’s sons—who rose to a high position in the Egyptian government. For many years the Hebrew people multiplied and 22
Exodus
prospered with the blessings of the Egyptian pharaoh (king). But then the political climate changed: “There arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” (1:8). Jacob’s descendants were reduced to the status of slaves and forced to work on various Egyptian building projects. But God did not forget His people. He called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. With his brother Aaron as his helper, Moses confronted the pharaoh of Egypt and insisted that he let the Hebrew people go. God worked many miracles on behalf of His people to win their freedom. The Book of Exodus also tells how God took care of His people while they wandered in the wilderness area around Mt. Sinai. Through Moses, God also delivered the Ten Commandments and other laws to guide their lives as His special people. At God’s command through Moses, the people also built a tabernacle in the wilderness. This sacred tent, a central place for sacrifice and worship, traveled with the Hebrew people when they moved from place to place in the wilderness. It symbolized God’s presence in the midst of His people. The dominant personality of the Book of Exodus is Moses. God often spoke directly to him and gave him a message to pass on to the people. He was responsible for leading them in their quest for the Promised Land—the territory of the Canaanites that God had promised to Abraham and his descendants many centuries before (Gen. 12:1–5). Moses continues his leadership of the Hebrew people up through the Book of Deuteronomy. Many scholars believe he wrote these four Old Testament books, as well as the Book of Genesis. His important role in God’s plan for His people makes him one of the central figures of biblical history.
Summary of Exodus 1:1–7. The descendants of Jacob/Israel multiply at an astonishing rate in Egypt.
1:15–22. The pharaoh orders all male Israelite infants killed to control their population growth.
1:8–14. The pharaoh (king) of Egypt enslaves the Israelites. 23
Exodus
The pharaoh’s daughter discovers the baby Moses hidden in a basket on the Nile River (Exod. 2:5–6).
Egyptians (Acts 7:30).
2:1–4. A baby boy named Moses is hidden in a basket on the Nile River to escape the pharaoh’s decree (Heb. 11:23).
4:1–13. God assures Moses through miraculous signs that He will stand with him before the pharaoh.
2:5–10. The pharaoh’s daughter discovers Moses and adopts him as her son.
4:14–31. God deals with Moses’ excuses by appointing his brother, Aaron, to serve as Moses’ spokesman. Moses returns to Egypt to confront the pharaoh.
2:11–15. After he reaches adulthood, Moses kills an Egyptian official who is abusing an Israelite slave. Moses flees to Midian to escape the pharaoh’s wrath.
5:1–23. The pharaoh responds to Moses’ demands by forcing the Israelite slaves to make bricks without straw.
2:16–25. Moses becomes a shepherd in the household of a Midianite named Reuel (also known as Jethro) and marries his daughter, Zipporah.
6:1–13. God assures Moses and the Israelites that the covenant He had made with Abraham over four hundred years before (Gen. 15:1–21) is still in force; God will bring the Israelites out of slavery into their own land.
3:1–22. God appears to Moses in a burning bush and calls him to deliver His people, the Israelites, from enslavement by the 24
Exodus
6:14–15. The descendants of Jacob’s sons Reuben and Simeon are listed (Num. 26:5–14). 6:16–30. The descendants of Jacob’s son Levi (Gen. 29:34), which include Moses and Aaron, are listed. 7:1–13. Aaron’s rod turns into a snake, but this miraculous sign fails to impress the Egyptian pharaoh (king) and his court magicians. 7:14–10:29. God sends nine plagues upon the Egyptians to convince the pharaoh to release the Israelite slaves, but he remains stubborn and unmoved.
The Hebrew people prepare a sacrificial lamb to protect their homes from the death angel (Exod. 12:1–28).
final plague—the death of all the Egyptian firstborn.
11:1–10. God announces through Moses the tenth and
12:1–30. All the Egyptian firstborn are killed. The Israelites are spared because they obey God’s command to mark the doorposts of their houses with the blood of sacrificial lambs (Ezek. 9:6).
Plagues Against Egypt 1. Water turned to blood (7:15–25) 2. Frogs (8:1–15) 3. Lice (8:16–19) 4. Flies (8:20–32) 5. Death of livestock (9:1–7) 6. Boils (9:8–12) 7. Hail (9:13–35) 8. Locusts (10:1–20) 9. Darkness (10:21–29) 10. Death of Egyptian firstborn (12:29–36)
12:31–51. Crushed by the widespread death of his people, the pharaoh releases the Israelites, who travel into the desert territory east of Egypt. 13:1–20. God directs that the firstborn of both animals and people among the Israelites are to be dedicated to Him. 25