- published: 20 Jun 2013
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The Exodus (Greek ἔξοδος, exodos "way out", Hebrew: יציאת מצרים, Modern Yetsi'at Mitzrayim Tiberian [jəsʕijaθ misʕɾajim] Y'ṣiʾath Miṣrayim ; "[the] exit [from] Egypt") is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.
Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan described in the books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
See Exodus 13 and following chapters
The Book of Exodus tells how Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Mount Sinai, where God reveals himself and offers them a Covenant: they are to keep his torah (i.e. law, instruction), and in return he will be their god and give them the land of Canaan. The Book of Leviticus records the laws of God. The Book of Numbers tells how the Israelites, led now by their God, journey onwards from Sinai towards Canaan, but when their spies report that the land is filled with giants they refuse to go on. God then condemns them to remain in the desert until the generation that left Egypt passes away. After thirty-eight years at the oasis of Kadesh Barnea the next generation travel on to the borders of Canaan. The Book of Deuteronomy tells how, within sight of the Promised Land, Moses recalls their journeys and gives them new laws. His death (the last reported event of the Torah) concludes the 40 years of the exodus from Egypt.
One by one, the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The open-hearted many
The broken-hearted few
And no one knows where the night is going
And no one knows why the wine is flowing
Oh love, I need you, I need you, I need you
I need you, oh, I need you now
And those who dance, begin to dance
Those who weep begin
And "Welcome, welcome" cries a voice
"Let all my guests come in"
And no one knows where the night is going
And all go stumbling through that house
In lonely secrecy, saying, "Do reveal yourself
Or why has thou forsaken me?"
And no one knows where the night is going
All at once the torches flare, the inner door
Flies open, one by one they enter there
In every style of passion
And no one knows where the night is going
And here they take their sweet repast while house
And grounds dissolve and one by one
The guests are cast beyond the garden wall
And no one knows where the night is going
Those who dance, begin to dance
Those who weep begin
Those who earnestly are lost
Are lost and lost again
And no one knows where the night is going
One by the guests arrive
The guests are coming through
The broken-hearted many
The open-hearted few