but all of Egypt rent, mourning for her firstborn. For all of Egypt, having come into being in pains and plagues, in tears and lamentations, came to Pharaoh entirely mournful, not only in appearance, but also in soul, having rent not only the robes of her garment, but also the breasts of her luxury. It was a new sight to see, here some beating their breasts, there some wailing, and in the midst a mournful Pharaoh, sitting on sackcloth and ashes, clothed with the palpable darkness as a mournful garment, girt with all Egypt as a tunic of mourning. For Egypt lay about Pharaoh as a garment of wailing. Such a tunic was woven for the tyrannical body, such a robe did the angel of justice put on the hard Pharaoh: bitter mourning and palpable darkness and childlessness. And it was upon her firstborn; for swift and insatiable was the death of the firstborn.

It was a new trophy to see upon the fallen corpses in a single moment. And the rout of the fallen became nourishment for death. And a new calamity, if you hear it, you will marvel. For these things encompassed the Egyptians: a long night and a palpable darkness and a groping death and an afflicting angel and Hades swallowing their firstborn. But you have something newer and more fearful to hear. In the palpable darkness the impalpable death was hidden, and while the unfortunate Egyptians were groping in the darkness, death, searching out, was groping for the firstborn of the Egyptians at the angel's command. If anyone, therefore, groped in the darkness, he was led out to death. If any firstborn, having embraced a dark body with his hand, terrified in his soul, cried out pitifully and fearfully: "Whom does my right hand hold? For whom does my soul tremble? What dark thing lies about my whole body? If it is my father, help; if my mother, have compassion; if my brother, speak to me; if my friend, stand firm; if my enemy, depart, for I am a firstborn." But before the firstborn fell silent, the long silence seized him, addressing him: "You are my firstborn; I, the silence of death, am fated for you." But another firstborn, understanding the capture of the firstborn, denied himself, so that he might not die bitterly: "I am not a firstborn, I was born as the third fruit." But the one who could not be deceived laid hold of the firstborn; and he fell face down, silent. And in a single moment the firstborn fruit of the Egyptians was destroyed. The first-sown, the firstborn, the desired, the cherished was dashed to the ground, not only of humans, but also of irrational animals. And a lowing was heard in the fields of the land of cattle lamenting over their young; for both the heifer with her calf and the mare with her foal and the rest of the cattle giving birth and swaddling wailed bitterly and piteously for their firstborn fruit. And there was wailing and beating of breasts over the destruction of the men, over the dead firstborn. For all of Egypt stank from the unburied bodies. And it was a fearful sight to behold, the mothers of the Egyptians with their hair unbound, fathers with their minds unbound, wailing terribly in the Egyptian tongue: "Wretchedly have we been made childless in a single moment of our firstborn fruit." And they were beating their breasts, striking their temples with their hands at the dance of the dead. Such a calamity encompassed Egypt, and suddenly made her childless. But Israel was protected by the slaughter of the sheep, and indeed was illumined by the shed blood, and the death of the sheep was found to be a wall for the people. O new and ineffable mystery! The slaughter of the sheep was found to be the salvation of Israel, and the death of the sheep became the life of the people, and the blood put the angel to shame. Tell me, O angel, what put you to shame? The slaughter of the sheep or the life of the Lord? The death of the sheep or the type of the Lord? The blood of the sheep or the spirit of the Lord? It is clear that you were put to shame, seeing the mystery of the Lord taking place in the sheep, the life of the Lord in the

ἀλλ' ὅλην Αἴγυπτον περιεσχισμένην, πενθοῦσαν ἐπὶ τοῖς πρωτοτόκοις αὐτῆς. Ὅλη γὰρ Αἴγυπτος, γενηθεῖσα ἐν πόνοις καὶ πληγαῖς, ἐν δάκρυσιν καὶ κοπετοῖς, ἀφίκετο πρὸς Φαραὼ ὅλη πενθήρης, οὐ μόνον τῷ σχήματι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ, περιεσχισμένη οὐ μόνον τὰς στόλας τῆς περιβολῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς μαστοὺς τῆς τρυφῆς. Ἦν δὲ καινὸν θέαμα ἰδεῖν, ἔνθα κοπτομένους, ἔνθα κωκύοντας, καὶ μέσον Φαραὼ πενθήρη, ἐπὶ σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ καθήμενον, περιβεβλημένον τὸ ψηλαφητὸν σκότος ὡς ἱμάτιον πενθικόν, περιεζωσμένον ὅλην Αἴγυπτον ὡς κιθῶνα πένθους. Ἦν γὰρ περικειμένη Αἴγυπτος τὸν Φαραὼ ὡς περιβολὴ κωκυτοῦ. Τοιοῦτος ὑφάνθη κιθὼν τῷ τυραννικῷ σώματι, τοιαύτην ἐνέδυσεν στολὴν τὸν σκληρὸν Φαραὼ ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἄγγελος· πένθος πικρὸν καὶ σκότος ψηλαφητὸν καὶ ἀτεκνίαν. Καὶ ἦν ἐπὶ τῶν πρωτοτόκων αὐτῆς· ἦν γὰρ ταχινὸς καὶ ἀκόρεστος ὁ τῶν πρωτοτόκων θάνατος.

Ἦν δὲ καινὸν τρόπαιον ἰδεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν πιπτόντων νεκρῶν ἐν μιᾷ ῥοπῇ. Καὶ ἐγένετο τοῦ θανάτου τροφὴ ἡ τῶν κειμένων τροπή. Καινὴν δὲ συμφοράν, ἐὰν ἀκούσητε, θαυμάσετε. Τάδε γὰρ περιέσχεν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους, νὺξ μακρὰ καὶ σκότος ψηλαφητὸν καὶ θάνατος ψηλαφῶν καὶ ἄγγελος ἐκθλίβων καὶ ᾅδης καταπίνων τοὺς πρωτοτόκους αὐτῶν. Τὸ δὲ καινότερον καὶ φοβερώτερον ἀκοῦσαι ἔχετε. Ἐν τῷ ψηλαφητῷ σκότει ὁ ἀψηλάφητος θάνατος ἐκρύβετο, καὶ τὸ μὲν σκότος ἐψηλάφων οἱ δυστυχεῖς Αἰγύπτιοι, ὁ δὲ θάνατος ἐξεραυνῶν ἐψηλάφα τοὺς πρωτοτόκους τῶν Αἰγυπτίων τοῦ ἀγγέλου κελεύοντος. Εἴ τις οὖν ἐψηλάφα τὸ σκότος, ὑπὲρ τοῦ θανάτου ἐξήγετο. Εἴ τις πρωτότοκος χειρὶ σκοτεινὸν σῶμα ἐναγκαλισάμενος, τῇ ψυχῇ ἐκδειματωθεὶς οἰκτρὸν καὶ φοβερὸν ἀνεβόησεν· «Τίνα κρατεῖ ἡ δεξιά μου; Τίνα τρέμει ἡ ψυχή μου; Τίς μοι σκοτεινὸς περίκειται ὅλῳ τῷ σώματι; Εἰ μὲν πατήρ, βοήθησον, εἰ δὲ μήτηρ, συμπάθησον, εἰ δὲ ἀδελφός, προσλάλησον, εἰ δὲ φίλος, εὐστάθησον, εἰ δὲ ἐχθρός, ἀπαλλάγηθι, ὅτι πρωτότοκος ἐγώ.» Πρὸ δὲ τοῦ σιωπῆσαι τὸν πρωτότοκον, ἡ μακρὰ σιωπὴ κατέσχεν αὐτὸν προσειποῦσα· «Πρωτότοκος ἐμὸς εἶ· ἐγώ σοι πέπρωμαι ἡ τοῦ θανάτου σιωπή.» Ἕτερος δέ τις πρωτότοκος, νοήσας τὴν τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἅλωσιν, ἑαυτὸν ἀπηρνεῖτο, ἵνα μὴ θάνῃ πικρῶς· «Οὔκ εἰμι πρωτότοκος, τρίτῳ γεγέννημαι καρπῷ.» Ὁ δὲ ψευσθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενος τοῦ πρωτοτόκου προσήπτετο· πρηνὴς δὲ ἔπιπτε σιγῶν. Ὑπὸ δὲ μιὰν ῥοπὴν ὁ πρωτότοκος καρπὸς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἀπώλετο. Ὁ πρωτόσπορος, ὁ πρωτότοκος, ὁ ποθητός, ὁ περιψηκτὸς ἐδαφίσθη χαμαί, οὐχ ὁ τῶν ἀνθρώπων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων ζῴων. Μύκημα δὲ ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις τῆς γῆς ἠκούετο ἀποδυρομένων κτηνῶν ἐπὶ τῶν τροφίμων αὐτῶν· καὶ γὰρ δάμαλις ὑπόμοσχος καὶ ἵππος ὑπόπωλος καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κτήνη λοχευόμενα καὶ σπαργῶντα πικρὸν καὶ ἐλεεινὸν ἀπωδύροντο ἐπὶ τῶν πρωτοτόκων καρπῶν. Οἰμωγὴ δὲ καὶ κοπετὸς ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπωλείᾳ ἐγένετο, ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν πρωτοτόκων νεκρῶν. Ὅλη γὰρ ἐπώζεσεν Αἴγυπτος ἀπὸ τῶν ἀτάφων σωμάτων. Ἦν δὲ θεάσασθαι φοβερὸν θέαμα, τῶν Αἰγυπτίων μητέρας λυσικόμους, πατέρας λυσίφρονας, δεινὸν ἀνακωκύοντας τῇ Αἰγυπτιακῇ φωνῇ· «∆υστυχεῖς ἠτεκνώμεθα ὑπὸ μίαν ῥοπὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ πρωτοτόκου καρποῦ.» Ἦσαν δὲ ἐπὶ μαστῶν κοπτόμενοι, χερσὶν τύπτοντες κροτήματα ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ὀρχήσεως. Τοιαύτη συμφορὰ περιέσχεν Αἴγυπτον, ἄφνω δὲ ἠτέκνωσεν αὐτήν. Ἦν δὲ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ φρουρούμενος ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ προβάτου σφαγῆς, καί γε συνεφωτίζετο ὑπὸ τοῦ χυθέντος αἵματος, καὶ τεῖχος ηὑρίσκετο τοῦ λαοῦ ὁ τοῦ προβάτου θάνατος. Ὢ μυστηρίου καινοῦ καὶ ἀνεκδιηγήτου· ἡ τοῦ προβάτου σφαγὴ ηὑρίσκετο τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ σωτηρία, καὶ ὁ τοῦ προβάτου θάνατος ζωὴ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἐδυσώπησεν τὸν ἄγγελον. Λέγε μοι, ὦ ἄγγελε, τί ἐδυσωπήθης, τὴν τοῦ προβάτου σφαγὴν ἢ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ζωήν, τὸν τοῦ προβάτου θάνατον ἢ τὸν τοῦ κυρίου τύπον, τὸ τοῦ προβάτου αἷμα ἢ τὸ τοῦ κυρίου πνεῦμα; ∆ῆλος εἶ δυσωπηθεὶς εἰδὼν τὸ τοῦ κυρίου μυστήριον ἐν τῷ προβάτῳ γινόμενον, τὴν τοῦ κυρίου ζωὴν ἐν τῇ τοῦ