"I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
Exodus 20:2 · King James Bible
What it is
Exodus is the second book of the Bible — the story of how the family of Jacob, now grown into a nation of slaves in Egypt, is delivered by the mighty hand of God. Traditionally attributed to Moses. Forty chapters.
The shape of the book
Chapters 1–12: Slavery, Moses's call at the burning bush, the ten plagues, the Passover.
Chapters 13–18: The Red Sea crossing, manna, water from the rock, Jethro's advice.
Chapters 19–24: Sinai. The Ten Commandments. The book of the covenant.
Chapters 25–40: The plans for the tabernacle, the golden calf incident, God's presence filling the tabernacle.
Six passages worth knowing
Exodus 3 (the burning bush) · Exodus 12 (the Passover) · Exodus 14 (the Red Sea) · Exodus 20 (the Ten Commandments) · Exodus 32 (the golden calf) · Exodus 40 (the glory fills the tabernacle).
How to read it in a fortnight
Chapters 1–7 (one evening), 8–12 (one), 13–18 (one), 19–24 (two — this is the heart), 25–31 (one), 32–34 (one — the golden calf is not to be skipped), 35–40 (one). Nine evenings.
Why it matters
Exodus is the picture of salvation the whole Bible works from. A God who hears the cry of his slaves. A lamb whose blood covers the doorposts. A crossing through the deep on dry ground. A law given at a mountain. A tabernacle where God dwells with his people. Every one of these images comes back at Christmas, at the cross, at Pentecost. If Genesis is beginnings, Exodus is redemption.