And you shall keep it refers to the lamb or kid, which was to be given special care by each family. Good News Translation unfortunately omits this phrase, but the Hebrew literally says “and it shall be to you [plural] for guarding.” Revised English Bible expresses it well: “Have it in safe keeping.” Contemporary English Version has “Each family must take care of its animal.” Until the fourteenth day of this month refers to the 14th of Abib, the day when future celebrations of the Passover were to begin. (See Lev 23.5.)

The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel seems quite wordy. The Hebrew is literally “all the qahal of the ʿedah of Israel.” The two terms mean almost the same thing and are often used interchangeably. New Revised Standard Version also translates both terms with “the whole assembled community of Israel,” and Revised English Bible has “all the assembled community of Israel.” It is not clear, however, whether the killing of all the animals was to be done in one place, or whether the Israelites were now living together in one community. For this first observance of the Passover, it is better to assume that the animals were killed at each home, for the blood had to be placed on the door frames of the houses (verse 7). Good News Translation simply has “the whole community of Israel,” so it is probably best to think in terms of “all the people of Israel” rather than suggesting there was some kind of meeting or convocation.

Shall kill their lambs is literally “and they shall slaughter it” (so New Revised Standard Version), but obviously the singular “it” refers to each family’s animal. In the evening is literally “between the two evenings,” as the Revised Standard Version footnote explains. Orthodox Jews have interpreted this to mean any time in the afternoon before sunset. However, for this first observance, the expression probably meant the time between sunset and darkness, or “twilight” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version). Revised English Bible has “between dusk and dark.” Good News Translation‘s “evening” should be understood in the same way. Other ways to render this phrase are “at sunset on the fourteenth day” or “as the sun is setting on the fourteenth day.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Each family must take care of its animal until sunset on the fourteenth day of this month. Then all the Israelites will kill their animals.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .