Pharaoh Hunts the Markets for Moses on the Night of Exodus

"And he called for Moses and for Aaron" (Exodus 12:31). He went about at night, circling through the marketplaces, saying, "Where is Moses staying?" And the children of Israel made sport of him, saying, "Here." When he found them, he said to them, "Rise up, go out from among my people; go in peace, walk in peace." Moses said to him, "Wicked one! Are we thieves, that we should go out by night? Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us: 'And you shall not go out, any man from the door of his house, until morning.'" Pharaoh said to him, "I beg of you, rise up, go out from among my people. Behold, you are free men. Until now you were slaves to me, and I ruled over you; from now on you are servants of the LORD." "And go, serve the LORD." Moses said to him, "Say this thing two times." And the Holy One, blessed be He, caused the voice to be heard throughout all the land of Egypt, a journey of forty [days], which is four hundred parsangs by four hundred parsangs. Immediately, "And Egypt was urgent" (verse 33). Another interpretation: "About midnight I will go out" (Exodus 11:4). "I will come in" is what it should have said. Rather, thus said the Holy One, blessed be He: "I go out from my obligation, which I promised to Abraham your father, at the time he pursued the kings, as it is said, 'And he divided himself against them by night' (Genesis 14:15)." And Abraham our father had said, "That half of the night—why do you not give it to me?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "I need it for your children, for I am destined to perform a redemption in it, and this is the going out from Egypt." Therefore He said, "I go out from my obligation."