מִתְּחִלָּה עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו קֵרְבָנוּ הַמָּקוֹם לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹאמֶר יְהוֹשֻעַ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם, כֹּה אָמַר יְיָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר יָשְׁבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵעוֹלָם, תֶּרַח אֲבִי אַבְרָהָם וַאֲבִי נָחוֹר, וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים. מִתְּחִלָּה IN THE BEGINNING,
our ancestors were idol worshippers.
BUT NOW
the Omnipresent has drawn us close in His service;
as it is said:
“Joshua said to all the people,
‘This is what the LORD God of Israel has said:
Beyond the river your ancestors always dwelled –
Terah the father of Abraham, the father of Nahor –
and they served other gods.
וָאֶקַּח אֶת־אֲבִיכֶם אֶת־אַבְרָהָם מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וָאוֹלֵךְ אוֹתוֹ בְּכָל־אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן, וָאַרְבֶּה אֶת־זַרְעוֹ וָאֶתֶּן־לוֹ אֶת־יִצְחָק. וָאֶתֵּן לְיִצְחָק אֶת־יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת־עֵשָׂו, וָאֶתֵּן לְעֵשָׂו אֶת־הַר שֵּׂעִיר לָרֶשֶׁת אוֹתוֹ, וְיַעֲקֹב וּבָנָיו יָרְדוּ מִצְרָיִם. But I took your father Abraham from beyond the river,
and I led him all the way across the land of Canaan,
and I multiplied his offspring and gave him Isaac.
And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau,
and I gave Esau Mount Seir as an inheritance,
WHILE JACOB AND HIS CHILDREN WENT DOWN TO EGYPT.”’
בָּרוּךְ שׁוֹמֵר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּרוּךְ הוּא. שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חִשַּׁב אֶת־הַקֵּץ, לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּמוֹ שֶּׁאָמַר לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ בִּבְרִית בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם, יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי־גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם, וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה. וְגַם אֶת־הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן יֵצְאוּ בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל. BLESSED IS THE ONE
WHO HAS KEPT HIS PROMISE
TO ISRAEL –
blessed is He.
For the Holy One calculated the end
and fulfilled what He had spoken
to our father Abraham
in the Covenant between the Pieces.
As it is said:
“He said to Abram,
‘Know that your descendants
will be strangers in a land not their own,
and they will be enslaved
and oppressed for four hundred years;
but know that I shall judge the nation that enslaves them,
AND THEN THEY WILL LEAVE
WITH GREAT WEALTH.’”
מכסה המצה ומגביה את הכוס בידו, ואומר: The matzot are covered and the wine cup is raised.
וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ. שֶׁלֹּא אֶחָד בִּלְבַד עָמַד עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם. וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה AND THIS
[promise] is what has stood
by our ancestors and us;
for it was not only one man who rose up to destroy us:
in every single generation people rise up to destroy us –
BUT THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE,
SAVES US
FROM THEIR HANDS.