Consecration of the Firstborn

13 The Lord said to Moses, (A)“Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Then Moses said to the people, (B)“Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, (C)for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. (D)No leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of (E)Abib, you are going out. And when the Lord brings you into (F)the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which (G)he swore to your fathers to give you, a land (H)flowing with milk and honey, (I)you shall keep this service in this month. (J)Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. (K)You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall (L)be to you as a sign on your hand and as (M)a memorial (N)between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 (O)You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, (P)as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 (Q)you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's. 13 (R)Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every (S)firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 (T)And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, (U)‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of (V)slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the (W)Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but (X)all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 (Y)It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for (Z)by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did (AA)not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people (AB)change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God (AC)led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph[a] had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, (AD)“God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And (AE)they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And (AF)the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 13:19 Samaritan, Septuagint; Hebrew he

13 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

Set apart as kodesh unto Me kol bechor, whatsoever openeth the rechem (womb) among the Bnei Yisroel, both of adam and of behemah; it is Mine.

And Moshe said unto HaAm, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Mitzrayim, out of the bais avadim; for by chozek yad Hashem brought you out from this place; there shall no chametz be eaten.

This day came ye out in the month Aviv.

And it shall be when Hashem shall bring thee into the land of the Kena’ani, and the Chitti, and the Emori, and the Chivi, and the Yevusi, which He swore unto thy Avot to give thee, an eretz flowing with cholov and devash, that thou shalt observe this avodah (service) in this month.

Shivat yamim thou shalt eat matzot, and in the seventh day shall be a Chag (Feast) to Hashem.

Matzot shall be eaten shivat hayamim; and there shall no chametz be seen with thee, neither shall there be se’or seen with thee within all thy borders.

And thou shalt show thy ben in that day, saying, This is because of what Hashem did for me when I came forth out of Mitzrayim.

And it shall be for an ot (sign) unto thee upon thine yad, and for a zikaron (reminder) between thine eyes, in order that the torat Hashem may be in thy mouth; because with a yad chazakah hath Hashem brought thee out of Mitzrayim.

10 Thou shalt therefore be shomer over this chukkah in its mo’ed (season, fixed time) perpetually.

11 And it shall be when Hashem shall bring thee into the land of the Kena’ani, as He swore unto thee and to thy avot, and shall give it thee,

12 That thou shalt set apart unto Hashem all that openeth the rechem (womb), and every firstling that is born of a behemah which thou hast; hazecharim (the males) shall be Hashem’s.

13 And every firstling of a he-donkey thou shalt redeem with a seh; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck; and kol bechor adam among thy banim shalt thou redeem.

14 And it shall be when thy ben asketh thee in time to come, saying, Mah zot? (What is this?) that thou shalt say unto him, By chozek yad Hashem brought us out from Mitzrayim, from the bais avadim;

15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, that Hashem killed kol bechor of Eretz Mitzrayim, both the bechor adam, and the bechor behemah; therefore Ani zovei’ach laHashem (I sacrifice to Hashem) kol that openeth the rechem (womb), being hazecharim (the males); but kol bechor of my banim I redeem.

16 And it shall be for an ot (sign) upon thine hand, and for totafos (ornaments, frontlets, bands, phylactery) between thine eyes; for by chozek yad Hashem brought us forth out of Mitzrayim.

[BESHALLACH]

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that Elohim led them not through the derech of the eretz of the Pelishtim (Philistines), although that was near; for Elohim said, Lest perhaps the people change their mind when they see milchamah, and they return to Mitzrayim;

18 So Elohim led HaAm about, through the derech of the midbar of the Yam Suf; and the Bnei Yisroel went up out of Eretz Mitzrayim ready for battle.

19 And Moshe took the atzmot Yosef with him; for Yosef had made the Bnei Yisroel swear unconditionally, saying, Elohim will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my atzmot away from here with you.

20 And they took their journey from Sukkot, and encamped in Etam, at the edge of the midbar.

21 And Hashem went before them by day in an ammud anan, to guide them haderech; and by lailah in an ammud eish, to give them ohr; so they could travel yomam valailah (day or night);

22 He took not away the amud heanan by day, nor the ammud haeish by night, from before HaAm.