Sanctifying the Firstborn

13 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “^(A)Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first ^[a]offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

³ And Moses said to the people, “^(B)Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of ^[b]slavery; for ^(C)by a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. ^(D)And nothing leavened shall be eaten. ⁴ This day, in the ^(E)month of Abib, you are going out. ⁵ And it shall be when Yahweh ^(F)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which ^(G)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^(H)that you shall ^[c]do this service in this month. ⁶ For ^(I)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to Yahweh. ⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and ^(J)nothing leavened shall be seen ^[d]among you, nor shall any leaven be seen ^[e]among you in all your borders. ^8 (K)And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ And ^(L)it will be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with ^(M)a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰ Therefore, you shall ^(N)keep this statute at its appointed time from ^[f]year to year.

¹¹ “And it will be when ^(O)Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as ^(P)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, ^12 (Q)and you shall ^[g]devote to Yahweh the first ^[h]offspring of every womb and ^[i]the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to Yahweh. ¹³ But ^(R)every first ^[j]offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and ^(S)every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. ^14 (T)And it will be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ then you shall say to him, ‘^(U)With a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt, from the house of ^[k]slavery. ¹⁵ And it happened, when Pharaoh hardened his heart with stiffness about letting us go, that ^(V)Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to Yahweh the males, the first ^[l]offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ ¹⁶ So ^(W)it will be as a sign on your hand and as ^[m]phylacteries between your eyes, for with a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

¹⁷ Now it happened that when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “^(X)Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ Hence God turned the people to the way of the wilderness to the ^[n]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ^(Y)in battle array from the land of Egypt. ¹⁹ And Moses took ^(Z)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely ^[o]take care of you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you.” ²⁰ Then they set out from ^(AA)Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. ^21 (AB)And Yahweh was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to guide them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might go by day and by night. ^22 [p]He ^(AC)did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.