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 Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Sanctify unto me all the first-born, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of [a]bondage; for by strength of hand Jehovah brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. This day ye go forth in the month Abib. And it shall be, when Jehovah shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to Jehovah. Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee, in all thy borders. And thou shalt tell thy son in that day, saying, It is because of that which Jehovah did for me when I came forth out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of Jehovah may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath Jehovah brought thee out of Egypt. 10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

11 And it shall be, when Jehovah shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12 that thou shalt [b]set apart unto Jehovah all that openeth the womb, and every firstling which thou hast that cometh of a beast; the males shall be Jehovah’s. 13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a [c]lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck: and all the first-born of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem. 14 And it shall be, when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand Jehovah brought us out from Egypt, from the house of [d]bondage: 15 and it came to pass, when Pharaoh [e]would hardly let us go, that Jehovah slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast: therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem. 16 And it shall be for a sign upon thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand Jehovah brought us forth out of Egypt.

17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: 18 but God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. 20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night: 22 [f]the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 13:3 Hebrew bondmen.
  2. Exodus 13:12 Hebrew cause to pass over.
  3. Exodus 13:13 Or, kid
  4. Exodus 13:14 Hebrew bondmen.
  5. Exodus 13:15 Or, hardened himself against letting us go
  6. Exodus 13:22 Or, he took not away the pillar of cloud by day, or the etc.