Add parallel Print Page Options

Unleavened Bread and Dedication of Firstborn to Commemorate the Rescue from Egypt

13 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Consecrate to me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites,[a] among humans[b] and among domestic animals;[c] it belongs to me.”[d] And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you went out from Egypt, from a house of slaves, because with strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from here, and food with yeast will not be eaten. Today you are going out in the month of Abib. And when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites[e] and the Hittites[f] and the Amorites[g] and the Hivites[h] and the Jebusites[i]—which he swore to your ancestors[j] to give to you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you will perform this service in this month. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day will be a feast for Yahweh. Unleavened bread will be eaten the seven days; food with yeast will not be seen for you; and yeast will not be seen for you in all your territory. And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out from Egypt.’ And it will be as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes so that the law of Yahweh will be in your mouth, that with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from Egypt. 10 And you will keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.[k]

11 “And when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your ancestors,[l] and he gives it to you, 12 you will hand over every first offspring of a womb to Yahweh, and every first offspring dropped by a domestic animal that will belong to you, the males will be for Yahweh. 13 And every first offspring of a donkey you will redeem with small livestock, and if you will not redeem it, then you will break its neck, and every firstborn human among your sons you will redeem. 14 And when your son asks you in the future,[m] saying, ‘What is this?’ you will say to him, ‘With strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from a house of slaves. 15 And when Pharaoh was stubborn to release us, Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from firstborn human to firstborn domestic animal. Therefore I am sacrificing to Yahweh every first offspring of a womb, the males, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 And it will be as a sign on your hand and as symbolic ornaments between your eyes that with strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt.”

Summary of Travel

17 And when Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them the way of the land of the Philistines, though it was nearer, because God said, “Lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea,[n] and the Israelites[o] went up in battle array from the land of Egypt. 19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph[p] had made the Israelites[q] solemnly swear an oath, saying, “God will surely attend to you, and you will take up my bones from here with you.” 20 And they set out from Succoth, and they encamped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 And Yahweh was going before them by day in a column of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a column of fire to give light to them to go by day and night. 22 The column of cloud by day and the column of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 13:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Exodus 13:2 Hebrew “human”
  3. Exodus 13:2 Hebrew “animal”
  4. Exodus 13:2 Literally “to/for me it”
  5. Exodus 13:5 Hebrew “Canaanite”
  6. Exodus 13:5 Hebrew “Hittite”
  7. Exodus 13:5 Hebrew “Amorite”
  8. Exodus 13:5 Hebrew “Hivite”
  9. Exodus 13:5 Hebrew “Jebusite”
  10. Exodus 13:5 Or “fathers”
  11. Exodus 13:10 Literally “from days to days”
  12. Exodus 13:11 Or “fathers”
  13. Exodus 13:14 Literally “tomorrow”
  14. Exodus 13:18 Literally “sea of reed”
  15. Exodus 13:18 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  16. Exodus 13:19 Hebrew “he”
  17. Exodus 13:19 Literally “sons/children of Israel”

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.