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Exodus 13-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Exodus 13-15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine.”(A)
The Festival of Unleavened Bread
3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, because the Lord brought you out from there by strength of hand; no leavened bread shall be eaten.(B) 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this observance in this month.(C) 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival to the Lord.(D) 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen in your possession, and no leaven shall be seen among you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your child on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’(E) 9 It shall serve for you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead, so that the teaching of the Lord may be on your lips, for with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.(F) 10 You shall keep this ordinance at its proper time from year to year.(G)
The Consecration of the Firstborn
11 “When the Lord has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and has given it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn offspring of your livestock that are males shall be the Lord’s.(H) 13 But every firstborn donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. Every firstborn male among your children you shall redeem.(I) 14 When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer, ‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.(J) 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’(K) 16 It shall serve as a sign on your hand and as an emblem[a] on your forehead that by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”(L)
The Pillars of Cloud and Fire
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer, for God thought, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.”(M) 18 So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness bordering the Red Sea.[b] The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle. 19 And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, “God will surely come to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.”(N) 20 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.(O) 21 The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.(P) 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Crossing the Red Sea
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall camp opposite it, by the sea.(Q) 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.’ 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.(R)
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him; 7 he took six hundred elite chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly.(S) 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.(T)
10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord.(U) 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt?(V) 12 Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again.(W) 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”(X)
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 But you lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground.(Y) 17 Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.(Z) 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.”(AA)
19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them.(AB) 20 It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.(AC) 22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.(AD) 23 The Egyptians pursued and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24 At the morning watch the Lord, in the pillar of fire and cloud, looked down on the Egyptian army and threw the Egyptian army into a panic.(AE) 25 He clogged[c] their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”(AF)
The Pursuers Drowned
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea.(AG) 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained.(AH) 29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.(AI)
30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.(AJ) 31 Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.(AK)
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.(AL)
2 The Lord is my strength and my might,[d]
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him;
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.(AM)
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.(AN)
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
his elite officers were sunk in the Red Sea.[e](AO)
5 The floods covered them;
they went down into the depths like a stone.(AP)
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.(AQ)
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
you sent out your fury; it consumed them like stubble.(AR)
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.(AS)
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue; I will overtake;
I will divide the spoil; my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’(AT)
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters.(AU)
11 Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders?(AV)
12 You stretched out your right hand;
the earth swallowed them.
13 In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;
you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.(AW)
14 The peoples heard; they trembled;
pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.(AX)
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.(AY)
16 Terror and dread fell upon them;
by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
until the people whom you acquired passed by.(AZ)
17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.(BA)
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”(BB)
19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.(BC)
The Song of Miriam
20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.(BD) 21 And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”(BE)
Bitter Water Made Sweet
22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea,[f] and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.(BF) 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.[g](BG) 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”(BH) 25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the Lord[h] made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he put them to the test.(BI) 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.”(BJ)
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.(BK)
Exodus 13-15
New International Version
Exodus 13-15
New International Version
Consecration of the Firstborn
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.(A) The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,(B) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.(C) Eat nothing containing yeast.(D) 4 Today, in the month of Aviv,(E) you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,(F) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites(G)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey(H)—you are to observe this ceremony(I) in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival(J) to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son,(K) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand(L) and a reminder on your forehead(M) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(N) 10 You must keep this ordinance(O) at the appointed time(P) year after year.
11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites(Q) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath(R) to you and your ancestors,(S) 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.(T) 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,(U) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(V) Redeem(W) every firstborn among your sons.(X)
14 “In days to come, when your son(Y) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(Z) 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’(AA) 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead(AB) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”
Crossing the Sea
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”(AC) 18 So God led(AD) the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.(AE)
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph(AF) with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”[b](AG)
20 After leaving Sukkoth(AH) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.(AI) 21 By day the Lord went ahead(AJ) of them in a pillar of cloud(AK) to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left(AL) its place in front of the people.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol(AM) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.(AN) 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(AO) and he will pursue them.(AP) But I will gain glory(AQ) for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”(AR) So the Israelites did this.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,(AS) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds(AT) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots,(AU) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart(AV) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.(AW) 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses(AX) and chariots, horsemen[c] and troops(AY)—pursued the Israelites and overtook(AZ) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.(BA)
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried(BB) out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?(BC) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”(BD)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.(BE) Stand firm and you will see(BF) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see(BG) again. 14 The Lord will fight(BH) for you; you need only to be still.”(BI)
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?(BJ) Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff(BK) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water(BL) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts(BM) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.(BN) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(BO) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God,(BP) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud(BQ) also moved from in front and stood behind(BR) them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness(BS) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand(BT) over the sea,(BU) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind(BV) and turned it into dry land.(BW) The waters were divided,(BX) 22 and the Israelites went through the sea(BY) on dry ground,(BZ) with a wall(CA) of water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen(CB) followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud(CC) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.(CD) 25 He jammed[d] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting(CE) for them against Egypt.”(CF)
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.(CG) The Egyptians were fleeing toward[e] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.(CH) 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.(CI) Not one of them survived.(CJ)
29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,(CK) with a wall(CL) of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved(CM) Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand(CN) of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared(CO) the Lord and put their trust(CP) in him and in Moses his servant.
The Song of Moses and Miriam
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song(CQ) to the Lord:
“I will sing(CR) to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver(CS)
he has hurled into the sea.(CT)
2 “The Lord is my strength(CU) and my defense[f];
he has become my salvation.(CV)
He is my God,(CW) and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt(CX) him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;(CY)
the Lord is his name.(CZ)
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army(DA)
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.[g]
5 The deep waters(DB) have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.(DC)
6 Your right hand,(DD) Lord,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand,(DE) Lord,
shattered(DF) the enemy.
7 “In the greatness of your majesty(DG)
you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;(DH)
it consumed(DI) them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils(DJ)
the waters piled up.(DK)
The surging waters stood up like a wall;(DL)
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.(DM)
9 The enemy boasted,
‘I will pursue,(DN) I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;(DO)
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,(DP)
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.(DQ)
11 Who among the gods
is like you,(DR) Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,(DS)
awesome in glory,(DT)
working wonders?(DU)
12 “You stretch out(DV) your right hand,
and the earth swallows your enemies.(DW)
13 In your unfailing love you will lead(DX)
the people you have redeemed.(DY)
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.(DZ)
14 The nations will hear and tremble;(EA)
anguish(EB) will grip the people of Philistia.(EC)
15 The chiefs(ED) of Edom(EE) will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,(EF)
the people[h] of Canaan will melt(EG) away;
16 terror(EH) and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
they will be as still as a stone(EI)—
until your people pass by, Lord,
until the people you bought[i](EJ) pass by.(EK)
17 You will bring(EL) them in and plant(EM) them
on the mountain(EN) of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,(EO)
the sanctuary,(EP) Lord, your hands established.
18 “The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.”(EQ)
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen[j] went into the sea,(ER) the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.(ES) 20 Then Miriam(ET) the prophet,(EU) Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels(EV) and dancing.(EW) 21 Miriam sang(EX) to them:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver(EY)
he has hurled into the sea.”(EZ)
The Waters of Marah and Elim
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert(FA) of Shur.(FB) For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.(FC) 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.[k](FD)) 24 So the people grumbled(FE) against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”(FF)
25 Then Moses cried out(FG) to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw(FH) it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.(FI) 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep(FJ) all his decrees,(FK) I will not bring on you any of the diseases(FL) I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals(FM) you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped(FN) there near the water.
Footnotes
- Exodus 13:18 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 13:19 See Gen. 50:25.
- Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28
- Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
- Exodus 14:27 Or from
- Exodus 15:2 Or song
- Exodus 15:4 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 22
- Exodus 15:15 Or rulers
- Exodus 15:16 Or created
- Exodus 15:19 Or charioteers
- Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitter.
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