Exodus 13

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.”

³Then 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) ⁴Today, in the month of Aviv,^(E) you are leaving. ⁵When 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: ⁶For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival^(J) to the Lord. ⁷Eat 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. ⁸On that day tell your son,^(K) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹This 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) ¹⁰You 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) ¹²you 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) ¹³Redeem 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) ¹⁵When 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) ¹⁶And 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

¹⁷When 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) ¹⁸So 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)

¹⁹Moses 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)

²⁰After leaving Sukkoth^(AH) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.^(AI) ²¹By 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. ²²Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left^(AL) its place in front of the people.

Footnotes

Exodus 13:18 Or the Sea of Reeds
Exodus 13:19 See Gen. 50:25.

Job 31

New International Version

31 “I made a covenant with my eyes^(A)
    not to look lustfully at a young woman.^(B)
²For what is our lot^(C) from God above,
    our heritage from the Almighty on high?^(D)
³Is it not ruin^(E) for the wicked,
    disaster^(F) for those who do wrong?^(G)
⁴Does he not see my ways^(H)
    and count my every step?^(I)

⁵“If I have walked with falsehood
    or my foot has hurried after deceit^(J)—
⁶let God weigh me^(K) in honest scales^(L)
    and he will know that I am blameless^(M)—
⁷if my steps have turned from the path,^(N)
    if my heart has been led by my eyes,
    or if my hands^(O) have been defiled,^(P)
⁸then may others eat what I have sown,^(Q)
    and may my crops be uprooted.^(R)

⁹“If my heart has been enticed^(S) by a woman,^(T)
    or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,
¹⁰then may my wife grind^(U) another man’s grain,
    and may other men sleep with her.^(V)
¹¹For that would have been wicked,^(W)
    a sin to be judged.^(X)
¹²It is a fire^(Y) that burns to Destruction^[a];^(Z)
    it would have uprooted my harvest.^(AA)

¹³“If I have denied justice to any of my servants,^(AB)
    whether male or female,
    when they had a grievance against me,^(AC)
¹⁴what will I do when God confronts me?^(AD)
    What will I answer when called to account?^(AE)
¹⁵Did not he who made me in the womb make them?^(AF)
    Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?^(AG)

¹⁶“If I have denied the desires of the poor^(AH)
    or let the eyes of the widow^(AI) grow weary,^(AJ)
¹⁷if I have kept my bread to myself,
    not sharing it with the fatherless^(AK)—
¹⁸but from my youth I reared them as a father would,
    and from my birth I guided the widow^(AL)—
¹⁹if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,^(AM)
    or the needy^(AN) without garments,
²⁰and their hearts did not bless me^(AO)
    for warming them with the fleece^(AP) from my sheep,
²¹if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,^(AQ)
    knowing that I had influence in court,^(AR)
²²then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
    let it be broken off at the joint.^(AS)
²³For I dreaded destruction from God,^(AT)
    and for fear of his splendor^(AU) I could not do such things.^(AV)

²⁴“If I have put my trust in gold^(AW)
    or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security,’^(AX)
²⁵if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,^(AY)
    the fortune my hands had gained,^(AZ)
²⁶if I have regarded the sun^(BA) in its radiance
    or the moon^(BB) moving in splendor,
²⁷so that my heart was secretly enticed^(BC)
    and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,^(BD)
²⁸then these also would be sins to be judged,^(BE)
    for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.^(BF)

²⁹“If I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune^(BG)
    or gloated over the trouble that came to him^(BH)—
³⁰I have not allowed my mouth to sin
    by invoking a curse against their life^(BI)—
³¹if those of my household have never said,
    ‘Who has not been filled with Job’s meat?’^(BJ)—
³²but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
    for my door was always open to the traveler^(BK)—
³³if I have concealed^(BL) my sin as people do,^[b]
    by hiding^(BM) my guilt in my heart
³⁴because I so feared the crowd^(BN)
    and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
    that I kept silent^(BO) and would not go outside—

³⁵(“Oh, that I had someone to hear me!^(BP)
    I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
    let my accuser^(BQ) put his indictment in writing.
³⁶Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,^(BR)
    I would put it on like a crown.^(BS)
³⁷I would give him an account of my every step;^(BT)
    I would present it to him as to a ruler.^(BU))—

³⁸“if my land cries out against me^(BV)
    and all its furrows are wet^(BW) with tears,
³⁹if I have devoured its yield without payment^(BX)
    or broken the spirit of its tenants,^(BY)
⁴⁰then let briers^(BZ) come up instead of wheat
    and stinkweed^(CA) instead of barley.”

The words of Job are ended.^(CB)

Footnotes

Job 31:12 Hebrew Abaddon
Job 31:33 Or as Adam did

Psalm 61

New International Version

Psalm 61^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

¹Hear my cry, O God;^(A)
listen to my prayer.^(B)

²From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;^(C)
    lead me to the rock^(D) that is higher than I.
³For you have been my refuge,^(E)
    a strong tower against the foe.^(F)

⁴I long to dwell^(G) in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.^[b]^(H)
⁵For you, God, have heard my vows;^(I)
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.^(J)

⁶Increase the days of the king’s life,^(K)
his years for many generations.^(L)
⁷May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;^(M)
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.^(N)