Exodus 13:1-16
Legacy Standard Bible
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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 13:2 Lit opening
- Exodus 13:3 Lit slaves
- Exodus 13:5 Lit serve this service
- Exodus 13:7 Lit to
- Exodus 13:7 Lit to
- Exodus 13:10 Lit days to days
- Exodus 13:12 Lit cause to pass over
- Exodus 13:12 Lit opening
- Exodus 13:12 Lit every issue the offspring of a beast
- Exodus 13:13 Lit opening
- Exodus 13:14 Lit slaves
- Exodus 13:15 Lit opening
- Exodus 13:16 Or frontlet-bands
Exodus 13:1-16
New Living Translation
Dedication of the Firstborn
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.) 4 On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib,[a] you have been set free. 5 You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (He swore to your ancestors that he would give you this land—a land flowing with milk and honey.) 6 For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. Then on the seventh day, celebrate a feast to the Lord. 7 Eat bread without yeast during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast bread or any yeast at all found within the borders of your land during this time.
8 “On the seventh day you must explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’ 9 This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: ‘With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.’[b] 10 So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year.
11 “This is what you must do when the Lord fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live, 12 you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him. 13 A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son.
14 “And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery. 15 Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.’ 16 This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 13:4 Hebrew On this day in the month of Abib. This first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of March and April.
- 13:9 Or Let it remind you always to keep the instructions of the Lord on the tip of your tongue, because with a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.
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