The Law of the Firstborn
1The
2“Set apart to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.”
3Moses said to the people, “Remember this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved, for the
4On this day, in the month of Abib, you are going out.
5When the
6For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the
7Bread made without yeast must be eaten for seven days; no bread made with yeast shall be seen among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders.
8You are to tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the
9 It will be a sign for you on your hand and a memorial on your forehead, so that the law of the
10So you must keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
11When the
12then you must give over to the
13Every firstling of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you must redeem.
14In the future, when your son asks you ‘What is this?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the
15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release us, the
16It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the
The Leading of God
17When Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them by the way to the land of the Philistines, although that was nearby, for God said, “Lest the people change their minds and return to Egypt when they experience war.”
18So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea, and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.
19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear, “God will surely attend to you, and you will carry my bones up from this place with you.”
20They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert.
21Now the
22He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.