Exodus 13:1-22

13  And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying 2  “Consecrate to me every firstborn, everyone who has started a womb among the sons of Israel, man and beast: mine he is.” 3  And Moses said to the people “Remember this day when you came out from Egypt, from the slave-quarters, because Jehovah brought you out of here by main force and you are not to eat raised bread. 4 * Today you are going out, in the green-ear month; 5 * and when Jehovah brings you to the country of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivvites and the Jebusites that he swore to your fathers to give you, a country that runs milk and honey, you shall present this service in this month: 6  seven days you shall eat matzoth, and on the seventh day shall be a feast to Jehovah. 7 * Matzoth shall be eaten through the seven days, and you shall have nothing raised seen in all your territory. 8  And you shall tell your son on that day ‘For the sake of that that Jehovah did for me when I came out of Egypt’ 9  And you shall have it as a sign on your arm and a memento between your eyes, in order that you may have Jehovah’s instructions in your mouth, because Jehovah brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10  And you shall keep this usage at the season for it year by year. 11  “And when Jehovah brings you into the Canaanite country as he swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12  you shall consign to Jehovah everyone that has started a womb; and every offspring of cattle of yours that has started a womb, the males, shall belong to Jehovah, 13  and every donkey that has started a womb you shall redeem with a sheep or goat, or if you do not redeem it you shall break its neck, and every human firstborn among your sons you shall redeem. 14  And when your son asks you tomorrow ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him ‘Jehovah brought us out of Egypt, out of the salve-quarters, by main force, 15  and when the Pharaoh behaved obstinately about letting us go Jehovah killed every firstborn among the Egyptians, both firstborn of men and firstborn of cattle; that is why I sacrifice to Jehovah every male that has started a womb and redeem every firstborn of my sons.’ 16  And you shall have it as a sign on your arm and as amulets between your eyes, because Jehovah brought you out of Egypt by main force.” 17 * And when the Pharaoh let the people go God did not guide them by the road to the Philistine country (for that was the nearest), because God thought “The people might change their mind when they saw war, and go back to Egypt”; 18  but God took the people around by the wilderness road to the Red Sea. And the sons of Israel went up under arms out of Egypt. 19  And Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, because he had sworn the sons of Israel to it, saying “God will take up your case and you shall carry my bones up from here with you.” 20  And they marched from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 * And Jehovah went in front of them, by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the route and by night in a pillar of fire. 22  The pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, never left its place in front of the people.

Footnotes

13:4 Or at the new moon of the greenear month
13:5 Or at this new moon
13:7 Var. nothing raised seen, nor any leaven seen, in
13:17 Or country because that was the nearest, because
13:21 Var. adds at end of verse to give them light, for going by day and by night