“Consecrate to me every firstborn — whatever first opens the womb among the sons of Israel, of man and of beast. It is mine.”
And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of slaves — for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of here. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
Today you are going out, in the month of Abib.
And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give you — a land flowing with milk and honey — that you shall keep this service in this month.
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival to the LORD.
Unleavened bread shall be eaten for the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you, in all your territory.
And you shall tell your son on that day: ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I went out of Egypt.’
And it shall be a sign for you on your hand, and a remembrance between your eyes, so that the instruction of the LORD may be in your mouth — for with a strong hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
And you shall keep this statute at its appointed time, from year to year.
And it shall be, when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,
that you shall pass over to the LORD everything that first opens the womb. And every firstling dropped by the beasts that you have — the males belong to the LORD.
And every firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. And every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.
And it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is this?’ — that you shall say to him, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.
And it happened, when Pharaoh made it hard about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that first opens the womb — but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
And it shall be a sign on your hand, and bands between your eyes — for by strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
The Pillars of Cloud and Fire
And it happened, when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, though it was near — for God said, “Or the people may regret it when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
So God turned the people around by way of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds. And the sons of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him — for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear: “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry my bones up from here with you.”
And they set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light — so they could go by day and by night.
The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
The words beneath the translation. Tap one to study it.