Exodus 13
13
The Law of the Firstborn
1Then the Lord said to Moses, 2“Give every firstborn male to me. Every firstborn male among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
3Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, the day you left Egypt. You were slaves in that land. The Lord with his great power brought you out of it. You must not eat bread made with yeast. 4Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving Egypt. 5The Lord made a promise to your ancestors. The Lord promised to give you the land of these people: the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites. The Lord will lead you to this land where much food grows. There you must celebrate this feast during the first month of every year. 6For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the seventh day there will be a feast to honor the Lord. 7So for seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast. There must be no bread made with yeast anywhere in your land. 8On that day you should tell your son: ‘We are having this feast because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9This feast will help you remember. It will be like a mark on your hand. It will be like a reminder on your forehead. This feast will remind you to speak the Lord’s teachings. This is because the Lord used his great power to bring you out of Egypt. 10So celebrate this feast every year at the right time.
11“The Lord will take you into the land of the Canaanites. He promised to give this land to you and your ancestors. 12Then you must give him every firstborn male. And every firstborn male animal must be given to the Lord. 13Buy back every firstborn donkey by offering a lamb. If you don’t want to buy the donkey back, then break its neck. You must buy back from the Lord every firstborn of your sons.
14“From now on your son will ask you: ‘What does this mean?’ You will answer, ‘With his great power, the Lord brought us out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land. 15In Egypt the king was stubborn. He refused to let us leave. But the Lord killed every firstborn male in Egypt, both human and animal. That is why I sacrifice every firstborn male animal to the Lord. And that is why I buy back each of my firstborn sons from the Lord.’ 16This feast is like a mark on your hand. And it is like a reminder on your forehead. It will help you remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power.”
The Way Out of Egypt
17The king sent the people out of Egypt. God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country. That road is the shortest way. But God said, “They might think they will have to fight. Then they might change their minds and go back to Egypt.” 18So God led them through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were dressed for fighting when they left the land of Egypt.
19Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him. Before Joseph died, he had made the sons of Israel promise to do this. He had said, “When God saves you, remember to carry my bones with you out of Egypt.”
20The people of Israel left Succoth and camped at Etham. Etham was on the edge of the desert. 21The Lord showed them the way. During the day he went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud. And during the night the Lord was in a pillar of fire to give them light. They could travel during the day or night. 22The pillar of cloud was always with them during the day. And the pillar of fire was always with them at night.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Exodus 13
13
Unleavened Bread and Dedication of Firstborn to Commemorate the Rescue from Egypt
1And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Consecrate to me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” among humans#Hebrew “human” and among domestic animals;#Hebrew “animal” it belongs to me.”#Literally “to/for me it” 3And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you went out from Egypt, from a house of slaves, because with strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from here, and food with yeast will not be eaten. 4Today you are going out in the month of Abib. 5And when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites#Hebrew “Canaanite” and the Hittites#Hebrew “Hittite” and the Amorites#Hebrew “Amorite” and the Hivites#Hebrew “Hivite” and the Jebusites#Hebrew “Jebusite”—which he swore to your ancestors#Or “fathers” to give to you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you will perform this service in this month. 6Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day will be a feast for Yahweh. 7Unleavened bread will be eaten the seven days; food with yeast will not be seen for you; and yeast will not be seen for you in all your territory. 8And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out from Egypt.’ 9And it will be as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes so that the law of Yahweh will be in your mouth, that with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from Egypt. 10And you will keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.#Literally “from days to days”
11“And when Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your ancestors,#Or “fathers” and he gives it to you, 12you will hand over every first offspring of a womb to Yahweh, and every first offspring dropped by a domestic animal that will belong to you, the males will be for Yahweh. 13And every first offspring of a donkey you will redeem with small livestock, and if you will not redeem it, then you will break its neck, and every firstborn human among your sons you will redeem. 14And when your son asks you in the future,#Literally “tomorrow” saying, ‘What is this?’ you will say to him, ‘With strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from a house of slaves. 15And when Pharaoh was stubborn to release us, Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from firstborn human to firstborn domestic animal. Therefore I am sacrificing to Yahweh every first offspring of a womb, the males, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16And it will be as a sign on your hand and as symbolic ornaments between your eyes that with strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt.”
Summary of Travel
17And when Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them the way of the land of the Philistines, though it was nearer, because God said, “Lest the people change their mind when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18So God led the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea,#Literally “sea of reed” and the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” went up in battle array from the land of Egypt. 19And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph#Hebrew “he” had made the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” solemnly swear an oath, saying, “God will surely attend to you, and you will take up my bones from here with you.” 20And they set out from Succoth, and they encamped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21And Yahweh was going before them by day in a column of cloud to lead them on the way and by night in a column of fire to give light to them to go by day and night. 22The column of cloud by day and the column of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
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