1And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Consecrate to me every firstborn, the first opening of every womb among the sons of Israel, of man and of beast; it is mine.”
3And Moses said to the people, “Remember this day, on which you came out from Egypt, from the house of slaves, for with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from here; and nothing leavened shall be eaten.
4Today you are going out, in the month of Abib.
5And it shall be, when Yahweh 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 to you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall perform this service in this month.
6Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to Yahweh.
7Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you within all your territory.
8And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, ‘It is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
9And it shall be for you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, so that the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt.
10And you shall keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
11And it shall be, when Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,
12then you shall set apart for Yahweh every firstborn of the womb; and every firstborn offspring of a beast that you have—the males belong to Yahweh.
13And every firstborn 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.
14And it shall be, when your son asks you tomorrow, saying, ‘What is this?’ you shall say to him, ‘With a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slaves.
15And it happened, when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, that Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.’
16And it shall be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets between your eyes; for with a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”
17And it happened, when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, though it was near; for 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 wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the sons of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
19And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had solemnly made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you.”
20And they set out from Succoth and camped at Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.
21And Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could go by day and by night.
22The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
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