Exodus 13

The Law of the Firstborn

13:1¹ The Lord spoke² to Moses: 13:2 “Set apart³ to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every womb⁴ among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.”⁵

13:3 Moses said to the people, “Remember⁶ this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved,⁷ for the Lord brought you out of there⁸ with a mighty hand – and no bread made with yeast may be eaten.⁹ 13:4 On this day,¹⁰ in the month of Abib,¹¹ you are going out.¹²

13:5 When¹³ the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey,¹⁴ then you will keep¹⁵ this ceremony¹⁶ in this month. 13:6 For seven days¹⁷ you must eat¹⁸ bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to be¹⁹ a festival to the Lord. 13:7 Bread made without yeast must be eaten²⁰ for seven days;²¹ no bread made with yeast shall be seen²² among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders.

13:8 You are to tell your son²³ on that day,²⁴ ‘It is²⁵ because of what²⁶ the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 13:9²⁷ It²⁸ will be a sign²⁹ for you on your hand and a memorial³⁰ on your forehead,³¹ so that the law of the Lord may be³² in your mouth,³³ for³⁴ with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 13:10 So you must keep³⁵ this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.³⁶

13:11 When the Lord brings you³⁷ into the land of the Canaanites,³⁸ as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it³⁹ to you, 13:12 then you must give over⁴⁰ to the Lord the first offspring of every womb.⁴¹ Every firstling⁴² of a beast that you have⁴³ – the males will be the Lord’s.⁴⁴ 13:13 Every firstling⁴⁵ of a donkey you must redeem⁴⁶ with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck.⁴⁷ Every firstborn of⁴⁸ your sons you must redeem.

13:14⁴⁹ In the future,⁵⁰ when your son asks you⁵¹ ‘What is this?’⁵² you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand⁵³ the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery.⁵⁴ 13:15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused⁵⁵ to release us, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals.⁵⁶ That is why I am sacrificing⁵⁷ to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.’ 13:16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets⁵⁸ on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”⁵⁹

The Leading of God

13:17⁶⁰ When Pharaoh released⁶¹ the people, God did not lead them⁶² by the way to the land⁶³ of the Philistines,⁶⁴ although⁶⁵ that was nearby, for God said,⁶⁶ “Lest⁶⁷ the people change their minds⁶⁸ and return to Egypt when they experience⁶⁹ war.” 13:18 So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea,⁷⁰ and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.⁷¹

13:19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph⁷² had made the Israelites solemnly swear,⁷³ “God will surely attend⁷⁴ to you, and you will carry⁷⁵ my bones up from this place with you.”

13:20 They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert. 13:21 Now the Lord was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,⁷⁶ so that they could⁷⁷ travel day or night.⁷⁸ 13:22 He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.⁷⁹

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