Exodus 13

1 The Lord told Moses,

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Every firstborn male is to be dedicated to me. The firstborn from every Israelite family belongs to me, and also every firstborn animal.”

Sanctify to me every firstborn, first produced, opening every womb amongst the children of Israel both of man and beast: it is mine.

3 So Moses told the people, “Remember this is the day you left Egypt, the land of your slavery, for the Lord led you out of it by his amazing power. (Nothing with yeast in it shall be eaten.)

And Moses said to the people, Remember this day, in which you came forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for with a strong hand the Lord brought you forth thence; and leaven shall not be eaten.

4 Today you are on your way, this day in the month of Abib.

For on this day you go forth in the month of new [corn].

5 The Lord is going to take you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, the land he promised your forefathers he would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey. So you are to observe this ceremony in this month.

And it shall come to pass when the Lord your God shall have brought you into the land of the Chananites, and the Chettites, and Amorites, and Evites, and Jebusites, and Gergesites, and Pherezites, which he sware to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall perform this service in this month.

6 For seven days you are to only eat bread without yeast, and on the seventh day hold a religious festival to honor the Lord.

Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day is a feast to the Lord.

7 Only bread without yeast is to be eaten during those seven days. You are not to have any yeast, in fact there is to be no yeast in any place where you live.

Seven days shall you eat unleavened bread; nothing leavened shall be seen with you, neither shall you have leaven in all your borders.

8 On that day tell your children, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’

And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, Therefore the Lord dealt thus with me, as I was going out of Egypt.

9 When you celebrate this ceremony it will be like a sign on your hand and a reminder between your eyes that this teaching of the Lord should be spoken about regularly. For the Lord led you out of Egypt with his great power.

And it shall be to you a sign upon your hand and a memorial before your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth, for with a strong hand the Lord God brought you out of Egypt.

10 That's why you are to observe this ceremony at the proper time every year.

And preserve you this law according to the times of the seasons, from year to year.

11 Once the Lord takes you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised you and your forefathers,

And it shall come to pass when the Lord your God shall bring you into the land of the Chananites, as he sware to your fathers, and shall give it you,

12 you are to present to the Lord all firstborn males, human or animal. The firstborn males of your livestock all belong to the Lord.

that you shall set apart every [offspring] opening the womb, the males to the Lord, every one that opens the womb out of the herds or amongst your cattle, as many as you shall have: you shall sanctify the males to the Lord.

13 You must buy back every firstborn donkey with a lamb, and if you don't do so, you have to break its neck. You must buy back every firstborn of your sons.

Every [offspring] opening the womb of the ass you shall change for a sheep; and if you will not change it, you shall redeem it: every firstborn of man of your sons shall you redeem.

14 When in the future your children come to you and ask, ‘Why is this ceremony important to you?’ you are to tell them, ‘The Lord led us out of Egypt, the land of our slavery, by his amazing power.

And if your son should ask you hereafter, saying, What is this? then you shall say to him, With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

15 Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us leave, so the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human and animal. That's the reason why I sacrifice to the Lord the firstborn male of every animal, and I buy back all the firstborn of my sons.’

And when Pharao hardened [his heart so as not] to send us away, he killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast; therefore do I sacrifice every [offspring] that opens the womb, the males to the Lord, and every firstborn of my sons I will redeem.

16 In this way it will be like a sign on your hand and a reminder between your eyes, for the Lord led us out of Egypt by his amazing power.”

And it shall be for a sign upon your hand, and immovable before your eyes, for with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

17 When Pharaoh let the Israelites leave, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, even though that was a shorter way. For God said, “If they are forced to fight, they might change their minds and go back to Egypt.”

And when Pharao sent forth the people, God led them not by the way of the land of the Phylistines, because it was near; for God said, Lest at any time the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.

18 So God led the people by the longer way through the desert towards the Red Sea. When the Israelites left the land of Egypt they were like an army ready for battle.

And God led the people round by the way to the wilderness, to the Red Sea: and in the fifth generation the children of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt.

19 Moses carried Joseph's bones with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn promise, saying, “God will definitely take care of you, and then you must take my bones with you when you leave here.”

And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had solemnly adjured the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones hence with you.

20 They traveled on from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.

And the children of Israel departed from Socchoth, and encamped in Othom by the wilderness.

21 The Lord went ahead of them as a pillar of cloud to show them the way during the day, and as a pillar of fire to provide them with light at night. Like this they could travel by day or night.

And God led them, in the day by a pillar of cloud, to show them the way, and in the night by a pillar of fire.

22 The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night were always in front of the people.

And the pillar of cloud failed not by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, before all the people.