Exodus 13
1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
The Lord told Moses,
2 Sanctifica mihi omne primogenitum quod aperit vulvam in filiis Israel, tam de hominibus quam de iumentis: mea sunt enim omnia.
“Every firstborn male is to be dedicated to me. The firstborn from every Israelite family belongs to me, and also every firstborn animal.”
3 Et ait Moyses ad populum: Mementote diei huius in qua egressi estis de Aegypto et de domo servitutis, quoniam in manu forti eduxit vos Dominus de loco isto: ut non comedatis fermentatum panem.
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.)
4 Hodie egredimini mense novarum frugum.
Today you are on your way, this day in the month of Abib.
5 Cumque introduxerit te Dominus in Terram Chananaei et Hethaei et Amorrhaei et Hevaei et Iebusaei, quam iuravit patribus tuis ut daret tibi, terram fluentem lacte et melle, celebrabis hunc morem sacrorum mense isto.
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.
6 Septem diebus vesceris azymis: et in die septimo erit sollemnitas Domini.
For seven days you are to only eat bread without yeast, and on the seventh day hold a religious festival to honor the Lord.
7 Azyma comedes septem diebus: non apparebit apud te aliquid fermentatum, nec in cunctis finibus tuis.
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.
8 Narrabisque filio tuo in die illo, dicens: Hoc est quod fecit mihi Dominus quando egressus sum de Aegypto.
On that day tell your children, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’
9 Et erit quasi signum in manu tua, et quasi monumentum ante oculos tuos: et ut lex Domini semper sit in ore tuo, in manu enim forti eduxit te Dominus de Aegypto.
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.
10 Custodies huiuscemodi cultum statuto tempore a diebus in dies.
That's why you are to observe this ceremony at the proper time every year.
11 Cumque introduxerit te Dominus in Terram Chananaei, sicut iuravit tibi et patribus tuis, et dederit tibi eam:
Once the Lord takes you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised you and your forefathers,
12 separabis omne quod aperit vulvam Domino, et quod primitivum est in pecoribus tuis: quidquid habueris masculini sexus, consecrabis Domino.
you are to present to the Lord all firstborn males, human or animal. The firstborn males of your livestock all belong to the Lord.
13 Primogenitum asini mutabis ove: quod si non redemeris, interficies. Omne autem primogenitum hominis de filiis tuis, pretio redimes.
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.
14 Cumque interrogaverit te filius tuus cras, dicens: Quid est hoc? respondebis ei: In manu forti eduxit nos Dominus de terra Aegypti, de domo servitutis.
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.
15 Nam cum induratus esset Pharao, et nollet nos dimittere, occidit Dominus omne primogenitum in Terra Aegypti a primogenito hominis usque ad primogenitum iumentorum: idcirco immolo Domino omne quod aperit vulvam masculini sexus, et omnia primogenita filiorum meorum redimo.
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.’
16 Erit igitur quasi signum in manu tua, et quasi appensum quid, ob recordationem, ante oculos tuos: eo quod in manu forti eduxit nos Dominus de Aegypto.
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.”
17 Igitur cum emisisset Pharao populum, non eos duxit Dominus per viam Terrae Philisthiim quae vicina est: reputans ne forte poeniteret eum, si vidisset adversum se bella consurgere, et reverteretur in Aegyptum.
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.”
18 Sed circumduxit per viam deserti, quae est iuxta Mare rubrum: et armati ascenderunt filii Israel de Terra Aegypti.
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.
19 Tulit quoque Moyses ossa Ioseph secum: eo quod adiurasset filios Israel, dicens: Visitabit vos Deus, efferte ossa mea hinc vobiscum.
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.”
20 Profectique de Socoth castrametati sunt in Etham in extremis finibus solitudinis.
They traveled on from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.
21 Dominus autem praecedebat eos ad ostendendam viam per diem in columna nubis, et per noctem in columna ignis: ut dux esset itineris utroque tempore.
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.
22 Numquam defuit columna nubis per diem, nec columna ignis per noctem, coram populo.
The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night were always in front of the people.
