Exodus 13
The Firstborn Consecrated
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 a“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.”
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
3 And Moses said to the people: a“Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for bby strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. cNo leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 aOn this day you are going out, in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be, when the Lord abrings you into the bland of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He cswore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, dthat you shall keep this service in this month. 6 aSeven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days. And ano leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall atell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the Lord did for me when I came up from Egypt.’ 9 It shall be as aa sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the Lord’s law may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 aYou shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.
The Law of the Firstborn
11 “And it shall be, when the Lord abrings you into the land of the bCanaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 athat you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. 13 But aevery firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons byou shall redeem. 14 aSo it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, b‘By strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that athe Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all males that open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as aa sign on your hand and as frontlets between your eyes, for by strength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”
The Wilderness Way
17 Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people achange their minds when they see war, and breturn to Egypt.” 18 So God aled the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.
19 And Moses took the abones of bJoseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, c“God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
20 So athey took their journey from bSuccoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And athe Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson.
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