The Firstborn Consecrated

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 a“Consecrate 1to 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: b“Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of 2bondage; for cby strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. dNo leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 eOn this day you are going out, in the month Abib. 5 And it shall be, when the Lord fbrings you into the gland of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, which He hswore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ithat you shall keep this service in this month. 6 jSeven 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 kno leavened bread shall be seen among you, nor shall leaven be seen among you in all your quarters. 8 And you shall ltell 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 ma 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 nYou shall therefore keep this 3ordinance in its season from year to year.

The Law of the Firstborn

11 “And it shall be, when the Lord obrings you into the land of the pCanaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 qthat you shall 4set 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 revery 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 syou shall redeem. 14 tSo it shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is this?’ that you shall say to him, u‘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 vthe 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 wa 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 xchange their minds when they see war, and yreturn to Egypt.” 18 So God zled 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 5visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

20 So dthey took their journey from eSuccoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 21 And fthe 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.