 1 The Lord spoke to Moses saying, 2 Sanctify all the firstborn to me, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, of man and of beast. It is mine. 3 Moses said to the people, Remember this day in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. For the Lord brought you out from this place by the strength of His hand. There shall be no leavened bread eaten. 4 You are going out this day in the month Abib. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites that He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you must keep this service in this month. 6 You shall eat unleavened bread seven days and in the seventh day hold a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days and no leavened bread shall be seen with you nor shall there be leaven seen with you in all your borders. 8 You shall tell your son in that day saying, This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out from Egypt. 9 This will be a sign to you on your hand and for a memorial between your eyes so that the Lord's law may be in your mouth. For the Lord has brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10 Therefore, you must keep this law in its season from year to year. 11 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites as He swore to you and to your fathers, He will give it to you. 12 You shall set apart to the Lord every first born that comes from any animal that you have. The males will be the Lord's. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. If you will not redeem it, then you must break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your children. 14 When your sons ask you in time to come saying, What is this? Say to them, The Lord brought us out of Egypt, out from the house of bondage by the strength of His hand. 15 When Pharaoh would not let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn of the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that open the womb. All the firstborn of my children I redeem. 16 This shall be for a token upon your hand and for frontlets between your eyes. For the Lord brought us out from Egypt by strength of His hand. 17 When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines although that was near. For God said, Lest the people repent when they see war and they return to Egypt. 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. The children of Israel went armed out of the land of Egypt. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. For he had strictly sworn the children of Israel saying, God will surely visit you and you will carry my bones away from here with you. 20 They moved from Succoth and camped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them the right away and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of the cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
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