Exodus 13:15

Complete Jewish Bible

When Pharaoh was unwilling to let us go, Adonai killed all the firstborn males in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of humans and the firstborn of animals. This is why I sacrifice to Adonai any male that is first from the womb of an animal, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
and it happened, when Par`oh would hardly let us go, that the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Mitzrayim, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

King James Version
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew 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 that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.

Lexham English Bible
And when Pharaoh was stubborn to release us, Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from firstborn human to firstborn domestic animal. Therefore I am sacrificing to Yahweh every first offspring of a womb, the males, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

New Century Version
The king of Egypt was stubborn and refused to let us leave. But the Lord killed every firstborn male in Egypt, both human and animal. That is why I sacrifice every firstborn male animal to the Lord , and that is why I buy back each of my firstborn sons from the Lord .'

New English Translation
When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release us, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals. That is why I am sacrificing to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.'

Amplified Bible
'For it happened, when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, that the LORD struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animal. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD all the males, the first [to be born] of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

New American Standard Bible
'And it came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD put to death every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborns to animal firstborns. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, every firstborn of a womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
For when Pharaoh was harde hearted against our departing, the Lord then slewe all the first borne in the lande of Egypt: from the first borne of man euen to the first borne of beast: therefore I sacrifice vnto the Lorde all the males that first open the wombe, but all the first borne of my sonnes I redeeme.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it happened, when Pharaoh hardened his heart with stiffness about letting us go, that Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to Yahweh the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

Contemporary English Version
The king stubbornly refused to set us free, so the Lord killed the first-born male of every animal and the first-born son of every Egyptian family. This is why we sacrifice to the Lord every first-born male of every animal and save every first-born son."

Darby Translation
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, that Jehovah slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of men and the firstborn of cattle: therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that breaketh open the womb—being males; and every firstborn of my children I ransom.

Easy-to-Read Version
In Egypt, Pharaoh was stubborn and refused to let us leave. So the Lord killed every firstborn in all the land. (The Lord killed the firstborn males—animal and human.) That is why I give every firstborn male animal to the Lord , and that is why I buy back each of my firstborn sons from him.'

English Standard Version
For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn, and would not let us go, the LORD slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of man to the first-born of animals; that is why I sacrifice to the LORD all that open the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.

Good News Translation
When the king of Egypt was stubborn and refused to let us go, the Lord killed every first-born male in the land of Egypt, both human and animal. That is why we sacrifice every first-born male animal to the Lord , but buy back our first-born sons.

Christian Standard Bible®
When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of humans and the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’

Literal Translation
And it happened when Pharaoh hardened himself against sending us away, Jehovah killed every first-born one in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of men even to the first-born of animals. On account of this I sacrifice to Jehovah every one

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for whan Pharao was loth to let vs go, the LORDE slew all the firstborne in the lande of Egipte, from the firstborne of men vnto ye firstborne of the catell: therfore offer I vnto the LORDE all that breaketh ye Matrice, beynge a male, and ye firstborne of my children I redeme.

American Standard Version
and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that Jehovah slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast: therefore I sacrifice to Jehovah all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.

Bible in Basic English
And when Pharaoh made his heart hard and would not let us go, the Lord sent death on all the first sons in Egypt, of man and of beast: and so every first male who comes to birth is offered to the Lord; but for all the first of my sons I give a price.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when Pharao was very loth to let vs go, the Lorde slewe all the first borne in the lande of Egypt, aswell the first borne of man, as the firstlyng of beast: Therefore I sacrifice vnto the Lorde all the males that open the matrice: but all the first borne of my chyldren I redeeme.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beast; therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe when Pharaoh would hardly let vs goe, that the Lord slew all the first borne in the land of Egypt, both the first borne of man, and the first borne of beast: Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males: but all the first borne of my children I redeeme.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And when Pharao hardened his heart so as not to send us away, he slew every first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and the first-born of beast; therefore do I sacrifice every offspring that opens the womb, the males to the Lord, and every first-born of my sons I will redeem.

English Revised Version
and it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew 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 that openeth the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.

Berean Standard Bible
And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and beast. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and nolde delyuere vs, the Lord killide alle the firste gendrid thing in the lond of Egipt, fro the firste gendrid of man til to the firste gendrid of beestis; therfor Y offre to the Lord al thing of male kynde that openeth the wombe, and Y ayen bie alle the firste gendrid thingis of my sones.

Young's Literal Translation
yea, it cometh to pass, when Pharaoh hath been pained to send us away, that Jehovah doth slay every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of man even unto the first-born of beast; therefore I am sacrificing to Jehovah all opening a womb who [are] males, and every first-born of my sons I ransom;

Update Bible Version
and it came to pass, when Pharaoh hardened against letting us go, that Yahweh slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of man to the first-born of beast: therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beasts: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the first-born of my children I redeem.

World English Bible
and it happened, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to Yahweh all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

New King James Version
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the 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.'

New Living Translation
Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord —except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.'

New Life Bible
When Pharaoh would not let us go, the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and of animal. So I give to the Lord every first male animal to be born. But I buy with a gift of money every first-born of my sons.'

New Revised Standard
When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass when Pharaoh had shown himself too hardened to let us go, then did Yahweh slay every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of men even unto the firstborn of beasts. For this cause, am, I, sacrificing to Yahweh whatsoever is born first, of the males, and every firstborn of my sons, must I redeem.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For when Pharao was hardened, and would not let us go, the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of beasts: therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the womb of the male sex, and all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.

Revised Standard Version
For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and the first-born of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.'

THE MESSAGE
God spoke to Moses, saying, "Consecrate every firstborn to me— the first one to come from the womb among the Israelites, whether person or animal, is mine." Moses said to the people, "Always remember this day. This is the day when you came out of Egypt from a house of slavery. God brought you out of here with a powerful hand. Don't eat any raised bread. "You are leaving in the spring month of Abib. When God brings you into the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he promised to your fathers to give you, a land lavish with milk and honey, you are to observe this service during this month: "You are to eat unraised bread for seven days; on the seventh day there is a festival celebration to God . "Only unraised bread is to be eaten for seven days. There is not to be a trace of anything fermented—no yeast anywhere. "Tell your child on that day: ‘This is because of what God did for me when I came out of Egypt.' "The day of observance will be like a sign on your hand, a memorial between your eyes, and the teaching of God in your mouth. It was with a powerful hand that God brought you out of Egypt. Follow these instructions at the set time, year after year after year. "When God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and turns it over to you, you are to set aside the first birth out of every womb to God . Every first birth from your livestock belongs to God . You can redeem every first birth of a donkey if you want to by substituting a lamb; if you decide not to redeem it, you must break its neck. "Redeem every firstborn child among your sons. When the time comes and your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?' you tell him, ‘ God brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery, with a powerful hand. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, God killed every firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of both humans and animals. That's why I make a sacrifice for every first male birth from the womb to God and redeem every firstborn son.' The observance functions like a sign on your hands or a symbol on the middle of your forehead: God brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand." It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, "If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt." So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt in military formation. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear to do it, saying, "God will surely hold you accountable, so make sure you bring my bones from here with you." They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

Contextual Overview

¹¹ When Adonai brings you into the land of the Kena‘ani, as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you, ¹² you are to set apart for Adonai everything that is first from the womb. Every firstborn male animal will belong to Adonai . ¹³ Every firstborn from a donkey, you are to redeem with a lamb; but if you choose not to redeem it, you must break its neck. But from people, you are to redeem every firstborn son. ¹⁴ (Maftir) When, at some future time, your son asks you, ‘What is this?' then say to him, ‘With a strong hand Adonai brought us out of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh was unwilling to let us go, Adonai killed all the firstborn males in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of humans and the firstborn of animals. This is why I sacrifice to Adonai any male that is first from the womb of an animal, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.' ¹⁶ This will serve as a sign on your hand and at the front of a headband around your forehead that with a strong hand Adonai brought us out of Egypt." Haftarah Bo: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 46:13–28 B'rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Bo: Luke 2:22–24; Yochanan (John) 19:31–37; Acts 13:16 –17; Revelation 8:6–9:12; 16:1–21 After Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide them to the highway that goes through the land of the P'lishtim, because it was close by — God thought that the people, upon seeing war, might change their minds and return to Egypt. Rather, God led the people by a roundabout route, through the desert by the Sea of Suf. The people of Isra'el went up from the land of Egypt fully armed. Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him, for Yosef had made the people of Isra'el swear an oath when he said, "God will certainly remember you; and you are to carry my bones up with you, away from here." They traveled from Sukkot and set up camp in Etam, at the edge of the desert. Adonai went ahead of them in a column of cloud during the daytime to lead them on their way, and at night in a column of fire to give them light; thus they could travel both by day and by night. Neither the column of cloud by day nor the column of fire at night went away from in front of the people.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord slew: Exodus 12:29

therefore I: Exodus 13:12

Reciprocal: Exodus 7:16 - Let my Exodus 11:5 - the firstborn Exodus 12:26 - your children Exodus 34:20 - All the Numbers 3:13 - on the day Numbers 8:17 - I sanctified Deuteronomy 6:7 - And thou shalt Psalms 44:1 - have heard Psalms 78:3 - General Psalms 78:51 - smote Psalms 111:4 - He hath Psalms 119:27 - so shall I talk Psalms 135:8 - smote Psalms 145:4 - generation Isaiah 38:19 - the father Ephesians 6:4 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
Adonai appeared to Avram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." So he built an altar there to Adonai , who had appeared to him.

Genesis 13:1
Avram went up from Egypt — he, his wife and everything he had, and Lot with him — into the Negev.

Genesis 13:2
Avram became wealthy, with much cattle, silver and gold.

Genesis 13:3
As he went on his travels from the Negev, he came to Beit-El, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beit-El and ‘Ai,

Genesis 13:4
where he had first built the altar; and there Avram called on the name of Adonai .

Genesis 13:7
Moreover, quarreling arose between Avram's and Lot's herdsmen. The Kena‘ani and the P'rizi were then living in the land.

Genesis 13:8
Avram said to Lot, "Please, let's not have quarreling between me and you, or between my herdsmen and yours, since we're kinsmen.

Genesis 13:9
Isn't the whole land there in front of you? Please separate yourself from me — if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left."

Genesis 13:12
Avram lived in the land of Kena‘an; and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, setting up his tent near S'dom.

Genesis 15:18
That day Adonai made a covenant with Avram: "I have given this land to your descendants — from the Vadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River —

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go,.... Showed great reluctance to it, and with difficulty was prevailed upon to dismiss them:

that the Lord slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of men, and the firstborn of beast: which he did in one night, making use of a destroying angel or angels for that purpose:

therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth thee matrix, being males; that is, the firstborn of all clean creatures, as oxen, sheep, and goats:

but all the firstborn of my children I redeem; by paying five shekels apiece to the priest for them, as before observed; and this law continues to be observed with the Jews; the manner of which, as related by Leo Modena i, is as follows,

"Thirty days being expired after the birth of the child, they call a priest to them; that is to say, one that is descended of the stock of Aaron, whom the father of the child pleaseth; and so, many people being gathered together at the time appointed, the father of the child bringeth before the priest, in a bowl or basin, a good quantity of gold and silver, and then they give him the child into his arms; the priest then calling the mother of it before him, saith unto her, mistress, is this your son? she answereth, yes; then, replies he, have you never had any child before, either male or female, or have miscarried anyone? she saith unto him, no; then doth the priest say, this child is mine, as being the firstborn; then turning himself toward the father, he asketh him, whether he will redeem it or not? who answereth him, saying, see, here is gold and silver, take your own price; then saith the priest unto him, you will redeem it then? the father answereth, I will redeem it; it shall be so then, saith the priest, this child is mine as being the firstborn, as it is written, Numbers 18:16. I therefore take this in exchange, &c. and so he takes the sum of two French crowns, or thereabout, as he thinks good, and then delivers the child to his father and mother, and this day they make a feasting day.''

This custom was used in Christ's time, and was observed with respect to him, Luke 2:27.

i History of the Jews, par. 4. c. 9. sect. 2.