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Sanctifying the Firstborn

¹ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,² "^(C1)Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first ^(F1)offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me."

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

³ And Moses said to the people, "^(C1)Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of ^(F1)slavery; for ^(C2)by a strong hand Yahweh brought you out from this place. ^(C3)And nothing leavened shall be eaten.⁴ "This day, in the ^(C1)month of Abib, you are going out.⁵ "And it shall be when Yahweh ^(C1)brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which ^(C2)He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, ^(C3)that you shall ^(F1)do this service in this month.⁶ "For ^(C1)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to Yahweh.⁷ "Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and ^(C1)nothing leavened shall be seen ^(F1)among you, nor shall any leaven be seen ^(F1)among you in all your borders.⁸ "^(C1)And you shall tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.'⁹ "And ^(C1)it will be as a sign to you on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with ^(C2)a strong hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt.¹⁰ "Therefore, you shall ^(C1)keep this statute at its appointed time from ^(F1)year to year.

¹¹ "And it will be when ^(C1)Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as ^(C2)He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,^12 (C1)and you shall ^(F1)devote to Yahweh the first ^(F2)offspring of every womb and ^(F3)the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to Yahweh.¹³ "But ^(C1)every first ^(F1)offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and ^(C2)every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.¹⁴ "^(C1)And it will be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' then you shall say to him, '^(C2)With a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt, from the house of ^(F1)slavery.¹⁵ 'And it happened, when Pharaoh hardened his heart with stiffness about letting us go, that ^(C1)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 ^(F1)offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'¹⁶ "So ^(C1)it will be as a sign on your hand and as ^(F1)phylacteries between your eyes, for with a strong hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt."

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

¹⁷ Now it happened that when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not guide them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, "^(C1)Lest the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt."¹⁸ Hence God turned the people to the way of the wilderness to the ^(F1)Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up ^(C1)in battle array from the land of Egypt.¹⁹ And Moses took ^(C1)the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, "God will surely ^(F1)take care of you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you."²⁰ Then they set out from ^(C1)Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.^21 (C1)And Yahweh was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to guide them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might go by day and by night.^22 (F1)He ^(C1)did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.