Offering of the firstborn
1Yahweh spoke to Moses saying, 2“Consecrate to me every firstborn: the first to leave the womb among the sons of Israel, whether of man or beast, is mine.”
3Moses said to the people, “Remember the day you came out of Egypt from the house of slavery, for it was by his power that Yahweh brought you out; because of this you will not eat leavened bread.
4 ① The day you left was in the month of Abib. 5When Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites and the Jebusites — a land flowing with milk and honey which he swore to your fathers to give you — you will carry out this ceremony.
6For seven days you will eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day you will hold a feast in honor of Yahweh. 7You will eat unleavened bread for seven days and no leavened bread is to be seen among you or anywhere throughout all your territory. 8On that day you will tell your son: ‘I do this because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
9This ceremony will be for you as a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead, so that Yahweh’s law may be ever on your lips, for it was with great power that Yahweh brought you out of Egypt. 10Because of this you will observe this ordinance at the appointed time from year to year.
11When Yahweh brings you to the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he swore to you and your ancestors, 12you are to give over to Yahweh all that first opens the womb, and every firstborn of your cattle as well. These firstborn that are males are for Yahweh.
13Every firstborn donkey will be redeemed by a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. Every firstborn among your sons you are to redeem. 14When in the future your son questions you as to what it means you will say: ‘Yahweh, by his power brought us out of Egypt from the house of slavery. 15As Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh slew every firstborn in Egypt, of man and beast. That is why I sacrifice to Yahweh all the males of my cattle that first open the womb, but the firstborn of my sons, I redeem.’
16It will be as a sign on your hand and a charm between your eyes, reminding you that the power of Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”
The departure
17It happened that when Pharaoh sent the people away, God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer, for God thought that the people might lose heart if they were faced with the prospect of a battle and would return to Egypt. 18God therefore led the people by the way of the wilderness towards the Red Sea. So the Israelites left Egypt in an orderly manner.
19Moses took with him the bones of Joseph for he had made the Israelites swear saying, “God will surely remember you and then you will carry my bones with you away from here.”
20They moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham bordering the wilderness. 21By day Yahweh went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, enabling them to travel day and night. 22Neither the cloud by day nor the fire by night, disappeared from the sight of the people.
- Ex 13,4 As a sign on your hand (v. 9 and 16). The other peoples used tatoos and religious objects to affirm their religious identity. The Israelites, instead, would be recognized by the celebration of the day on which God saved them.
