¹Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Set apart to me every firstborn, the first to open every womb among the children of Israel, among man and among livestock; it is mine."

³Moses said to the people, "Remember this day when you went out from Egypt, from the house of slaves, for by strength of hand Yahweh brought you out from here; nothing leavened will be eaten.

⁴This day you are going out, in the month of the ear.

⁵And it will happen, when Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give to you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you will do this service in this month.

⁶Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there will be a festival for Yahweh.

⁷Unleavened bread will be eaten for the seven days, and nothing leavened will be seen with you, and no leaven will be seen with you in all your territory.

⁸And you will tell your son on that day, saying, 'It is on account of what Yahweh did for me when I went out from Egypt.'

⁹And it will be for you a sign on your hand and a memorial between your eyes, so that the instruction of Yahweh may be in your mouth; for with a mighty hand Yahweh brought you out from Egypt.

¹⁰And you will keep this statute at its appointed time from days to days.

¹¹And it will happen, when Yahweh brings you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,

¹²You will make over to Yahweh every firstborn of the womb, and every firstborn of the young of livestock that will be yours: the males belong to Yahweh.

¹³And every firstborn of a donkey you will redeem with a sheep; and if you do not redeem it, you will break its neck. And every firstborn of man among your sons you will redeem.

¹⁴And it will happen, when your son asks you tomorrow, saying, 'What is this?' you will say to him, 'With strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the house of slaves.

¹⁵And it happened, when Pharaoh showed stubbornness about letting us go, that Yahweh killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of livestock. Therefore I am sacrificing to Yahweh every male first to open the womb, and every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

¹⁶And it will be a sign on your hand and bands between your eyes; for with strength of hand Yahweh brought us out from Egypt."

¹⁷And it happened, when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, though it was near; for God said, "Lest the people regret when they see war and return to Egypt."

¹⁸So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds; and the children of Israel went up armed from the land of Egypt.

¹⁹Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the children of Israel swear solemnly, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you will bring up my bones from here with you."

²⁰They set out from Succoth and camped in Etham, at the edge of the wilderness.

²¹Yahweh was going before their face by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night.

²²The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the face of the people.