13:1 Yahweh spoke¹ to Moses, saying, 13:2 “Sanctify² to me every firstborn male, whatever opens³ every womb among the Israelites, whether man or animal, is mine.”⁴

13:3 And Moses said to the people, “Remember⁵ this day in which you came out from Egypt, from the house of bondage,⁶ for with a mighty hand Yahweh brought you out of there⁷—and no leavened bread may be eaten.⁸ 13:4 On this day,⁹ in the month of Abib,¹⁰ you are coming out.¹¹

13:5 When¹² Yahweh brings you to 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 you, a land flowing with milk and honey,¹³ then you will keep¹⁴ this service¹⁵ in this month. 13:6 For seven days¹⁶ you will eat¹⁷ unleavened bread; and on the seventh day there is to be¹⁸ a festival to Yahweh. 13:7 Unleavened bread will be eaten¹⁹ for seven days;²⁰ no leavened bread will be seen²¹ by you, neither will leaven be seen by you within any of your borders.

13:8 And you will tell your son²² on that day,²³ ‘It is²⁴ because of what²⁵ Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 13:9²⁶ And it²⁷ will be for a sign for you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes,²⁸ that the law of Yahweh may be²⁹ in your mouth,³⁰ for³¹ with a mighty hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt.

13:10 So you will keep³² this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.³³

13:11 When Yahweh brings you³⁴ into the land of the Canaanites,³⁵ as he swore to you and to your fathers, and will give it³⁶ to you, 13:12 then you will give over³⁷ to Yahweh all that opens the womb,³⁸ and every firstling³⁹ of beasts that you have⁴⁰—the males will be Yahweh’s.⁴¹ 13:13 And everything that opens (the womb)⁴² of the ass you will redeem⁴³ with a lamb,⁴⁴ and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck;⁴⁵ and every firstborn of⁴⁶ your sons you will redeem.

13:14⁴⁷ And when your son asks you⁴⁸ in time to come,⁴⁹ saying, ‘What is this?’⁵⁰ then you will say to him, ‘With a mighty hand⁵¹ Yahweh brought us out from Egypt, from the land of bondage.⁵² 13:15 And when Pharaoh stubbornly refused⁵³ to release us, then Yahweh killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people even to the firstborn of animals.⁵⁴ That is why I am sacrificing⁵⁵ to Yahweh every male that opens the womb, but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.’ 13:16 And it will be for a sign on your hand, and for frontlets⁵⁶ between your eyes, for with a mighty hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.”⁵⁷

13:17 When Pharaoh released⁵⁹ the people, God did not lead them⁶⁰ on the way to the land⁶¹ of the Philistines,⁶² although⁶³ that was near, for God said,⁶⁴ “Lest⁶⁵ the people change their minds⁶⁶ when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 13:18 And so God led the people around on the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea.⁶⁷ And the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.⁶⁸

13:19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the Israelites solemnly swear,⁶⁹ saying, “God will surely visit you, and you will carry⁷⁰ my bones up from this place with you.”

13:20 So they journeyed from Sukkoth, and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert. 13:21 And Yahweh was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them in the way; and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,⁷¹ so that they could⁷² go by day and night.⁷³ 13:22 He did not take away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of the fire by night, from before the people.⁷⁴