Exodus 13

The Law of the Firstborn

1 s The Lord spoket to Moses:

2 “Set apartts to me every firstborn male – the first offspring of every wombt among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.”t
3 Moses said to the people, “Rememberts this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved,t for the Lord brought you out of theret with a mighty hand – and no bread made with yeast may be eaten.t

4 On this day,t in the month of Abib,s you are going out.t
5 Whent the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey,t then you will keept this ceremonyt in this month.6 For seven dayst you must eatt bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to bet a festival to the Lord.

7 Bread made without yeast must be eatent for seven days;t no bread made with yeast shall be seent among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders.
8 You are to tell your sonts on that day,t ‘It ist because of whatt the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’9 s Itt will be a signt for you on your hand and a memorialt on your forehead,ts so that the law of the Lord may bet in your mouth,s fort with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.

10 So you must keept this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.t
11 When the Lord brings yout into the land of the Canaanites,s as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives itt to you,12 then you must give overts to the Lord the first offspring of every womb.t Every firstlingt of a beast that you havet – the males will be the Lord’s.t

13 Every firstlingt of a donkey you must redeemt with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck.t Every firstborn ofts your sons you must redeem.
14 s In the future,t when your son asks yout ‘What is this?’t you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty handt the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery.t15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refusedt to release us, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals.t That is why I am sacrificingt to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.’

16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontletst on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”s

The Leading of God

17 s When Pharaoh releasedt the people, God did not lead thems by the way to the landt of the Philistines,s althought that was nearby, for God said,t “Lestt the people change their mindst and return to Egypt when they experiencet war.”

18 So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea,ts and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.t

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Josepht had made the Israelites solemnly swear,t “God will surely attends to you, and you will carryt my bones up from this place with you.”
20 They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert.21 Now the Lord 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,s so that they couldt travel day or night.t

22 He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.s

Exodus 14

The Victory at the Red Sea

1 s The Lord spoke to Moses:2 “Tell the Israelites that they must turn and campt before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you are to camp by the sea before Baal Zephon opposite it.s3 Pharaoh will thinkt regarding the Israelites, ‘They are wandering around confuseds in the land – the desert has closed in on them.’t

4 I will hardent Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them. I will gain honort because of Pharaoh and because of all his army, and the Egyptians will knowt that I am the Lord.” So this is what they did.t
5 When it was reportedt to the king of Egypt that the people had fled,t the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said,t “What in the world have we done?t For we have released the people of Israelt from serving us!”6 Then he preparedt his chariots and took his armyt with him.

7 He took six hundred selectt chariots, and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt,t and officerst on all of them.
8 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he chased after the Israelites. Now the Israelites were going out defiantly.t9 The Egyptians chased after them, and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-Zephon.10 Whent Pharaoh got closer,t the Israelites looked up,t and there were the Egyptians marching after them,t and they were terrified.t The Israelites cried out to the Lord,s11 and they said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the desert?s What in the worldt have you done to us by bringingt us out of Egypt?

12 Isn’t this what we told yout in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians,s because it is better for us to servet the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’”t
13 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear!t Stand firmt and seet the salvationt of the Lord that he will providet for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again.ts

14 The Lordt will fight for you, and you can be still.”t
15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.t16 And as for you,t lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and divide it, so thatt the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry ground.17 And as for me, I am going to hardent the hearts of the Egyptians so thatt they will come after them, that I may be honoredt becauset of Pharaoh and his army and his chariots and his horsemen.

18 And the Egyptians will knowt that I am the Lord when I have gained my honort because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 The angel of God, who was going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them, and the pillars of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.20 It came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp; it was a dark cloudt and it lit up the night so that one camp did not come near the othert the whole night.s21 Moses stretched out his hand toward the sea, and the Lord drove the sea apartt by a strong east wind all that night, and he made the sea into dry land, and the water was divided.

22 So the Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the water forming a wallts for them on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians chased them and followed them into the middle of the sea – all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.24 In the morning watcht the Lord looked downt on the Egyptian armyt through the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian armyt into a panic.t

25 He jammedt the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving,t and the Egyptians said, “Let’s fleet from Israel, for the Lord fightst for them against Egypt!”
26 The Lord said to Moses, “Extend your hand toward the sea, so that the waters may flowt back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen!”27 So Moses extended his hand toward the sea, and the sea returned to its normal statet when the sun began to rise.t Now the Egyptians were fleeingt before it, but the Lord overthrewt the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.28 The water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the army of Pharaoh that was coming after the Israelites into the seat – not so much as one of them survived!t29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground in the middle of the sea, the water forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.30 So the Lord savedt Israel on that day from the powert of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians deadt on the shore of the sea.

31 When Israel sawt the great powert that the Lord had exercisedt over the Egyptians, theyt feared the Lord, and they believed ints the Lord and in his servant Moses.s

Exodus 15

The Song of Triumph

1 s Then Moses and the Israelites sangt this song to the Lord. They said,t
“I will singt to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously,t
the horse and its riders he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lordt is my strength and my song,t
and he has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him,t
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a warrior,t
the Lord is his name.t

4 The chariots of Pharaoht and his army he has thrown into the sea,
and his chosent officers were drownedt in the Red Sea.

5 The depths have covered them,t
they went down to the bottomt like a stone.

6 Your right hand, O Lord, was majestict in power,
your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.

7 In the abundance of your majestys you have overthrownt
those who rise up against you.t
You sent forths your wrath;s
it consumed themt like stubble.

8 By the blast of your nostrilss the waters were piled up,
the flowing water stood upright like a heap,t
and the deep waters were solidified in the heart of the sea.

9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase,s I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil;
my desiret will be satisfied on them.
I will drawt my sword, my hand will destroy them.’t

10 Butt you blew with your breath, andt the sea covered them.
They sankt like lead in the mighty waters.

11 Who is like you,t O Lord, among the gods?s
Who is like you? – majestic in holiness, fearful in praises,t working wonders?

12 You stretched out your right hand,
the earth swallowed them.t

13 By your loyal love you will leadt the people whomt you have redeemed;
you will guidet them by your strength to your holy dwelling place.

14 The nations will heart and tremble;
anguisht will seizet the inhabitants of Philistia.

15 Then the chiefs of Edom will be terrified,t
trembling will seizet the leaders of Moab,
and the inhabitants of Canaan will shake.

16 Fear and dreadt will fallt on them;
by the greatnesst of your arm they will be as still as stones
untilt your people pass by, O Lord,
until the people whom you have boughtt pass by.

17 You will bring them int and plant them in the mountains of your inheritance,
in the place you madet for your residence, O Lord,
the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.

18 The Lord will reign forever and ever!

19 For the horses of Pharaoh came with his chariots and his footmen into the sea,
and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them,
but the Israelites walked on dry land in the middle of the sea.”
20 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a hand-drum in her hand, and all the women went out after her with hand-drums and with dances.s

21 Miriam sang in responset to them, “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider he has thrown into the sea.”s

The Bitter Water

22 s Then Moses led Israel to journeyt away from the Red Sea. They went out to the Desert of Shur, walked for three dayss into the desert, and found no water.

23 Then they came to Marah,s but they were not able to drinkt the waters of Marah, becauset they were bitter.s (That ist why its name wast Marah.)
24 So the people murmuredt against Moses, saying, “What cants we drink?”25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed himts a tree.ts When Mosest threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lordt made for themt a binding ordinance,t and there he testedts them.

26 He said, “If you will diligently obeyt the Lord your God, and do what is rightt in his sight, and pay attentiont to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then allt the diseasess that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.”ts

27 Then they came to Elim,s where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.