| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1The LORD spoke to Moses: | 1Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 2"Set apart to me every firstborn male--the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine." | 2“Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” |
| 3Moses said to the people, "Remember this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved, for the LORD brought you out of there with a mighty hand--and no bread made with yeast may be eaten. | 3So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the LORD has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.) |
| 4On this day, in the month of Abib, you are going out. | 4On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib, you have been set free. |
| 5When 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, then you will keep this ceremony in this month. | 5You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (He swore to your ancestors that he would give you this land—a land flowing with milk and honey.) |
| 6For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the LORD. | 6For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. Then on the seventh day, celebrate a feast to the LORD. |
| 7Bread made without yeast must be eaten for seven days; no bread made with yeast shall be seen among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders. | 7Eat bread without yeast during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast bread or any yeast at all found within the borders of your land during this time. |
| 8You are to tell your son on that day, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' | 8“On the seventh day you must explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the LORD did for me when I left Egypt.’ |
| 9It will be a sign for you on your hand and a memorial on your forehead, so that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt. | 9This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the LORD: ‘With a strong hand, the LORD rescued you from Egypt.’ |
| 10So you must keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year. | 10So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year. |
| 11When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you, | 11“This is what you must do when the LORD fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live, |
| 12then you must give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. Every firstling of a beast that you have--the males will be the LORD's. | 12you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the LORD, for they belong to him. |
| 13Every firstling of a donkey you must redeem with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you must redeem. | 13A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the LORD by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son. |
| 14In the future, when your son asks you 'What is this?' you are to tell him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery. | 14“And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the LORD brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery. |
| 15When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to release us, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals. That is why I am sacrificing to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.' | 15Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the LORD killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the LORD—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.’ |
| 16It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt." | 16This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the LORD’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.” Israel’s Wilderness Detour |
| 17When Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them by the way to the land of the Philistines, although that was nearby, for God said, "Lest the people change their minds and return to Egypt when they experience war." | 17When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” |
| 18So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea, and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle. | 18So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle. |
| 19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear, "God will surely attend to you, and you will carry my bones up from this place with you." | 19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear to do this. He said, “God will certainly come to help you. When he does, you must take my bones with you from this place.” |
| 20They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert. | 20The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. |
| 21Now 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, so that they could travel day or night. | 21The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. |
| 22He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people. | 22And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people. |
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