1 A nd Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

The Lord said to Moses,

2 ` Sanctify to Me every first-born, opening any womb among the sons of Israel, among man and among beast; it Mine.'

“Set apart to Me every first-born male. The first-born male among the people of Israel, and the first-born male animal are Mine.” Special Supper of Bread without Yeast

3 A nd Moses saith unto the people, `Remember this day which ye have gone out from Egypt, from the house of servants, for by strength of hand hath Jehovah brought you out from this, and any thing fermented is not eaten;

Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the land where you were made to stay and work. For the Lord brought you out of this place by a powerful hand. No bread made with yeast will be eaten.

4 T o-day ye are going out, in the month of Abib.

This day you are about to go out, in the month of Abib.

5 ` And it hath been, when Jehovah bringeth thee in unto the land of the Canaanite, and of the Hittite, and of the Amorite, and of the Hivite, and of the Jebusite, which He hath sworn to thy fathers to give to thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou hast done this service in this month.

And the Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He promised to your fathers to give you. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. There you will do this act of worship in this month.

6 ` Seven days thou dost eat unleavened things, and in the seventh day a feast to Jehovah;

For seven days you will eat bread without yeast. On the seventh day there will be a special supper to the Lord.

7 u nleavened things are eaten the seven days, and any thing fermented is not seen with thee; yea, leaven is not seen with thee in all thy border.

Bread without yeast will be eaten for seven days. Nothing made with yeast will be seen among you. No yeast will be seen among you in all your country.

8 ` And thou hast declared to thy son in that day, saying, ` because of what Jehovah did to me, in my going out from Egypt,

You will say to your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’

9 a nd it hath been to thee for a sign on thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, so that the law of Jehovah is in thy mouth, for by a strong hand hath Jehovah brought thee out from Egypt;

It will be a special mark on your hand and on your forehead to make people remember, that the Law of the Lord is to be in your mouth. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a powerful hand.

10 a nd thou hast kept this statute at its appointed season from days to days.

So you must keep this Law at the time given for it from year to year. The First-Born

11 ` And it hath been, when Jehovah bringeth thee in unto the land of the Canaanite, as He hath sworn to thee and to thy fathers, and hath given it to thee,

“The Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite. He will give it to you as He promised you and your fathers.

12 t hat thou hast caused every one opening a womb to pass over to Jehovah, and every firstling -- the increase of beasts which thou hast: the males Jehovah's.

There you must give to the Lord the first male to be born. And all the first male animals born belong to the Lord.

13 ` And every firstling of an ass thou dost ransom with a lamb, and if thou dost not ransom, then thou hast beheaded it: and every first-born of man among thy sons thou dost ransom.

But you may buy every first-born donkey by giving a lamb for it. But if you do not buy it, then you must break its neck. You must buy with a gift of money every first-born male among your sons.

14 ` And it hath been, when thy son asketh thee hereafter, saying, What this? that thou hast said unto him, By strength of hand hath Jehovah brought us out from Egypt, from a house of servants;

And when the time comes when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ then say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the land where we were servants.

15 y ea, it cometh to pass, when Pharaoh hath been pained to send us away, that Jehovah doth slay every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of man even unto the first-born of beast; therefore I am sacrificing to Jehovah all opening a womb who males, and every first-born of my sons I ransom;

When Pharaoh would not let us go, the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and of animal. So I give to the Lord every first male animal to be born. But I buy with a gift of money every first-born of my sons.’

16 a nd it hath been for a token on thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes, for by strength of hand hath Jehovah brought us out of Egypt.'

So it will be like a special mark on your hand and on your forehead. For the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand.” Cloud by Day and Fire by Night

17 A nd it cometh to pass in Pharaoh's sending the people away, that God hath not led them the way of the land of the Philistines, for it near; for God said, `Lest the people repent in their seeing war, and have turned back towards Egypt;'

When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even when that was nearer. For God said, “The people may change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”

18 a nd God turneth round the people the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and by fifties have the sons of Israel gone up from the land of Egypt.

So God led the people through the desert to get to the Red Sea. The people of Israel went out of the land of Egypt ready for war.

19 A nd Moses taketh the bones of Joseph with him, for he certainly caused the sons of Israel to swear, saying, `God doth certainly inspect you, and ye have brought up my bones from this with you.'

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the people of Israel promise. He had said, “For sure God will keep you and you will carry my bones with you from here.”

20 A nd they journey from Succoth, and encamp in Etham at the extremity of the wilderness,

Then they left Succoth and set up their tents at Etham, beside the desert.

21 a nd Jehovah is going before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give light to them, to go by day and by night;

The Lord went before them, in a pillar of cloud during the day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire during the night to give them light. So they could travel day and night.

22 H e removeth not the pillar of the cloud by day, and the pillar of the fire by night, before the people.

The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night did not leave the people.