Dedication of the First-Born
1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Dedicate all the first-born males to me, for every first-born male Israelite and every first-born male animal belongs to me.”
The Festival of Unleavened Bread
3 Moses said to the people, “Remember this day—the day on which you left Egypt, the place where you were slaves. This is the day the Lord brought you out by his great power. No leavened bread is to be eaten. 4 You are leaving Egypt on this day in the first month, the month of Abib. 5 The Lord solemnly promised your ancestors to give you the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. When he brings you into that rich and fertile land, you must celebrate this festival in the first month of every year. 6 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to honor the Lord. 7 For seven days you must not eat any bread made with yeast; there must be no yeast or leavened bread anywhere in your land. 8 When the festival begins, explain to your sons that you do all this because of what the Lord did for you when you left Egypt. 9 This observance will be a reminder, like something tied on your hand or on your forehead; it will remind you to continue to recite and study the Law of the Lord, because the Lord brought you out of Egypt by his great power. 10 Celebrate this festival at the appointed time each year.
The First-Born
11 “The Lord will bring you into the land of the Canaanites, which he solemnly promised to you and your ancestors. When he gives it to you, 12 you must offer every first-born male to the Lord. Every first-born male of your animals belongs to the Lord, 13 but you must buy back from him every first-born male donkey by offering a lamb in its place. If you do not want to buy back the donkey, break its neck. You must buy back every first-born male child of yours. 14 In the future, when your son asks what this observance means, you will answer him, ‘By using great power the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place where we were slaves. 15 When the king of Egypt was stubborn and refused to let us go, the Lord killed every first-born male in the land of Egypt, both human and animal. That is why we sacrifice every first-born male animal to the Lord, but buy back our first-born sons. 16 This observance will be a reminder, like something tied on our hands or on our foreheads; it will remind us that the Lord brought us out of Egypt by his great power.’”
The Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire
17 When the king of Egypt let the people go, God did not take them by the road that goes up the coast to Philistia, although it was the shortest way. God thought, “I do not want the people to change their minds and return to Egypt when they see that they are going to have to fight.” 18 Instead, he led them in a roundabout way through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were armed for battle.
19 Moses took the body of Joseph with him, as Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly promise to do. Joseph had said, “When God rescues you, you must carry my body with you from this place.”
20 The Israelites left Sukkoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 During the day the Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and during the night he went in front of them in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel night and day. 22 The pillar of cloud was always in front of the people during the day, and the pillar of fire at night.
Neraudzētās maizes svētki
(2Moz 12:14–20)1 Kungs teica Mozum: 2 “Svētī man ik pirmdzimto, kas Israēlā no miesām nācis gan cilvēkam, gan lopam, – tas mans!”
3 Un Mozus teica ļaudīm: “Atcerieties dienu, kad jūs iznācāt no Ēģiptes, no vergu nama, jo ar stipru roku Kungs jūs izveda – raudzētu lai neēd! 4 Šodien, abība mēnesī, jūs izejat. 5 Kad Kungs jūs aizvedīs uz kanaāniešu, hetiešu, amoriešu, hiviešu un jebūsiešu zemi – kā viņš zvērēja jūsu tēviem, ka dos zemi, kur piens un medus plūst, – tad šajā mēnesī kalpojiet, šādi kalpodami! 6 Septiņas dienas ēdiet neraudzētu maizi, bet septītajā dienā – svētki Kungam! 7 Neraudzētu maizi lai ēd septiņas dienas, raugu pie jums lai nemana un ieraugu pie jums lai nemana – nekur, kur jūs mītat! 8 Tajā dienā tu stāsti savam dēlam: tas tādēļ, ka tā man darīja Kungs, kad es iznācu no Ēģiptes! 9 Un lai tev ir zīme uz tavas rokas un piemiņa starp tavām acīm – lai Kunga bauslība ir tavā mutē, jo ar stipru roku Kungs tevi izveda no Ēģiptes. 10 Turi šo likumu norādītajā laikā mūžu mūžos!
Pirmdzimtie novēlēti Kungam
11 Kad Kungs tevi aizvedīs uz kanaāniešu zemi, kā viņš tev zvērēja, tev un taviem tēviem, un atdos to tev, 12 tad tu atdod Kungam visus, kas pirmie no miesām nākuši. Visi pirmie tēviņi no lopu metieniem – Kungam! 13 Ikvienu pirmdzimto ēzeli izpērc ar jēru, bet, ja neizpērc, pārlauz tam kaklu! Izpērc ikvienu pirmdzimto cilvēku starp saviem dēliem! 14 Un, kad rīt tavs dēls tev jautās: kas tas ir? – tad saki viņam: ar stipru roku Kungs mūs izveda no Ēģiptes, no vergu nama! 15 Un, kad faraons tiepās mūs laist, tad Kungs nokāva ik pirmdzimto Ēģiptes zemē – gan cilvēka pirmdzimto, gan lopa pirmdzimto. Tādēļ es upurēju Kungam ikvienu tēviņu, kas pirmais no miesām nācis, un izpērku ikvienu no manu dēlu pirmdzimtajiem! 16 Un lai tev ir zīme uz tavas rokas un piemiņa starp tavām acīm – jo ar stipru roku Kungs izveda mūs no Ēģiptes!”
Mākoņu un uguns stabs
(2Moz 40:34–384Moz 9:15–231Ķēn 8:10–11)17 Kad faraons atlaida tautu, Dievs nevadīja tos pa ceļu uz filistiešu zemi, kaut tā bija tuvu, bet Dievs teica: “Ka tik šī tauta nesāk nožēlot, karu pieredzēdama, un ka neatgriežas Ēģiptē.” 18 Dievs veda tautu apkārt pa tuksneša ceļu uz Niedru jūru, un Israēla dēli aizgāja no Ēģiptes zemes apbruņoti. 19 Un Mozus paņēma sev līdzi Jāzepa kaulus, jo viņš bija nozvērinājis Israēla dēlus, sacīdams: “Dievs jūs nepametīs – tad aiznesiet manus kaulus no šejienes sev līdzi!” 20 Viņi izgāja no Sukotas un apmetās Ētāmā, tuksneša malā. 21 Dienā Kungs gāja tiem pa priekšu mākoņu stabā, lai vadītu tos ceļā, un naktī – uguns stabā, lai būtu gaisma – lai tie ietu dienu un nakti. 22 Mākoņu stabs neatkāpās no tautas dienā un uguns stabs naktī.
