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13 The LORD said to Moses,
2 Consecrate to me every firstborn male.
The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me,
whether human or animal."
3 Then Moses said to the people, "Commemorate this day, the day you
came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought
you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast.
4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leving.
5 When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites,
Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites-the land he swore to your ancestors to
give you, a land flowing with milk and honey-you are to observe this
ceremony in this month:
6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day
hold a festival to the LORD.
7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it
is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within
your borders.
8 On that day tell your son, 'I do this because of what the LORD did for me
when I came out of Egypt.'
9 This observance will be for yoi like a sign on your hand and a reminder
on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the
LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.
10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.
11 "After the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it
to you,as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors,
12 you are to give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. All
the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.
13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem
in, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among our sons.
14 "In days to come, when yhour son asks you, 'What does this mean?"
say to him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out
of the land of slavery.
15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every
firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt.
This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every
womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.'
16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead
that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand."
17 When pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road
through the philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said,
"If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt."
18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the RedSea.
The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the
Israelites swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your
aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place."
20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.
21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them
on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that
they could travel by day or night.
22 Neither the pillar of cloudby day nor the pillar of fire by night left its
place in front of the people.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between
Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite
Baal Zephon.
3 pharaoh will think, "The Isfaelites are wandering around the land in
confusion, hemmed in by the desert'.
4 And I will hardden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will
gain glory for myself through pharaoh and all his army, and the
Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. "So the Israelites did this.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and
his officials changed their minds about them and said, :What have we
done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!"
6 So he had his chariot made ready ad took his army with him.
7 He took six hundred of the best chariots. aiong with all the other chariots
of Egypt, with officers over all of them.
8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he
pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.
9 The Egyptians-all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops-
Pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea
near pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the
Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to
the LORD.
11 They said MOses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that
you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by
bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Didn't we say to you inb Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the
Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians
than to die in the desert!"
13 Moses ansered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will
see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.
The egyptians you see today you will never see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you; need only to be still."
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the
Israelites to move on.
16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the
water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after
them.
And I will gain glory through pharaon and all his army, through his
chariots and his horsemen.
18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through
Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."
19 Then the angel of God, who had beem traveling in front of Israel's
army, witherew and went behind them.
The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
20 Coning between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night
the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side;
so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his habd over the sea, and all that night the
LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry
land. The waters were divide,
22 And the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of
water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and
horsemen followed them into the sea.
24 During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar
of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.
25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty
driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites!
The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so
that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots
and horsemen."
27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea
went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing to ward it,, and the
LORD swept them into the sea.
28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen-the
entire army of pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.
Not one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of
water on their right and on their left.
30 That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and
Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.
31 And when the Isralites saw the mighty hand of the LORD display
against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust
in him and in Moses his servant.
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
"I will sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
2 "The LORD is my strength and my defense, he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and will praise him,my father's God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.
4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh's officers
5 The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a ston.
6 Your right hand, LORD,
was majestic in power.
Yout right hand, LORD,
shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your mahesty you thrw down those who opplsed you.
You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like strbble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy boasted,
'I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.'
10 But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods is like you, LORD?
Who is like you- majestic in holiness, awesoe in glory,working wonders?
12 You stretch out your fight hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.
13 In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them to your holy dweling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of
Philistia.
15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized
with trembling, the people of canaan will nelt away; terror and dread
will fall on them.
16 By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stoneuntil your
people pass by, LORD, until the people you bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your
ingeritance-the place, LORD, you made for your dwelling, the
sanctuary, LORD, your ahds established.
18 The LORD reigns for ever and ever."
19 When Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the
LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites
walked through the sea on dry ground.
20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and
all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing.
21 Miriam sang to them;
"Sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea."
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert
of Shur. For there days they traveled in the desert without finding
water.
23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it
was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)
24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
25 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of
wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.
There the LORD issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them
to the test.
26 He said, "If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is
right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his
decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the
Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy
palm trees, and hey camped there near the water. amen
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