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Exodus 13-15
GOD’S WORD Translation
Exodus 13-15
GOD’S WORD Translation
13 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Set apart every firstborn male for me. Every firstborn male offspring among the Israelites is mine, whether human or animal.”
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day—the day when you left Egypt, the land of slavery. The Lord used his mighty hand to bring you out of there. Don’t eat anything made with yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving Egypt. 5 The Lord swore to your ancestors that he would give you the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. When he brings you into that land flowing with milk and honey, you must observe this ceremony in this month.
6 “For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. The seventh day will be a pilgrimage festival in the Lord’s honor. 7 Only unleavened bread should be eaten during these seven days. No sourdough or yeast should be seen anywhere in your territory. 8 On that day tell your children, ‘We do this because of what the Lord did for us when we left Egypt.’ 9 This ⌞festival⌟ will be ⌞like⌟ a mark on your hand or a reminder on your forehead that the teachings of the Lord are ⌞always⌟ to be a part of your conversation. Because the Lord used his mighty hand to bring you out of Egypt, 10 you must follow these rules every year at this time.
Rules Concerning the Firstborn Child
11 “When the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he swore to you and your ancestors, 12 sacrifice every firstborn male offspring to the Lord. The firstborn male offspring of each of your animals belongs to the Lord. 13 It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy any firstborn donkey back from the Lord. If you don’t buy it back, then you must break the donkey’s neck. You must also buy every firstborn son back from the Lord.
14 “In the future when your children ask you what this means, tell them, ‘The Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of slavery in Egypt. 15 When Pharaoh was too stubborn to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in Egypt—human and animal. This is why we sacrifice every firstborn male to the Lord and buy every firstborn son back from the Lord.’ 16 So this ⌞festival⌟ will be ⌞like⌟ a mark on your hand and ⌞like⌟ a band on your forehead, because the Lord used his mighty hand to bring us out of Egypt.”
God Leads the People out of Egypt
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God didn’t lead them on the road through Philistine territory, although that was the shortest route. God said, “If they see that they have to fight a war, they may change their minds and go back to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around the other way, on the road through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were ready for battle when they left Egypt.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites solemnly swear to do this. Joseph had said, “God will definitely come to help you. When he does, take my bones with you.”
20 They moved from Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a column of smoke to lead them on their way. By night he went ahead of them in a column of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or by night. 22 The column of smoke was always in front of the people during the day. The column of fire was always there at night.
Pharaoh Pursues Israel
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to go back and set up their camp facing Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Set up your camp facing north—by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are ⌞just⌟ wandering around. The desert is blocking their escape.’ 4 I will make Pharaoh so stubborn that he will pursue them. Then, because of what I do to Pharaoh and his entire army, I will receive honor, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So that is what the Israelites did.
5 When Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) was told that the people had fled, he and his officials changed their minds about them. They said, “What have we done? We’ve lost our slaves because we’ve let Israel go.” 6 So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. 7 He took 600 of his best chariots as well as all the other chariots in Egypt, placing an officer in each of them. 8 The Lord made Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) so stubborn that he pursued the Israelites, who were boldly leaving Egypt. 9 The Egyptians pursued the Israelites. Pharaoh’s army, including all his horse-drawn chariots and cavalry, caught up with them as they were setting up their camp by the sea at Pi Hahiroth facing north.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw that the Egyptians were coming after them. Terrified, the Israelites cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Did you bring us out into the desert to die because there were no graves in Egypt? Look what you’ve done by bringing us out of Egypt! 12 Didn’t we tell you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone! Let us go on serving the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
The Lord Divides the Red Sea
13 Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid! Stand still, and see what the Lord will do to save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. 14 The Lord is fighting for you! So be still!”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to start moving. 16 Raise your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide the water. Then the Israelites will go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I am making the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow the Israelites. I will receive honor because of what I will do to Pharaoh, his entire army, his chariots, and cavalry. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I am honored for what I did to Pharaoh, his chariots, and his cavalry.”
19 The Messenger of God, who had been in front of the Israelites, moved behind them. So the column of smoke moved from in front of the Israelites and stood behind them 20 between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp. The ⌞column of⌟ smoke was there when darkness came, and it lit up the night. Neither side came near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. All that night the Lord pushed back the sea with a strong east wind and turned the sea into dry ground. The water divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the middle of the sea on dry ground. The water stood like a wall on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry followed them into the sea. 24 Just before dawn, the Lord looked down from the column of fire and smoke and threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. 25 He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they could hardly move. Then the Egyptians shouted, “Let’s get out of here! The Lord is fighting for Israel! He’s against us!”
26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water will flow back over the Egyptians, their chariots, and their cavalry.”
27 Moses stretched his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the water returned to its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered Pharaoh’s entire army, as well as the chariots and the cavalry that had followed Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29 Meanwhile, the Israelites had gone through the sea on dry ground while the water stood like a wall on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. 31 When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord had used against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
The Song of Moses
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord.
He has won a glorious victory.
He has thrown horses and their riders into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song.
He is my Savior.
This is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will honor him.
3 The Lord is a warrior!
The Lord is his name.
4 He has thrown Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the sea.
Pharaoh’s best officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep water covered them.
They sank to the bottom like a rock.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, wins glory because it is strong.
Your right hand, O Lord, smashes your enemies.
7 With your unlimited majesty, you destroyed those who attacked you.
You sent out your burning anger.
It burned them up like straw.
8 With a blast from your nostrils, the water piled up.
The waves stood up like a dam.
The deep water thickened in the middle of the sea.
9 “The enemy said, ‘I’ll pursue them!
I’ll catch up with them!
I’ll divide the loot!
I’ll take all I want!
I’ll use my sword!
I’ll take all they have!’
10 Your breath blew the sea over them.
They sank like lead in the raging water.
11 “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord?
Who is like you?
You are glorious because of your holiness
and awe-inspiring because of your splendor.
You perform miracles.
12 You stretched out your right hand.
The earth swallowed them.
13 “Lovingly, you will lead the people you have saved.
Powerfully, you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
14 People will hear of it and tremble.
The people of Philistia will be in anguish.
15 The tribal leaders of Edom will be terrified.
The powerful men of Moab will tremble.
The people of Canaan will be deathly afraid.
16 Terror and dread will fall on them.
Because of the power of your arm, they will be petrified
until your people pass by, O Lord,
until the people you purchased pass by.
17 You will bring them and plant them on your own mountain,
the place where you live, O Lord,
the holy place that you built with your own hands, O Lord.
18 The Lord will rule as king forever and ever.”
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry went into the sea, the Lord made the water of the sea flow back over them. However, the Israelites had gone through the sea on dry ground.
The Song of Miriam
20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women, dancing with tambourines, followed her. 21 Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord.
He has won a glorious victory.
He has thrown horses and their riders into the sea.”
God Provides Water for the Israelites
22 Moses led Israel away from the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink the water because it tasted bitter. That’s why the place was called Marah [Bitter Place]. 24 The people complained about Moses by asking, “What are we supposed to drink?”
25 Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed [a] him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the Lord set down laws and rules for them to live by, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what he considers right, if you pay attention to his commands and obey all his laws, I will never make you suffer any of the diseases I made the Egyptians suffer, because I am the Lord, who heals you.”
27 Next, they went to Elim, where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees. They camped there by the water.
Footnotes
- 15:25 Samaritan Pentateuch, Syriac, Targum, Latin; Masoretic Text “taught.”
Exodus 13-15
New International Version
Exodus 13-15
New International Version
Consecration of the Firstborn
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male.(A) 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,(B) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.(C) Eat nothing containing yeast.(D) 4 Today, in the month of Aviv,(E) you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,(F) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites(G)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey(H)—you are to observe this ceremony(I) in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival(J) 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,(K) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand(L) and a reminder on your forehead(M) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.(N) 10 You must keep this ordinance(O) at the appointed time(P) year after year.
11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites(Q) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath(R) to you and your ancestors,(S) 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.(T) 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,(U) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(V) Redeem(W) every firstborn among your sons.(X)
14 “In days to come, when your son(Y) 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.(Z) 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the 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.’(AA) 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead(AB) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”
Crossing the Sea
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.”(AC) 18 So God led(AD) the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.(AE)
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph(AF) 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.”[b](AG)
20 After leaving Sukkoth(AH) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.(AI) 21 By day the Lord went ahead(AJ) of them in a pillar of cloud(AK) 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 cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left(AL) 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(AM) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.(AN) 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(AO) and he will pursue them.(AP) But I will gain glory(AQ) for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”(AR) So the Israelites did this.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,(AS) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds(AT) 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 and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots,(AU) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart(AV) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.(AW) 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses(AX) and chariots, horsemen[c] and troops(AY)—pursued the Israelites and overtook(AZ) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.(BA)
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried(BB) out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?(BC) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in 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!”(BD)
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.(BE) Stand firm and you will see(BF) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see(BG) again. 14 The Lord will fight(BH) for you; you need only to be still.”(BI)
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?(BJ) Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff(BK) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water(BL) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts(BM) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.(BN) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(BO) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God,(BP) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud(BQ) also moved from in front and stood behind(BR) them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness(BS) 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 hand(BT) over the sea,(BU) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind(BV) and turned it into dry land.(BW) The waters were divided,(BX) 22 and the Israelites went through the sea(BY) on dry ground,(BZ) with a wall(CA) of water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen(CB) followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud(CC) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.(CD) 25 He jammed[d] 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(CE) for them against Egypt.”(CF)
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.(CG) The Egyptians were fleeing toward[e] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.(CH) 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.(CI) Not one of them survived.(CJ)
29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,(CK) with a wall(CL) of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved(CM) Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand(CN) of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared(CO) the Lord and put their trust(CP) in him and in Moses his servant.
The Song of Moses and Miriam
15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song(CQ) to the Lord:
“I will sing(CR) to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver(CS)
he has hurled into the sea.(CT)
2 “The Lord is my strength(CU) and my defense[f];
he has become my salvation.(CV)
He is my God,(CW) and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt(CX) him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;(CY)
the Lord is his name.(CZ)
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army(DA)
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.[g]
5 The deep waters(DB) have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.(DC)
6 Your right hand,(DD) Lord,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand,(DE) Lord,
shattered(DF) the enemy.
7 “In the greatness of your majesty(DG)
you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;(DH)
it consumed(DI) them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils(DJ)
the waters piled up.(DK)
The surging waters stood up like a wall;(DL)
the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.(DM)
9 The enemy boasted,
‘I will pursue,(DN) I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;(DO)
I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,(DP)
and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
in the mighty waters.(DQ)
11 Who among the gods
is like you,(DR) Lord?
Who is like you—
majestic in holiness,(DS)
awesome in glory,(DT)
working wonders?(DU)
12 “You stretch out(DV) your right hand,
and the earth swallows your enemies.(DW)
13 In your unfailing love you will lead(DX)
the people you have redeemed.(DY)
In your strength you will guide them
to your holy dwelling.(DZ)
14 The nations will hear and tremble;(EA)
anguish(EB) will grip the people of Philistia.(EC)
15 The chiefs(ED) of Edom(EE) will be terrified,
the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,(EF)
the people[h] of Canaan will melt(EG) away;
16 terror(EH) and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
they will be as still as a stone(EI)—
until your people pass by, Lord,
until the people you bought[i](EJ) pass by.(EK)
17 You will bring(EL) them in and plant(EM) them
on the mountain(EN) of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,(EO)
the sanctuary,(EP) Lord, your hands established.
18 “The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.”(EQ)
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen[j] went into the sea,(ER) the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.(ES) 20 Then Miriam(ET) the prophet,(EU) Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels(EV) and dancing.(EW) 21 Miriam sang(EX) to them:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver(EY)
he has hurled into the sea.”(EZ)
The Waters of Marah and Elim
22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert(FA) of Shur.(FB) For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.(FC) 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.[k](FD)) 24 So the people grumbled(FE) against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”(FF)
25 Then Moses cried out(FG) to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw(FH) 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.(FI) 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(FJ) all his decrees,(FK) I will not bring on you any of the diseases(FL) I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals(FM) you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped(FN) there near the water.
Footnotes
- Exodus 13:18 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 13:19 See Gen. 50:25.
- Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28
- Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
- Exodus 14:27 Or from
- Exodus 15:2 Or song
- Exodus 15:4 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 22
- Exodus 15:15 Or rulers
- Exodus 15:16 Or created
- Exodus 15:19 Or charioteers
- Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitter.
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