Dedication of the Firstborn

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Dedicate to me all the first-born sons of Israel and every firstborn male animal. They are mine."

So Moses said to the people, "This is a day to remember forever the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. For the LORD has brought you out by his mighty power. (Remember, you are not to use any yeast.) This day in early spring will be the anniversary of your exodus. You must celebrate this day when the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. This is the land he swore to give your ancestors a land flowing with mild and honey. For seven days you will eat only bread without yeast. Then on the seventh day, you will celebrate a great feast to the LORD. Eat only bread without yeast during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast in your homes or anywhere within the borders of your land during this time.

"During these festival days each year, you must explain to your children why you are celebrating. Say to them, 'This is a celebration of what the LORD did for us when we left Egypt.' This annual festival will be a visible reminder to you, like mark branded on your hands or your forehead. Let it remind you always to keep the LORD's instructions in your minds and on your lips. After all, it was the LORD who rescued you from Egypt with great power.

So celebrate this festival at the appointed time each year. And remember these instructions when the LORD brings you into the land he swore to give your ancestors long ago, the land where the Canaanites are now living. All firstborn sons and firstborn male animals must be presented to the LORD. A firstborn male donkey may be redeemed from the LORD by presenting a lamb in its place. But if you decide not to make the exchange, the donkey must be killed by breaking its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn son.

And in the future, your children will ask you, 'What does all this mean? Then you will tell them, 'With mighty power the LORD brought us out of Egypt from our slavery. Pharaoh 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 we now offer all the firstborn males to the LORD except that the firstborn sons are always redeemed.' Again I say, this ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hands or your forehead. It is a visible reminder that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt with great power."

Exodus 13

Instructions for the Passover

Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron. "These are the regulations for the festival of Passover. No foreigners are allowed to eat the Passover lamb. But any slave who has been purchased may eat it if he has been circumcised. Hired servants and visiting foreigners may not eat it. All who eat the lamb must eat it together in one house. You must not carry any of its meat outside, and you may not break any of its bones. The whole community of Israel must celebrate this festival at the same time.

"If there are foreigners living among you who want to celebrate the LORD's Passover with you. They will be treated just as if they had been born among you. But an uncircumcised male may never eat of the Passover lamb. This law applies to everyone, whether a native-born Israelite or a foreigner who has settled among you."

So the people of Israel followed all the LORD's instructions to Moses and Aaron. And that very day the LORD began to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, division by division.

A Plague of Locusts!

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Return to Pharaoh and again make your demands. I have made him and his officials stubborn so I can continue to display my power by performing miraculous signs among them. You will be able to tell wonderful stories to your children and grandchildren about the marvelous things I am doing among the Egyptians to prove that I am the LORD."

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said. "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you refuse, watch out! For tomorrow I will cover the whole country with locusts. There will be so many that you won't be able to see the ground. They will devour everything that escaped the hailstorm, including all the trees in the fields. They will overrun your palaces and the homes of your officials and all the houses of Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt has there been a plague like this one!" And with that, Moses turned and walked out.

The court officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. "How long will you let these disasters go on? Please let the Israelites go to serve the LORD their God! Don't you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?"

So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "All right, go and serve the LORD your God, "he said. "But tell me, just whom do you want to take along?"

Young and old, all of us will go, "Moses replied. "We will take our sons and daughters and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in a festival to the LORD."

Pharaoh retorted, "The LORD will certainly need to be with you if you try to take your little ones along! I can see through your wicked intentions. Never! Only the men may go and serve the LORD, for that is what you requested. "And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Raise your hand over the land of Egypt to bring on the locusts. Let them cover the land and eat all the crops still left after the hailstorm."

So Moses raised his staff, and the LORD cause an east wind to blow all that day and through the night. When morning arrived, the east wind had brought the locusts. And the locusts swarmed over the land of Egypt from border to border. It was the worst locust plague in Egyptian history, and there has never again been one like it. For the locusts covered the surface of the whole country, making the ground look black. They ate all the plants and all the fruit on the trees that had survived the hailstorm. Not one green thing remained, neither tree nor plant, throughout the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron. "I confess my sin against the LORD your God and against you, "he said to them. Forgive my sin only this once, and plead with the LORD your God to take away this terrible plague."

So Moses left Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD. The LORD responded by sending a strong west wind that blew the locusts out into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained in all the land of Egypt. But the LORD made Pharaoh stubborn once again, and he did not let the people go.