¹ And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

² Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, that opens·​·up every womb among the sons of Israel, in man and in beast; it is for Me.

³ And Moses said to^▵ the people, Remember thou this day, in which you went·​·out from Egypt, from the house of servitude^*; for with firmness of hand Jehovah brought· you ·out from hence; and what is leavened shall not be eaten.

⁴ Today you^◦ go·​·out, in the month Abib.

⁵ And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee to the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He promised to thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt serve this service in this month.

⁶ Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened things, and in the seventh day is a festival to Jehovah.

⁷ Unleavened things shall be eaten seven days; and that which is leavened shall not be seen with thee, yeast shall not be seen with thee in all thy border.

⁸ And thou shalt tell thy son in that^◦ day, saying, It is on·​·account of this which Jehovah did for me, in my going·​·out from Egypt.

⁹ And it shall be for a sign to thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of Jehovah may be in thy mouth; for with a firm hand has Jehovah brought· thee ·out from Egypt.

¹⁰ And thou shalt keep this statute at the set time from year to year.

¹¹ And it shall be when Jehovah shall have brought thee in to the land of the Canaanite, as He promised to thee and to thy fathers, and shall have given it to thee;

¹² that thou shalt cause to pass·​·on to Jehovah all that opens·​·up the womb; and all that opens·​·up the womb of the progeny of a beast, which shall be to thee males, shall be for Jehovah.

¹³ And all that which opens·​·up the womb of a donkey thou shalt redeem^◦ with an animal·​·of·​·the·​·flock; and if thou wilt not redeem^◦ it, then thou shalt chop· its ·neck; and every firstborn of man among thy sons shalt thou redeem^◦.

¹⁴ And it shall be that thy son shall ask thee tomorrow, saying, What is this? and thou shalt say to^▵ him, With firmness of hand Jehovah brought· us ·out from Egypt, from the house of servitude^*.

¹⁵ And it was that Pharaoh made himself hard to send· us ·away, and Jehovah killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man and even·​·to the firstborn of the beast; therefore I^◦ sacrifice to Jehovah all that opens·​·up the womb, being males; and all the firstborn of my sons I redeem^◦.

¹⁶ And it shall be for a sign on thy hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes; for with firmness of hand Jehovah brought· us ·out from Egypt.

¹⁷ And it was when Pharaoh sent· the people ·away, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, for that was near; for God said, Lest the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.

¹⁸ And God turned· the people ·around, by the way of the wilderness, the Suph Sea^*; and the sons of Israel went up girded·​·to·​·the·​·fifth^* from the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for promising he had caused the sons of Israel to promise, saying, Visiting God will visit you; and you shall bring up my bones with you from hence.

²⁰ And they journeyed from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, at the end of the wilderness.

²¹ And Jehovah went^◦ before them by·​·day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them in the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give· them ·light; to go by·​·day and by night.

²² The pillar of cloud by·​·day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people.

¹ Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the east.

² He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and, behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large.

³ There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place.

⁴ Jacob said to them, "My relatives, where are you from?" They said, "We are from Haran."

⁵ He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We know him."

⁶ He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

⁷ He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

⁸ They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep."

⁹ While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

¹⁰ It happened, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

¹¹ Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³ It happened, when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things.

¹⁴ Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He lived with him for a month.

¹⁵ Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

¹⁶ Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.

¹⁷ Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive.

¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹ Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

²⁰ Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, for the love he had for her.

²¹ Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

²² Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.

²³ It happened in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him. He went in to her.

²⁴ Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid.

²⁵ It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"

²⁶ Laban said, "It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.

²⁷ Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years."

²⁸ Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife.

²⁹ Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah, his handmaid, to be her handmaid.

³⁰ He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

³¹ Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.

³² Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she named him Reuben. For she said, "Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction. For now my husband will love me."

³³ She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, "Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he has therefore given me this son also." She named him Simeon.

³⁴ She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, "Now this time will my husband be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore was his name called Levi.

³⁵ She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, "This time will I praise Yahweh." Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing.