¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

² Sanctify to me all the first-born, whatever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.

³ And Moses said to the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.

⁴ This day ye came out in the month Abib.

⁵ And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey; that thou shalt keep this service in this month.

⁶ Seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.

⁷ Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven days: and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters.

⁸ And thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did to me when I came forth out of Egypt.

⁹ And it shall be for a sign to thee upon thy hand, and for a memorial between thy eyes; that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

¹⁰ Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

¹¹ And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it to thee,

¹² That thou shall set apart to the LORD all that openeth the matrix; and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast, the males shall be the LORD'S.

¹³ And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the first-born of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

¹⁴ And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say to him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:

¹⁵ And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beasts: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the first-born of my children I redeem.

¹⁶ And it shall be for a token upon thy hand, and for frontlets between thy eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.

¹⁸ But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnassed from the land of Egypt.

¹⁹ And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had strictly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones hence with you.

²⁰ And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.

²¹ And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light: to go by day and night.

²² He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

¹ Maschil of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ear to the words of my mouth.

² I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

³ Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

⁴ We will not hide them from their children, showing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

⁵ For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:

⁶ That the generation to come might know them, even the children who should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

⁷ That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

⁸ And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God.

⁹ The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.

¹⁰ They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;

¹¹ And forgot his works, and his wonders that he had shown them.

¹² Marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

¹³ He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as a heap.

¹⁴ In the day-time also he led them with a cloud, and all the night with a light of fire.

¹⁵ He cleaved the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths.

¹⁶ He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

¹⁷ And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness.

¹⁸ And they tempted God in their heart by asking food for their desire.

¹⁹ Yes, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

²⁰ Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?

²¹ Therefore the LORD heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel;

²² Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation:

²³ Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven,

²⁴ And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven.

²⁵ Man ate angels' food: he sent them food to the full.

²⁶ He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind.

²⁷ He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

²⁸ And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, around their habitations.

²⁹ So they ate, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;

³⁰ They were not estranged from their desire: but while their meat was yet in their mouths,

³¹ The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

³² For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.

³³ Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

³⁴ When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned and inquired early after God.

³⁵ And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

³⁶ Nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues.

³⁷ For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant.

³⁸ But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yes, many a time he turned his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.

³⁹ For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

⁴⁰ How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!

⁴¹ Yes, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

⁴² They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.

⁴³ How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:

⁴⁴ And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

⁴⁵ He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.

⁴⁶ He gave also their increase to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust.

⁴⁷ He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost.

⁴⁸ He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

⁴⁹ He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

⁵⁰ He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;

⁵¹ And smote all the first-born in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

⁵² But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

⁵³ And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

⁵⁴ And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

⁵⁵ He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

⁵⁶ Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept not his testimonies:

⁵⁷ But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.

⁵⁸ For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.

⁵⁹ When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:

⁶⁰ So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;

⁶¹ And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemy's hand.

⁶² He gave over his people also to the sword; and was wroth with his inheritance.

⁶³ The fire consumed their young men; and their maidens were not given to marriage.

⁶⁴ Their priests fell by the sword; and their widows made no lamentation.

⁶⁵ Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.

⁶⁶ And he smote his enemies in the hinder part: he put them to a perpetual reproach.

⁶⁷ Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:

⁶⁸ But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

⁶⁹ And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

⁷⁰ He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:

⁷¹ From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

⁷² So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.