¹ Então falou o Senhor a Moisés, dizendo:

² Santifica-me todo primogênito, todo o que abrir a madre de sua mãe entre os filhos de Israel, assim de homens como de animais; porque meu é.

³ E Moisés disse ao povo: Lembrai-vos deste dia, em que saístes do Egito, da casa da servidão; pois com mão forte o Senhor vos tirou daqui; portanto não se comerá pão levedado.

⁴ Hoje, no mês de abibe, vós saís.

⁵ Quando o Senhor te houver introduzido na terra dos cananeus, dos heteus, dos amorreus, dos heveus e dos jebuseus, que ele jurou a teus pais que te daria, terra que mana leite e mel, guardarás este culto nestê mes.

⁶ Sete dias comerás pães ázimos, e ao sétimo dia haverá uma festa ao Senhor.

⁷ Sete dias se comerão pães ázimos, e o levedado não se verá contigo, nem ainda fermento será visto em todos os teus termos.

⁸ Naquele dia contarás a teu filho, dizendo: Isto é por causa do que o Senhor me fez, quando eu saí do Egito;

⁹ e te será por sinal sobre tua mão e por memorial entre teus olhos, para que a lei do Senhor esteja em tua boca; porquanto com mão forte o Senhor te tirou do Egito.

¹⁰ Portanto guardarás este estatuto a seu tempo, de ano em ano.

¹¹ Também quando o Senhor te houver introduzido na terra dos cananeus, como jurou a ti e a teus pais, quando ta houver dado,

¹² separarás para o Senhor tudo o que abrir a madre, até mesmo todo primogênito dos teus animais; os machos serão do Senhor.

¹³ Mas todo primogênito de jumenta resgatarás com um cordeiro; e, se o não quiseres resgatar, quebrar-lhe-ás a cerviz:; e todo primogênito do homem entre teus filhos resgatarás.

¹⁴ E quando teu filho te perguntar no futuro, dizendo: Que é isto? responder-lhe-ás: O Senhor, com mão forte, nos tirou do Egito, da casa da servidão.

¹⁵ Porque sucedeu que, endurecendo-se Faraó, para não nos deixar ir, o Senhor matou todos os primogênitos na terra do Egito, tanto os primogênitos dos homens como os primogênitos dos animais; por isso eu sacrifico ao Senhor todos os primogênitos, sendo machos; mas a todo primogênito de meus filhos eu resgato.

¹⁶ E isto será por sinal sobre tua mão, e por frontais entre os teus olhos, porque o Senhor, com mão forte, nos tirou do Egito.

¹⁷ Ora, quando Faraó deixou ir o povo, Deus não o conduziu pelo caminho da terra dos filisteus, se bem que fosse mais perto; porque Deus disse: Para que porventura o povo não se arrependa, vendo a guerra, e volte para o Egito;

¹⁸ mas Deus fez o povo rodear pelo caminho do deserto perto do Mar Vermelho; e os filhos de Israel subiram armados da terra do Egito.

¹⁹ Moisés levou consigo os ossos de José, porquanto havia este solenemente ajuramentado os filhos de Israel, dizendo: Certamente Deus vos visitará; e vós haveis de levar daqui convosco os meus ossos.

²⁰ Assim partiram de Sucote, e acamparam-se em Etã, à entrada do deserto.

²¹ E o Senhor ia adiante deles, de dia numa coluta e os dois para os guiar pelo caminho, e de noite numa coluna de fogo para os alumiar, a fim de que caminhassem de dia e de noite.

²² Não desaparecia de diante do povo a coluna de nuvem de dia, nem a coluna de fogo de noite.

¹ Saul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

² Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

³ Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba: and the Philistines heard of it. Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!"

⁴ All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was had in abomination with the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.

⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits.

⁷ Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸ He stayed seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed]: but Samuel didn't come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

⁹ Saul said, "Bring here the burnt offering to me, and the peace offerings." He offered the burnt offering.

¹⁰ It came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

¹¹ Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn't come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;

¹² therefore I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven't entreated the favor of Yahweh.' I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering."

¹³ Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you; for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom on Israel forever.

¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you."

¹⁵ Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶ Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

¹⁷ The spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual;

¹⁸ and another company turned the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears;"

²⁰ but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle;

²¹ yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads.

²² So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

²³ The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.