Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
``Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me."
Moses said to the people, ``Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slavery; for by a powerful hand the LORD brought you out from this place. And nothing leavened shall be eaten.
``On this day in the month of Abib, you are about to go forth.
``It shall be when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall observe this rite in this month.
``For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the LORD.
``Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and nothing leavened shall be seen among you, nor shall any leaven be seen among you in all your borders.
``You shall tell your son on that day, saying, `It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.'
``And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
``Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
``Now when the LORD brings you to the land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you,
you shall devote to the LORD the first offspring of every womb, and the first offspring of every beast that you own; the males belong to the LORD.
``But every first offspring of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.
``And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying, `What is this?' then you shall say to him, `With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
`It came about, when Pharaoh was stubborn about letting us go, that the LORD killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of beast. Therefore, I sacrifice to the LORD the males, the first offspring of every womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.'
``So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt."
Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, ``The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt."
Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.
Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, ``God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you."
Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
``Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.
``For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, `They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.'
``Thus I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." And they did so.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, ``What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him;
and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out boldly.
Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD.
Then they said to Moses, ``Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?
``Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, `Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
But Moses said to the people, ``Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.
``The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."
Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.
``As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.
``As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
``Then the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen."
The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.
So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.
The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.
At the morning watch, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.
He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, ``Let us flee from Israel, for the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians."
Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen."
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh's entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained.
But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses.
Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and said, ``I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.
``The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him.
``The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.
``Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
``The deeps cover them; They went down into the depths like a stone.
``Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.
``And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.
``At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up, The flowing waters stood up like a heap; The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.
``The enemy said, `I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be gratified against them; I will draw out my sword, my hand will destroy them.'
``You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
``Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?
``You stretched out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them.
``In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed; In Your strength You have guided them to Your holy habitation.
``The peoples have heard, they tremble; Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.
``Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
``Terror and dread fall upon them; By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; Until Your people pass over, O LORD, Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.
``You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
``The LORD shall reign forever and ever."
For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.
Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing.
Miriam answered them, ``Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea."
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.
So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, ``What shall we drink?"
Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.
And He said, ``If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer."
Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.
