- 1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
- 2Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
- 3 And Moses said unto 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.
- 4This day came ye 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 sware unto thy fathers to give thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
- 6Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the LORD.
- 7Unleavened 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 shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the LORD did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
- 9And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’s law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.
- 10Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.
- 11 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,
- 12That thou shalt set apart unto 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.
- 13And 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 firstborn 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 unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage:
- 15And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
- 16And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine 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:
- 18But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
- 19And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.
- 20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness.
- 21And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
- 22He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
KING JAMES VERSION
EXODUS 13
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Exodus 13 — The firstborn are consecrated, Joseph’s bones are carried from Egypt, and the LORD leads Israel by cloud and fire.
About this illustration
Day and night are blended to show both forms of the guiding pillar in one scene. The covered chest discreetly represents Joseph’s bones without speculative or graphic detail.
Scripture basis: Exodus 13:1–22King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGEANCIENT TEXT CONNECTIONS 
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Related 1 Enoch Passages
These links distinguish direct quotation, explicit retelling, strong literary parallel, and broader shared tradition. A parallel does not by itself prove direct dependence.
The sheep leave Egypt while the Lord leads them.
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEArtifact
Second century BC to first century AD
Tefillin from the Qumran Caves
Leather cases and miniature Scripture slips from the Judean Desert document varied material forms of tefillin centuries before the later rabbinic evidence.
Exodus 13:6–16 · Deuteronomy 6:4–9 · Deuteronomy 11:13–21
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEBurial
13th to early 12th century BC
The Deir el-Balah Anthropoid Coffins
Large clay coffins with modeled human faces from a Late Bronze Age cemetery near Deir el-Balah combine Egyptian funerary forms with local Canaanite practice. They document Ramesside-era Egyptian presence and cultural exchange in Gaza while offering no direct evidence for an Exodus burial population.
Exodus 13:17–18 · Genesis 50:2–3 · Genesis 50:26
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