The Lord said to Moses, "Set apart to Me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites, whether human or animal, belongs to Me."
Then Moses spoke to the people: "Remember this day, the day you came out of Egypt, the land of slavery. The Lord brought you out with His mighty hand, so do not eat anything made with yeast. You are leaving today, in the month of Abib. And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey, as He swore to your fathers—you are to keep this ceremony in this month.
For seven days you must eat bread without yeast, and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. No yeast is to be found among you or within your borders during those days. And when your children ask why, tell them: 'It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.' This will be like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead, so that the Lord's law will always be on your lips. For with His mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. Keep this ordinance year after year at its appointed time."
Moses also said, "When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites as He swore to you and your fathers, you are to give Him every firstborn male. All the firstborn of your livestock belong to Him. Every firstborn donkey must be redeemed with a lamb; if not, its neck must be broken. All your firstborn sons must be redeemed."
And when children in later days ask, "What does this mean?" the parents must answer: "With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of slavery in Egypt. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord struck down every firstborn in Egypt, both human and animal. That is why we give the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem every firstborn son." This, too, would serve as a sign on their hands and a symbol on their foreheads, reminding them that the Lord brought them out of Egypt with His mighty hand.
When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them through the Philistine country, though it was the shorter route. He said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." Instead, He led them by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt armed for battle.
Moses also carried with him the bones of Joseph, for Joseph had made Israel swear an oath: "God will surely come to your aid, and you must carry my bones up with you."
After leaving Succoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. And the Lord Himself went before them—by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel day and night. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire never left their place before the people.