Day 32 of 730

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Sanctify to me all of the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal. It is mine."

³Moses said to the people, "Remember this day, in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.

⁴This day you go forth in the month Abib.

⁵It shall be, when the Lord your God shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, that you shall keep this service in this month.

⁶Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.

⁷Unleavened bread shall be eaten throughout the seven days; and no leavened bread shall be seen with you, neither shall there be yeast seen with you, in all your borders.

⁸You shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'It is because of that which the Lord did for me when I came forth out of Egypt.'

⁹It shall be for a sign to you on your hand, and for a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.

¹⁰You shall therefore keep this ordinance in its season from year to year.

¹¹"It shall be, when the Lord shall bring you into the land of the Canaanite, as he swore to you and to your fathers, and shall give it you,

¹²that you shall set apart to the Lord all that opens the womb, and every firstborn which you have that comes from an animal. The males shall be the Lord's.

¹³Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck; and you shall redeem all the firstborn of man among your sons.

¹⁴It shall be, when your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is this?' that you shall tell him, 'By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage;

¹⁵and it happened, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of animal. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that opens the womb, being males; but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.'

¹⁶It shall be for a sign on your hand, and for symbols between your eyes: for by strength of hand the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt."

¹⁷It happened, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, "Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and they return to Egypt;"

¹⁸but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

¹⁹Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the children of Israel swear, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away from here with you."

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

²¹The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by day and by night:

²²the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, did not depart from before the people.

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea.

³Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.'

⁴I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will follow after them; and I will get honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." They did so.

⁵It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"

⁶He made ready his chariot, and took his army with him;

⁷and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.

⁸The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

⁹The Egyptians pursued after them: all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army; and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

¹⁰When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were very afraid. The children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

¹¹They said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us forth out of Egypt?

¹²Isn't this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

¹³Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.

¹⁴The Lord will fight for you, and you shall be still."

¹⁵The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.

¹⁶Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.

¹⁷I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.

¹⁸The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten myself honor over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen."

¹⁹The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them.

²⁰It came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness, yet gave it light by night: and the one did not come near the other all the night.

²¹Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

²²The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

²³The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea: all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

²⁴It happened in the morning watch, that the Lord looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and confused the Egyptian army.

²⁵He took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, "Let's flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians!"

²⁶The Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen."

²⁷Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it. The Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

²⁸The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh's army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.

²⁹But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

³⁰Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

³¹Israel saw the great work which the Lord did to the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord, and in his servant Moses.

¹Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man to whom the Lord doesn't impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

⁴For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.

⁵I acknowledged my sin to you. I did not hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

⁶For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.

⁷You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.

⁹Do not be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

¹⁰Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in the Lord.

¹¹Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart!

¹The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

²to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;

³to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;

⁴to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man:

⁵that the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of understanding may attain to sound counsel:

⁶to understand a proverb, and parables, the words and riddles of the wise.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

⁸My son, listen to your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching:

⁹for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.

¹¹If they say, "Come with us, Let's lie in wait for blood; let's lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

¹²let's swallow them up alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down into the pit.

¹³We'll find all valuable wealth. We'll fill our houses with spoil.

¹⁴You shall cast your lot among us. We'll all have one purse."

¹⁵My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your foot from their path,

¹⁶for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed blood.

¹⁷For in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird:

¹⁸but these lie in wait for their own blood. They lurk secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.

²⁰Wisdom calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares.

²¹She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:

²²"How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?

²³Turn at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you. I will make known my words to you.

²⁴Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;

²⁵but you have ignored all my counsel, and wanted none of my reproof;

²⁶I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you;

²⁷when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come on you.

²⁸Then will they call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me;

²⁹because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.

³⁰They wanted none of my counsel. They despised all my reproof.

³¹Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes.

³²For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

³³But whoever listens to me will dwell securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm."