² Consecrate to me every firstborn; whatever opens the womb among the Israelites,^(A) whether of human being or beast, belongs to me.

¹¹ “When the Lord, your God, has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, just as he swore to you and your ancestors, and gives it to you, ^12 (A)you will dedicate to the Lord every newborn that opens the womb; and every firstborn male of your animals will belong to the Lord. ¹³ Every firstborn of a donkey you will ransom with a sheep. If you do not ransom it, you will break its neck. Every human firstborn of your sons you must ransom. ¹⁴ And when your son asks you later on, ‘What does this mean?’ you will tell him, ‘With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of human being and beast alike. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord every male that opens the womb, and why I ransom every firstborn of my sons.’ ¹⁶ It will be like a sign on your hand and a band on your forehead that with a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”^(B)

²⁹ You must do the same with your oxen and your sheep; for seven days the firstling may stay with its mother, but on the eighth day you must give it to me.^(A)

³⁰ You shall be a people sacred to me. Flesh torn to pieces in the field you shall not eat; you must throw it to the dogs.^(B)

¹⁹ To me belongs every male that opens the womb among all your livestock, whether in the herd or in the flock.^{(A) 20} The firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. The firstborn among your sons you shall redeem.

No one shall appear before me empty-handed.

²⁷ When an ox or a lamb or a goat is born, it shall remain with its mother for seven days; only from the eighth day onward will it be acceptable, to be offered as an oblation to the Lord.^(A)

Irredeemable Offerings. ^26 [a]Note that a firstborn animal,^(A) which as such already belongs to the Lord, may not be dedicated. Whether an ox or a sheep, it is the Lord’s.

¹⁵ Every living thing that opens the womb, human being and beast alike, such as are to be offered to the Lord, shall be yours;^(A) but you must redeem the firstborn of human beings, as well as redeem the firstborn of unclean animals. ¹⁶ For the redemption price of a son, when he is a month old, you shall pay the equivalent of five silver shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, that is, twenty gerahs. ¹⁷ But the firstborn of cattle, or the firstborn of sheep or the firstborn of goats you shall not redeem; they are holy. Their blood you must splash on the altar and their fat you must burn as an oblation of pleasing aroma to the Lord. ^18 (B)Their meat, however, shall be yours, just as the brisket of the elevated offering and the right thigh belong to you.