This is like a string tied on your hand. And it is like a sign in front of your eyes. [89] It helps you remember that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his great power.”
But the blood on your houses will be a special sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over [66] your house. I will cause bad things to happen to the people of Egypt. But none of those bad diseases will hurt you.
“In the future, your children will ask why you do this. They will say, ‘What does all this mean?’ And you will answer, ‘The Lord used his great power to save us from Egypt. We were slaves in that place. But the Lord led us out and brought us here.
“This holiday will help you remember—it will be like a string tied on your hand. It will be like a sign before your eyes. [83] This holiday will help you remember the Lord’s teachings. It will help you remember that the Lord used his great power to take you out of Egypt.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. I will use my great power against him, and he will let my people go. He will be so ready for them to leave that he will force them to go.”
So tell the people of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will save you. I will make you free. You will not be slaves of the Egyptians. I will use my great power and bring terrible punishment to the Egyptians. Then I will save you.
“Lord, our God, you used your power and brought us out of Egypt. We are your people. You are famous because of that even today. Lord, we have sinned. We have done terrible things.
“The only reason they do good things is for other people to see them. They wear special boxes {\cf2\super [328]} full of Scriptures. {\cf2\super [329]} They make these boxes bigger and bigger. And they make their special prayer clothes very long \{so that people will see them\}.
The God of Israel (the Jews) chose our ancestors. God helped his people to have success during the time they lived in Egypt as strangers. God brought them out of that country with great power.
“Remember these commands I give you. Keep them in your hearts. {Write these commands and} tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads for a way to help you remember {my laws}.
Don’t forget that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. The Lord your God brought you out of Egypt with his great power. He made you free. That is why the Lord your God commands you to always make the Sabbath [29] a special day.
The Lord had brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. And the ancestors [17] of these people had worshiped the Lord. But the people of Israel quit following the Lord. The people of Israel began to worship the false gods of the people living around them. That made the Lord angry.