This is a difficult half-verse, for the Hebrew has just four words, and two of them are rare. Literally the Hebrew seems to say “Your fullness and your dripping you [singular] shall not delay.”

You shall not delay to offer may be expressed as “You shall not withhold” (Translator’s Old Testament) or “Do not hold back” (New International Version), with the idea of “offerings” added for clarity. Good News Translation changes this negative command to a positive one, “Give me the offerings.”

The word for “fullness” probably refers to the fulness of your harvest, but not all scholars agree. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh considers this word to be related to the word for “dripping,” with both terms referring to “the first yield of your vats.” Good News Translation interprets this as “your grain,” and Durham has “your bumper crop.” New International Version simply has “your granaries.” Translators are urged to follow Good News Translation‘s interpretation.

The word for “dripping” suggests juice that is squeezed from the grapes. Good News Translation interprets this word to refer to both “your wine, and your olive oil.” Durham also has “your vintage wine and your richest oil.” Revised Standard Version tries to cover them both with the outflow of your presses, and New International Version simply has “vats.” It is better to be more specific, however, since most readers will not know that the juice of the grape and the oil of the olive were basic to the life of the ancient Israelite. “Wine” is the product of fermented grape juice and was thus an alcoholic beverage. In some cultures “palm wine” will be the closest natural equivalent. Where “olive oil” is unknown, one may use a general term for vegetable oil, or say, for example, “oil from the fruit ‘olive.’ ”

The first-born of your sons is addressed to the Israelite (your is singular). You shall give to me uses the broad word for give, with no suggestion of how the firstborn sons were to be given. Living Bible interprets this to mean giving the “redemption payment,” thereby rejecting any suggestion of child sacrifice. This is clearly stated in 13.13, but there is no textual basis for this interpretation here. Contemporary English Version‘s “Dedicate” doesn’t appear warranted in this context. In certain languages there will be special terms for giving or offering something to deity, royalty, or a chief; such terms should be used here.

You shall do likewise, literally “thus you shall do,” begins a new verse, but it refers to what has just been said about the sons. With your oxen and with your sheep therefore means “The same rule applies to your oxen, sheep and goats” (tot). Again Good News Translation puts it positively, “Give me the first-born of your cattle and your sheep.” As in 13.12, the “first-born male” (Good News Translation) is intended. The word for sheep really means “flocks” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or smaller animals, including both sheep and goats. (See the comment on “cattle” and “flocks” at 9.2-3.)

Seven days it shall be with its dam means that the newly-born animal should not be taken away from its mother (dam) for seven days. On the eighth day means when the animal is eight days old. You shall give it to me uses the same word for give, but here it probably means “offer” in the sense of a sacrifice, either by the family (Deut 15.19-20) or by the priest (Num 18.17-18).

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .