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interlinearVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Exo C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31 C32 C33 C34 C35 C36 C37 C38 C39 C40
OET (OET-LV) and_he/it_was in/on/at/with_middle the_night and_YHWH he_struck_down every firstborn in_land of_Miʦrayim from_firstborn of_Farˊoh the_sat on throne_his unto the_firstborn the_prisoner who in_house_of the_prison and_all/each/any/every firstborn of_livestock.
OET (OET-RV) Then, in the middle of the night, Yahweh struck all the oldest males in Egypt, from the oldest son of Far’oh who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon and all oldest male offspring of the animals.
The next few verses are the climax of this part of Exodus. A number of literary features mark it out. First, it is specially introduced with and so it happened, which is used to mark major breaks in the narrative. Second, it uses repetition: firstborn is repeated four times in verse 29 so that the reader cannot possibly miss what is happening. Night is repeated in verse 29, 30, and 31. Got up/get up is repeated in verse 30 and 31. In verses 31 and 32 “also” occurs five times (it is translated as “both” once in the ULT). Third, the places of both Pharaoh and the captive are elaborated on to slow the pace and create a vivid mental image for the reader. In verse 30 there is the listing of sorts of people who got up; note the use of the double negative for emphasis. Your translation should attempt to use the same or similar literary features of your own language that slow down the pace, create vivid imagery, and emphasize that this is a climax point.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / merism
מִבְּכֹ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשְּׁבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה
from,firstborn Farˊoh the,sat on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in throne,his until firstborn the,prisoner which/who in=house_of the,prison and=all/each/any/every firstborn cattle/livestock
This phrase indicates that there was no person or household excluded from Yahweh’s judgment. It both speaks of extreme parts of society and then makes this into a list by including the animals. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on the throne and the firstborn of the captive who was in the house of the pit and the firstborn of everyone in between was struck; even all the firstborn of the beasts were struck”
בְּכוֹר֮ & מִבְּכֹ֤ר & בְּכ֣וֹר & בְּכ֥וֹר
firstborn & from,firstborn & firstborn & firstborn
In these usages, firstborn always refers to the oldest male offspring. See how you translated a similar phrase in Exodus 11:5.
עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשְּׁבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר
until firstborn the,prisoner which/who in=house_of the,prison
Alternate translation: “to the firstborn of people in the house of the pit” This refers to prisoners in general and not to a specific person in prison.
12:1-30 The Lord gave Moses instructions for the Passover meal and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (12:14-20), and Moses and the people observed the first Passover (12:21-30).
OET (OET-LV) and_he/it_was in/on/at/with_middle the_night and_YHWH he_struck_down every firstborn in_land of_Miʦrayim from_firstborn of_Farˊoh the_sat on throne_his unto the_firstborn the_prisoner who in_house_of the_prison and_all/each/any/every firstborn of_livestock.
OET (OET-RV) Then, in the middle of the night, Yahweh struck all the oldest males in Egypt, from the oldest son of Far’oh who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon and all oldest male offspring of the animals.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.