Numbers 9 - 10
The Passover
9Thus Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in athe first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2“Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at aits appointed time. 3“On the fourteenth day of this month, 1at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its judgments.” 4So Moses 1told the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover. 5aAnd they celebrated the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; baccording to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6But there were some men who were aunclean because of a 1dead person, so that they could not celebrate Passover on that day; so bthey came near before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7And those men said to him, “We are unclean because of a 1dead person. But why are we restrained from bringing near the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8Moses therefore said to them, “1,aWait, and I will listen to what Yahweh will command concerning you.”
9Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead 1person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, celebrate the Passover to Yahweh. 11‘In the second month on the afourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they bshall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12‘They ashall leave none of it until morning bnor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall celebrate it. 13‘aBut the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet 1neglects to celebrate the Passover, that 2person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not bring near the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time. That man bwill bear his sin. 14‘aIf a sojourner sojourns among you and 1celebrates the Passover to Yahweh, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its judgment, so he shall do; you shall have bone statute, both for the sojourner and for the native of the land.’”
The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle
15Now on athe day that the tabernacle was erected bthe cloud covered the tabernacle, the ctent of the testimony, and din the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. 16So it was continuously; athe cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17aNow whenever the cloud would go up from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18At the 1command of Yahweh the sons of Israel would set out, and at the 2command of Yahweh they would camp; aas long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, 1the sons of Israel would keep the charge of Yahweh and not set out. 20If 1sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, aaccording to the 2command of Yahweh they remained camped. Then according to the 3command of Yahweh they set out. 21If 1sometimes the cloud 2remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, dwelling above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but awhen it was lifted, they did set out. 23aAt the 1command of Yahweh they camped, and at the 2command of Yahweh they set out; they kept the charge of Yahweh, according to the 3command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
The Silver Trumpets
10Yahweh spoke further to Moses, saying, 2“Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for asummoning the congregation and for having the camps set out. 3“aSo both will be blown, and all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 4“Yet if only one is blown, then the aleaders, the heads of the 1divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you. 5“But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched aon the east side shall set out. 6“Then you will blow an alarm the second time, and the camps that are pitched on athe south side shall set out; an alarm is to be blown for them to set out. 7“When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without asounding an alarm. 8“aThe priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and 1this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 9“Now when you go to war in your land against the adversary who aattacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be bremembered before Yahweh your God and be saved from your enemies. 10“Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed 1feasts, and on the first days of your months, ayou shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a remembrance of you before your God. I am Yahweh your God.”
Israel Sets Out from Sinai
11Now it happened in athe second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, that the cloud was lifted from over the 1tabernacle of the testimony; 12and the sons of Israel set out on atheir journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the bwilderness of Paran. 13aSo they moved out for the first time according to the 1command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses. 14And the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, aset out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army, 15and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar; 16and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.
17aThen the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. 18Next athe standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army, 19and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon, 20and Eliasaph the son of Deuel over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.
21aThen the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and bthe tabernacle was set up before their arrival. 22aNext the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, according to their armies, set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army, 23and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh; 24and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.
25aThen the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies, which formed the brear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army, 26and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher; 27and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali. 281This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.
29Then Moses said to aHobab the son of bReuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which Yahweh said, ‘cI will give it to you’; dcome with us and we will do you good, for Yahweh ehas 1promised good concerning Israel.” 30But he said to him, “aI will not come, but rather will go to my own land and kin.” 31Then he said, “Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you awill be as eyes for us. 32“So it will be, if you go with us, that 1,awhatever good Yahweh 2does for us, bwe will 3do for you.”
33aThus they set out from the mount of Yahweh three days’ journey, with bthe ark of the covenant of Yahweh journeying in front of them for the 1three days, to spy out ca resting place for them. 34aNow the cloud of Yahweh was over them by day when they set out from the camp.