The Passover

Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in (A)the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Now the sons of Israel are to [a]celebrate the Passover at (B)its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, [b]at twilight, you shall celebrate it at its appointed time; you shall celebrate it in accordance with all its statutes and all its ordinances.” So Moses [c]told the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover. And (C)they celebrated the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; (D)in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. But there were some men who were (E)unclean because of contact with a [d]dead person, so that they could not celebrate Passover on that day; and (F)they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of a [e]dead person, why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” Moses then said to them, “[f](G)Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”

Then the Lord 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 [g]person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, celebrate the Passover to the Lord. 11 In the second month on the (H)fourteenth day at twilight, they shall celebrate it; they (I)shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They (J)shall not leave any of it until morning, (K)nor break a bone of it; they shall celebrate it in accordance with the whole statute of the Passover. 13 (L)But the person who is clean and is not on a journey, yet refrains from celebrating the Passover, that [h]person shall then be cut off from his people, because he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time. That person (M)will bear the responsibility for his sin. 14 And (N)if a stranger resides among you and [i]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and its ordinance, so he shall celebrate it; you shall have [j]the (O)same statute, both for the stranger and for the native of the land.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 9:2 Lit perform, and so throughout the ch
  2. Numbers 9:3 Lit between the two evenings, and so throughout the ch
  3. Numbers 9:4 Lit spoke to
  4. Numbers 9:6 Lit soul of man
  5. Numbers 9:7 Lit soul of man
  6. Numbers 9:8 Lit Stand
  7. Numbers 9:10 Lit soul
  8. Numbers 9:13 Lit soul
  9. Numbers 9:14 Or would celebrate
  10. Numbers 9:14 Or one statute

And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.

In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.

And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.

And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:

And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel?

And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord.

11 The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

12 They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.

13 But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the Lord; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

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Jehovah gave these instructions to Moses while he and the rest of the Israelis were on the Sinai peninsula, during the first month of the second year after leaving Egypt: 2-3 “The people of Israel must celebrate the Passover annually on April first,[a] beginning in the evening. Be sure to follow all of my instructions concerning this celebration.”

4-5 So Moses announced that the Passover celebration would begin on the evening of April first, there in the Sinai peninsula, just as the Lord had commanded. 6-7 But as it happened, some of the men had just attended a funeral and were ceremonially defiled by having touched the dead, so they couldn’t eat the Passover lamb that night. They came to Moses and Aaron and explained their problem and protested at being forbidden from offering their sacrifice to the Lord at the time he had appointed.

Moses said he would ask the Lord about it, and this was God’s reply: 10 “If any of the people of Israel, now or in the generations to come, are defiled at Passover time because of touching a dead body, or if they are on a journey and cannot be present, they may still celebrate the Passover, but one month later, 11 on May first,[b] beginning in the evening. They are to eat the lamb at that time, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They must not leave any of it until the next morning, and must not break a bone of it, and must follow all the regular instructions concerning the Passover.

13 “But anyone who is not defiled, and anyone who is not away on a trip, and yet refuses to celebrate the Passover at the regular time, shall be excommunicated from the people of Israel for refusing to sacrifice to Jehovah at the proper time; he must bear his guilt. 14 And if a foreigner is living among you and wants to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, he shall follow all these same instructions. There is one law for all.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 9:2 on April first, literally, “on the fourteenth day of the first month” (of the Hebrew calendar). This corresponds approximately to our first day of April.
  2. Numbers 9:11 May first, literally, “on the fourteenth day of the second month” (of the Hebrew calendar).