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.’”

The Cloud on the Tabernacle

15 Now on (P)the day that the tabernacle was erected, (Q)the cloud covered the tabernacle, the (R)tent of the testimony, and (S)in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. 16 That is how it was continuously; (T)the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 (U)Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18 At the [k]command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the [l]command of the Lord they would camp; (V)as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, [m]the sons of Israel would comply with the Lords ordinance and not set out. 20 If [n]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, (W)in accordance with the [o]command of the Lord they remained camped. Then in accordance with the [p]command of the Lord they set out. 21 If [q]sometimes the cloud [r]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning they would set out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but (X)when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 (Y)At the [s]command of the Lord they camped, and at the [t]command of the Lord they set out; they did what the Lord required, in accordance with the [u]command of the Lord through Moses.

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
  11. Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
  12. Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
  13. Numbers 9:19 Lit and the
  14. Numbers 9:20 Lit it was that
  15. Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
  16. Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
  17. Numbers 9:21 Lit it was that
  18. Numbers 9:21 Lit was
  19. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
  20. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
  21. Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth

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.

15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.

16 So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

17 And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

18 At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

19 And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not.

20 And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed.

21 And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

22 Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

23 At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.

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.”

15 On the day the Tabernacle was raised the Cloud covered it; and that evening the Cloud changed to the appearance of fire, and stayed that way throughout the night. 16 It was always so—the daytime Cloud changing to the appearance of fire at night. 17 When the Cloud lifted, the people of Israel moved on to wherever it stopped, and camped there. 18 In this way they journeyed at the command of the Lord and stopped where he told them to, then remained there as long as the Cloud stayed. 19 If it stayed a long time, then they stayed a long time. But if it stayed only a few days, then they remained only a few days; for so the Lord had instructed them. 20-21 Sometimes the fire-cloud stayed only during the night and moved on the next morning. But day or night, when it moved, the people broke camp and followed. 22 If the Cloud stayed above the Tabernacle two days, a month, or a year, that is how long the people of Israel stayed; but as soon as it moved, they moved. 23 So it was that they camped or traveled at the commandment of the Lord; and whatever the Lord told Moses they should do, they did.

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).