Numbers 9

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert in the first month of the second year after Israel had left Egypt. He told him,

And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

2 “The Israelites are to keep the Passover at its designated time.

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

3 Observe it at the time required—in the evening after sunset on the fourteenth day of this month, and do so in accordance with its rules and regulations.”

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

4 Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.

5 So they kept the Passover in the Sinai desert, beginning in the evening after sunset on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites followed all the instructions the Lord had given to Moses.

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

6 However, there were some men who were unclean because they had been contact with a dead body, so they could not keep the Passover on that day. They went to see Moses and Aaron the same day

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:

7 and explained to Moses, “We are unclean because of a dead body, but why should that mean we're prevented from giving our offering to the Lord with the other Israelites at the appropriate time?”

And those men said to him, We [are] defiled by the dead body of a man: why are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in its appointed season among the children of Israel?

8 “Stay here while I find out what the Lord's instructions are concerning you,” Moses responded.

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

9 The Lord told Moses,

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

10 “Tell the Israelites: ‘If you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body, or are away traveling, you can still keep the Lord's Passover.

Speak to 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 to the LORD.

11 You are to observe it in the evening after sunset on the fourteenth day of the second month. You are to eat the lamb with the bread made without yeast, and the bitter herbs.

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

12 You must not leave any of it until the following morning and you must not break any of its bones. You must observe the Passover according to all the regulations.

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

13 However, anyone ceremonially clean and not away traveling who neglects to observe the Passover must be expelled from their people, because they didn't present the Lord's offering at the appropriate time. They will bear the responsibility for the consequences of their sin.

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 its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.

14 Any foreigners living among you who want to observe the Lord's Passover can do so following the Passover rules and regulations. The same rules apply to the foreigners as they do to you.’”

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

15 The cloud covered the Tent of the Testimony (the Tabernacle) on the day that it was set up, and looked like fire above it from evening until the morning.

And on the day that the tabernacle was erected the cloud covered the tabernacle, [namely], the tent of the testimony: and at evening there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.

16 It was always like this. The cloud covered the Tabernacle during the day and at night it looked like fire.

So it was always; the cloud covered it [by day], and the appearance of fire by night.

17 When the cloud rose from over the Tent, the Israelites would move on, and where the cloud stopped, the Israelites would set up camp there.

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 The Israelites moved on when the Lord told them to, and set up camp when the Lord told them to. While the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle, they remained camped there.

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

19 Even if the cloud didn't move for a long time, the Israelites did what the Lord told them and didn't move on.

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 Sometimes the cloud only stayed over the Tabernacle for a few days. As always they followed the Lord's command as to whether to camp or to move on.

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 Sometimes the cloud only stayed overnight, so when it rose in the morning they would move on. Whenever the cloud rose, day or night, they would leave.

And [so] it was, when the cloud abode from evening to 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 If the cloud stayed in one place for two days, or a month, or longer, the Israelites stayed where they were and didn't leave as long as the cloud remained over the Tabernacle. However, once it rose, they would leave.

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

23 They camped when the Lord told them to, and left when he told them to. They followed the Lord's instructions that he gave to Moses.

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.