< Numbers 9 >
1 And the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year after their coming out of the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying,
2 That the children of Israel shall prepare the passover-lamb at its appointed season.
3 On the fourteenth day of this month, toward evening, shall ye prepare it at its appointed season: according to all its ordinances, and according to all its prescribed rules, shall ye prepare it.
4 And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, that they should prepare the passover-lamb.
5 And they prepared the passover-lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month toward evening in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
6 But there were certain men, who had been defiled by the dead body of a man, and they could not prepare the passover-lamb on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.
7 And these men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore shall we be kept back, so as not to offer the sacrifice of the Lord at its appointed season in the midst of the [other] children of Israel?
8 And Moses said unto them, Wait ye, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.
9 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man whatever should be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be on a distant journey, among you or your posterity: yet shall he prepare the passover-lamb unto the Lord;
11 In the second month on the fourteenth day toward evening shall they prepare it, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs shall they eat it.
12 They shall leave none of it until morning, and no bone shall they break on it: according to the whole ordinance of the passover-lamb shall they prepare it.
13 But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to prepare the passover-lamb, even that same soul shall be cut off from his people; because the offering of the Lord hath he not brought at its appointed season, his sin shall that man bear.
14 And if a stranger sojourn among you, and will prepare the passover-lamb unto the Lord: according to the ordinance of the passover-lamb, and according to its prescribed rule, so shall he prepare it; one statute shall be for you, both for the stranger, and for the native born in the land.
15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle of the tent of the testimony: and in the evening there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until morning.
16 So it used to be always: the cloud covered it [by day], and the appearance of fire by night.
17 And as the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that did the children of Israel journey forward: and in the place where the cloud halted, there did the children of Israel encamp.
18 At the order of the Lord did the children of Israel journey forward, and at the order of the Lord they encamped: all the days that the cloud abode upon the tabernacle did they remain in camp.
19 And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, then did the children of Israel keep the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not forward.
20 And at times it was, that the cloud remained but a few days upon the tabernacle; at the order of the Lord they abode in camp, and at the order of the Lord they journeyed forward.
21 And at times it was, that the cloud remained from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed forward; or a day and a night, and when the cloud was taken up, they journeyed forward;
22 Or two days, or a month, or a year; so long as the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, to remain thereon, did the children of Israel remain encamped, and journeyed not forward; but when it was taken up, they journeyed forward.
23 At the order of the Lord they remained in camp, and at the order of the Lord they journeyed forward: the charge of the Lord they kept, at the order of the Lord by the hand of Moses.