Numbers 9

1 And YHWH speaks to Moses, in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year of their going out of the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying,

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,

2 “Also, the sons of Israel prepare the Passover in its appointed time;

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

3 in the fourteenth day of this month between the evenings you prepare it in its appointed time; you prepare it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.”

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.”

4 And Moses speaks to the sons of Israel to prepare the Passover,

Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

5 and they prepare the Passover in the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that YHWH has commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel have done.

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.

6 And there are men who have been defiled by the body of a man, and they have not been able to prepare the Passover on that day, and they come near before Moses and before Aaron on that day,

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

7 and those men say to him, “We are defiled by the body of a man; why are we withheld so as not to bring the offering of YHWH near in its appointed time, in the midst of the sons of Israel?”

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?”

8 And Moses says to them, “Stand, and I hear what YHWH has commanded concerning you.”

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

9 And YHWH speaks to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, Though any man is unclean by a body or in a distant journey (of you or of your generations), he has still prepared a Passover to YHWH;

“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.

11 they prepare it in the second month, on the fourteenth day, between the evenings; they eat it with unleavened and bitter things;

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.

12 they do not leave of [it] until morning; and they do not break a bone in it; they prepare it according to all the statute of the Passover.

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.

13 And the man who is clean, and has not been on a journey, and has ceased to prepare the Passover, indeed, that person has been cut off from his people; because he has not brought the offering of YHWH near in its appointed time, that man bears his sin.

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.

14 And when a sojourner sojourns with you, then he has prepared a Passover to YHWH—according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he does; one statute is for you, indeed, for a sojourner and for a native of the land.”

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.’”

15 And in the day of the raising up of the Dwelling Place, the cloud has covered the Dwelling Place, even the Tent of the Testimony; and in the evening there is as an appearance of fire on the Dwelling Place until morning;

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.

16 so it is continually; the cloud covers it, also the appearance of fire by night.

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

17 And according to the going up of the cloud from off the tent, then afterward the sons of Israel journey; and in the place where the cloud dwells, there the sons of Israel encamp;

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.

18 by the command of YHWH the sons of Israel journey, and by the command of YHWH they encamp; all the days that the cloud dwells over the Dwelling Place they encamp.

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.

19 And in the cloud prolonging itself over the Dwelling Place many days, then the sons of Israel have kept the charge of YHWH, and do not journey.

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

20 And so when the cloud is over the Dwelling Place [for] a number of days: by the command of YHWH they encamp, and by the command of YHWH they journey.

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.

21 And so when the cloud is from evening until morning, when the cloud has gone up in the morning, then they have journeyed; whether by day or by night, when the cloud has gone up, then they have journeyed.

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.

22 Whether two days, or a month, or days, in the cloud prolonging itself over the Dwelling Place, to dwell over it, the sons of Israel encamp and do not journey; and in its being lifted up they journey.

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.

23 By the command of YHWH they encamp, and by the command of YHWH they journey; they have kept the charge of YHWH, by the command of YHWH in the hand of Moses.

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.