Numbers 9

1 YHWH 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,

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 "Moreover let the children of Israel keep the Passover in its appointed season.

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

3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you shall keep it in its appointed season—according to all its statutes, and according to all its ordinances, you shall keep it."

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

Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

5 They kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the wilderness of Sinai. According to all that YHWH commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

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 There were certain men, who were unclean because of the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came 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 Those men said to him, "We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer the offering of YHWH in its appointed season among the children 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 Moses answered them, "Wait, that I may hear what YHWH will command concerning you."

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

9 YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

10 "Say to the children of Israel, 'If any man of you or of your generations is unclean by reason of a dead body, or is on a journey far away, he shall still keep the 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 In the second month, on the fourteenth day at evening they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

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 shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break a bone of it. According to all the statute of the Passover they shall keep it.

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 But the man who is clean, and is not on a journey, and fails to keep the Passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people. Because he did not offer the offering of YHWH in its appointed season, that man shall bear 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 If a foreigner lives among you, and desires to keep the Passover to YHWH; according to the statute of the Passover, and according to its ordinance, so shall he do. You shall have one statute, both for the foreigner, and for him who is born in 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 On the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, even the Tent of the Testimony: and at evening it was over the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, 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 was continually. The cloud covered it by day, and 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 Whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel traveled; and in the place where the cloud remained, there the children of Israel camped.

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 At the commandment of YHWH, the children of Israel traveled, and at the commandment of YHWH they camped. As long as the cloud remained on the tabernacle they remained camped.

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 When the cloud stayed on the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the command of God, and did not travel.

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 Sometimes the cloud was a few days on the tabernacle; then according to the commandment of YHWH they remained camped, and according to the commandment of YHWH they traveled.

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 Sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they traveled: or by day and by night, when the cloud was taken up, they traveled.

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 it was two days, or a month, or a year that the cloud stayed on the tabernacle, remaining on it, the children of Israel remained camped, and did not travel; but when it was taken up, they traveled.

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 At the commandment of YHWH they camped, and at the commandment of YHWH they traveled. They kept YHWH's command, at the commandment of YHWH by 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.