Liber Numeri 9
1 Locutus est Dominus ad Moysen in deserto Sinai anno secundo, postquam egressi sunt de Terra Ægypti, mense primo dicens:
One year after the Israelis left Egypt, during the month of March, while they were in the Sinai Desert, Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 Faciant filii Israel Phase in tempore suo,
“Tell the Israeli people that they must celebrate the Passover [Festival again].
3 quartadecima die mensis huius ad vesperam, iuxta omnes ceremonias et iustificationes eius.
They must do it on the fourteenth day of this month, early in the evening, and they must obey all the instructions about it [that I gave you previously].”
4 Præcepitque Moyses filiis Israel ut facerent Phase.
So Moses/I told the people what Yahweh had said about celebrating the Passover.
5 Qui fecerunt tempore suo: quartadecima die mensis ad vesperam in monte Sinai. Iuxta omnia quæ mandaverat Dominus Moysi, fecerunt filii Israel.
The people celebrated it, there in the Sinai Desert, in the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses/me.
6 Ecce autem quidam immundi super anima hominis, qui non poterant facere Phase in die illo, accedentes ad Moysen et Aaron,
But some of the Israeli people had touched a corpse, and as a result they had become unfit to celebrate the Passover. So they asked Aaron and Moses/me,
7 dixerunt eis: Immundi sumus super anima hominis. quare fraudamur ut non valeamus oblationem offerre Domino in tempore suo inter filios Israel?
“It is true that we have touched a corpse. But why should that prevent us from celebrating the Passover Festival and offering sacrifices to Yahweh like everyone else [RHQ]?”
8 Quibus respondit Moyses: State ut consulam quid præcipiat Dominus de vobis.
Moses/I replied, “Wait here until I go into the Sacred Tent and find out what Yahweh says about it.”
9 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:
[So Moses/I went into the tent and asked Yahweh what he/I should tell the people], and this is what Yahweh said:
10 Loquere filiis Israel: Homo qui fuerit immundus super anima, sive in via procul in gente vestra, faciat Phase Domino
“Tell this to the Israeli people: If any of you or your descendants touch a corpse and as a result become unacceptable to me, or if you are away from home on a long trip [at the time to celebrate the Passover], you will still be permitted to celebrate it.
11 in mense secundo, quartadecima die mensis ad vesperam: cum azymis et lactucis agrestibus comedent illud:
But you must celebrate it exactly one month later, early in the evening of the fourteenth day of that month. Eat the meat of the lamb for the Passover Festival with bread that is baked without yeast and eat bitter herbs.
12 non relinquent ex eo quippiam usque mane, et os eius non confringent, omnem ritum Phase observabunt.
Do not leave any of it until the next morning. And do not break any of the lamb’s bones. Obey all the regulations about celebrating the Passover.
13 Si quis autem et mundus est, et in itinere non fuit, et tamen non fecit Phase, exterminabitur anima illa de populis suis, quia sacrificium Domino non obtulit tempore suo: peccatum suum ipse portabit.
But if any of you has not done anything that would make you unfit to celebrate the Passover Festival, and you are not away from home on a long trip, and you do not sacrifice to me at the proper time, you will no longer be allowed to associate with my people. (You will be punished/I will punish you).
14 Peregrinus quoque et advena si fuerint apud vos, facient Phase Domino iuxta ceremonias et iustificationes eius. Præceptum idem erit apud vos tam advenæ quam indigenæ.
Foreigners who live among you may also celebrate the Passover Festival, if they obey all my commands concerning it.”
15 Igitur die qua erectum est tabernaculum, operuit illud nubes. A vespere autem super tentorium erat quasi species ignis usque mane.
On the day that the Sacred Tent was set up, a cloud covered it. From the time that the sun set until the time that the sun rose [the next day], the cloud resembled a [huge] fire. And that is what happened every day [that we/the Israelis were in the desert].
16 sic fiebat iugiter: per diem operiebat illud nubes, et per noctem quasi species ignis.
17 Cumque ablata fuisset nubes, quæ tabernaculum protegebat, tunc proficiscebantur filii Israel: et in loco ubi stetisset nubes, ibi castrametabantur.
When the cloud rose up and started to move [to a new location], we/they followed it. When the cloud stopped, we/the Israelis stopped there and set up their tents.
18 Ad imperium Domini proficiscebantur, et ad imperium illius figebant tabernaculum. Cunctis diebus quibus stabat nubes super tabernaculum, manebant in eodem loco:
We/They traveled when Yahweh, [by causing the cloud to move or stop], signaled to us/them when to move and when to stop. When the cloud stayed over the Sacred Tent, we/the Israelis stayed at that place.
19 et si evenisset ut multo tempore maneret super illud, erant filii Israel in excubiis Domini, et non proficiscebantur
Sometimes the cloud stayed over the tent for a long time, so when that happened, we/they did not travel.
20 quot diebus fuisset nubes super tabernaculum. Ad imperium Domini erigebant tentoria, et ad imperium illius deponebant.
Sometimes the cloud remained over the tent for only a few days. We/The people stopped and set up our/their tents as Yahweh commanded us/them, and we/they traveled [to a new location] when Yahweh commanded us/them to do that.
21 Si fuisset nubes a vespere usque mane, et statim diluculo tabernaculum reliquisset, proficiscebantur: et, si post diem et noctem recessisset, dissipabant tentoria.
Sometimes the cloud stayed in one place for only one day. When that happened, when the cloud rose up [into the sky] the next morning, then we/they traveled. Whenever the cloud moved, during the day or during the night, we/they traveled.
22 Si vero biduo aut uno mense vel longiori tempore fuisset super tabernaculum, manebant filii Israel in eodem loco, et non proficiscebantur: statim autem ut recessisset, movebant castra.
If the cloud stayed over the Sacred Tent for two days, or for a month, or for a year, during that time we/they stayed where we/they were. But when the cloud rose up [into the sky], we/they started to travel.
23 Per verbum Domini figebant tentoria, et per verbum illius proficiscebantur: erantque in excubiis Domini iuxta imperium eius per manum Moysi.
When Yahweh commanded us/them to [stop and] set up our/their tents, we/they did that. When he told us/them to move, we/they moved. We/They did whatever Yahweh told Moses/me that we/they should do.
