Numbers
Chapter 9
1 God spoke to Moses in the Sinai wilderness, in the first month of the second year after they left Egypt, saying.
2 The Israelite children should celebrate Passover at the set time.
3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at evening, you must celebrate it at the set time: you must follow all its rules and all its ceremonies.
4 Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover.
5 They celebrated Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month in the evening in the Sinai wilderness, just as God told Moses, and so the Israelites did.
6 Some men were unclean because they had touched a dead body, so they couldn’t celebrate Passover that day. They went to Moses and Aaron that day.
7 Those men told him, “We are unclean because of a man’s dead body. Why should we be stopped from presenting God’s offering at the right time among the Israelites?”
8 Moses said to them, “Stay here, and I will listen to what God will order for you.”
9 God spoke to Moses, saying,
10 Tell the Israelites that if someone is unclean because of touching a dead body, or is on a far journey, they must still celebrate Passover for God.
11 On the fourteenth day of the second month, in the evening, they must celebrate it, eating the meal with bread without yeast and bitter herbs.
12 They must not leave any until morning or break any of its bones. They must follow all the rules of the Passover.
13 If a person is clean and not traveling but doesn’t celebrate Passover, they will be separated from their people for not bringing God’s offering at the right time; they must accept their wrong.
14 If a foreigner stays with you and wants to celebrate the Passover for God, they must do it by the rules and ways of Passover. The same rules apply to both the foreigner and the native-born.
15 On the day they put up the holy tent, a cloud covered it, which was the Tent of the Agreement. In the evening, it looked like fire on the tent until morning.
16 The cloud always covered it during the day, and at night it looked like fire.
17 When the cloud lifted from the tent, then the Israelites set out; where the cloud stayed, there the Israelites camped.
18 By God’s command, the Israelites traveled, and by His command, they set up camp: they stayed in their tents while the cloud stayed over the dwelling place.
19 When the cloud stayed over the tent for many days, the Israelites followed God’s command and did not travel.
20 So when the cloud stayed over the tent for a few days, they followed God’s order and stayed in their tents, and when God ordered, they moved on.
21 When the cloud stayed from evening until morning and lifted in the morning, they traveled. Whenever the cloud lifted, day or night, they traveled.
22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tent for two days, a month, or a year, the Israelites stayed in their tents and did not travel. But when the cloud lifted, they traveled.
23 By God’s order, they stayed in their tents, and by God’s order, they traveled: they followed God’s command through Moses.