Numbers 9  Lexham English Bible

The Passover

9 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the second year after they came out from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying, ² “Let the Israelites^[a] observe the Passover at its appointed time. ³ On the fourteenth day of this month at twilight^[b] you will perform it at its appointed time according to all its decrees; and according to all its stipulations you will observe it.” ⁴ So Moses spoke to the Israelites^[c] to observe the Passover. ⁵ And they observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight^[d] in the desert of Sinai. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, thus the Israelites^[e] did.

⁶ And it happened, men who were unclean by a dead person^[f] were not able to perform the Passover on that day. And they came before^[g] Moses and Aaron on that day. ⁷ And those men said to him, “Although we are unclean by a dead person,^[h] why are we hindered from presenting the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time in the midst of the Israelites?”^{[i] 8} Moses said to them, “Stay. I will hear what Yahweh commands to you.”

⁹ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the Israelites,^[j] saying, ‘Each man that is unclean by a dead person^[k] or is on a far journey, you or your descendants,^[l] he will observe the Passover of Yahweh. ¹¹ On the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight^[m] they will observe it; they will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter plants. ¹² They will leave none of it until morning, and they will not break a bone in it; they will observe it according to every decree of the Passover. ¹³ But the man who is clean and not on a journey, and he fails to observe the Passover, that person will be cut off from the people because he did not present the offering of Yahweh on its appointed time. That man will bear his guilt. ¹⁴ If an alien dwells with you he will observe the Passover of Yahweh according to the decree of the Passover and according to its stipulation; thus you will have one decree for you, for the alien and for the native of the land.’”

The Cloud and the Fire

¹⁵ And on a day setting up the tabernacle, the cloud covered the tent of the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony; in the evening it was on the tabernacle as an appearance of fire until morning. ¹⁶ So it was^[n] continually; the cloud would cover it and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud lifted up from on the tent, after that the Israelites^[o] would set out, and in the place where the cloud dwelled, there the Israelites^[p] camped. ¹⁸ On the command of Yahweh^[q] the Israelites^[r] would set out, and on the command of Yahweh^[s] they encamped; all the days that the cloud dwelled on the tabernacle they encamped. ¹⁹ And when the cloud prolonged on the tabernacle many days the Israelites^[t] kept the kept requirement of Yahweh and did not set out. ²⁰ When the cloud remained^[u] a number of days on the tabernacle, on the command of Yahweh^[v] they encamped; and on the command of Yahweh^[w] they set out. ²¹ When the cloud remained^[x] from evening until morning, and the cloud lifted up in the morning, they would set out, or if it remained in the daytime and at night, when the cloud lifted up they set out. ²² When it was two days, a month, or a year^[y] that the cloud prolonged to dwell on the tabernacle, the Israelites^[z] encamped, and they did not set out; when it lifted up they set out. ²³ On the command of Yahweh^[aa] they encamped, and on the command of Yahweh^[ab] they set out. They kept the requirement of Yahweh, on the command of Yahweh^[ac] in the hand of Moses.^[ad]