Numbers 9
1 One year after the Israelis left Egypt, during the month of March, while they were in the Sinai Desert, Yahweh said to Moses/me,
And Yahweh spake unto Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the second year by their coming forth out of the land of Egypt in the first month, saying:
2 “Tell the Israeli people that they must celebrate the Passover [Festival again].
Let the sons of Israel therefore, keep the passover in its appointed season:
3 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].”
on the fourteenth day of this month between the two evenings, shall ye keep it, in its appointed season, —according to all the statute thereof and according to all the regulations thereof, shall ye keep it.
4 So Moses/I told the people what Yahweh had said about celebrating the Passover.
Then spake Moses unto the sons of Israel that they should keep the passover.
5 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.
So they kept the passover in the first [month], on the fourteenth day of the month between the two evenings, in the desert of Sinai, —according to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, so, did the sons of Israel.
6 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,
But so it was that there were, certain men who had become unclean by a dead person, and could not keep the passover on that day, —therefore came they near before Moses and before Aaron on that day.
7 “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]?”
Then said those men unto him, We, are unclean by a dead person, —wherefore should we become of less esteem for want of offering the oblation of Yahweh in its appointed season, in the midst of the sons of Israel?
8 Moses/I replied, “Wait here until I go into the Sacred Tent and find out what Yahweh says about it.”
And Moses said unto them, —Stay, and let me hear, what Yahweh shall command concerning you!
9 [So Moses/I went into the tent and asked Yahweh what he/I should tell the people], and this is what Yahweh said:
Then spake Yahweh unto Moses, saying:
10 “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.
Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, —Though, any man, be unclean by a dead person or be on a journey afar off, whether in the case of yourselves or of your generations, yet shall he keep a passover unto Yahweh.
11 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.
In the second month, on the fourteenth day between the two evenings, shall they keep it, —with unleavened cakes and bitter herbs, shall they eat it.
12 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.
They shall not leave thereof until morning, and no bone, shall they break therein—according to all the statutes of the passover, shall they keep it.
13 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).
But as for the man who is, clean, and no a journey, doth not chance to be and yet faileth to keep the passover, that person shall he cut off from among his kinsfolk, —for the oblation of Yahweh, hath he not offered in its appointed season, his own sin, shall, that man, bear.
14 Foreigners who live among you may also celebrate the Passover Festival, if they obey all my commands concerning it.”
When moreover there may sojourn with you a sojourner, who would keep a passover unto Yahweh, according to the statute of the passover, and according to the regulation thereof, so, must he keep [it], —one statute, shall there be for you, both for the sojourner and for the native of the land.
15 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].
Now, on the day the habitation was reared, the cloud covered the habitation, even the tent of the testimony, —and in the evening, it was over the habitation, like an appearance of fire, until morning,
Thus, came it to pass continually, the cloud, covered it, —and an appearance of fire, by night;
17 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.
but at the bidding of the upgoings of the cloud from off the tent, then, after that, the sons of Israel set forward, —and in the place where the cloud abode, there the sons of Israel encamped:
18 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.
at the bidding of Yahweh, the sons of Israel set forward, and at the bidding of Yahweh, they encamped, —all the days that the cloud abode upon the habitation, they remained encamped.
19 Sometimes the cloud stayed over the tent for a long time, so when that happened, we/they did not travel.
And when the cloud lengthened out its stay upon the habitation, many days, then would the sons of Israel keep the watch of Yahweh, and would not set forward.
20 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.
And, so it was, when the cloud would be a few days upon the habitation, at the bidding of Yahweh, they remained encamped, and at the bidding of Yahweh, they set forward.
21 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.
And, so it was, when the cloud would be from evening until morning, as soon as the cloud went up in the morning, so soon did they set forward: whether by day or by night, as soon as the cloud went up, so soon did they set forward.
22 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.
Whether for two days or a month or a year, the cloud lengthened out its stay upon the habitation abiding thereupon, the sons of Israel remained encamped and set not forward, —but at the upgoings thereof, they set forward.
23 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.
At the bidding of Yahweh, they encamped, and at the bidding of Yahweh, they set forward, —the watch of Yahweh, they kept, at the bidding of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
