Numbers 9

1 And Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after their departure from 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 Let the children of Israel also hold the passover at its set time;

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

3 on the fourteenth day in this month between the two evenings, ye shall hold it at its set time; according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof shall ye hold 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 And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, that they should hold the passover.

Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

5 And they held the passover in the first [month] on the fourteenth day of the month, between the two evenings, in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

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 And there were men, who were unclean through the dead body of a man, and could not hold 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 And those men said to him, We are unclean by reason of the dead body of a man: why are we kept back, that we may not present the offering of Jehovah at its set time 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 And Moses said to them, Stay, and I will hear what Jehovah commands concerning you.

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

9 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

10 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your generations be unclean by reason of a dead body or be on a journey afar off, yet he shall hold the passover to Jehovah.

“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, between the two evenings, shall they hold it; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs shall they eat it.

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 thereof: according to every ordinance of the passover shall they hold 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 a man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to hold the passover, that soul shall be cut off from among his peoples; because he presented not the offering of Jehovah at its set time: 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 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and would hold the passover to Jehovah, according to the rite of the passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, so shall he do. Ye shall have one rite, both for the stranger and for him that 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 And on the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle of the tent of testimony; and at even it was upon the tabernacle as the appearance of fire, until the 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, and at night it was as the appearance of fire.

It was always like this. The cloud covered the Tabernacle during the day and at night it looked like fire.

17 And when the cloud rose from the tent, then the children of Israel journeyed; and at the place where the cloud stood still, there the children of Israel encamped.

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 According to the commandment of Jehovah the children of Israel journeyed, and according to the commandment of Jehovah they [remained] encamped; all the days that the cloud dwelt upon the tabernacle they encamped.

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 And when the cloud was long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of Jehovah, and journeyed not.

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 And if it were so that the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle, according to the commandment of Jehovah they encamped, and according to the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed.

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 And if it were so that the cloud was there from the evening until the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed; or a day and a night, and the cloud was taken up, they journeyed;

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 or two days, or a month, or many days, when the cloud was long upon the tabernacle, dwelling upon it, the children of Israel [remained] encamped, and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

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 Jehovah they encamped, and at the commandment of Jehovah they journeyed: they kept the charge of Jehovah according to the commandment of Jehovah through 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.