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,
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 “Tell the Israeli people that they must celebrate the Passover [Festival again].
“The Israelites are to keep the Passover at its designated time.
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].”
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 So Moses/I told the people what Yahweh had said about celebrating the Passover.
Moses told the Israelites to observe 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 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 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,
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 “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]?”
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 Moses/I replied, “Wait here until I go into the Sacred Tent and find out what Yahweh says about it.”
“Stay here while I find out what the Lord's instructions are concerning you,” Moses responded.
9 [So Moses/I went into the tent and asked Yahweh what he/I should tell the people], and this is what Yahweh said:
The Lord told Moses,
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.
“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 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.
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 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.
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 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).
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 Foreigners who live among you may also celebrate the Passover Festival, if they obey all my commands concerning it.”
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 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].
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.
It was always like this. The cloud covered the Tabernacle during the day and at night it looked like fire.
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.
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 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.
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 Sometimes the cloud stayed over the tent for a long time, so when that happened, we/they did not travel.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
