The Passover Celebrated

9 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, ^(A)in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ² “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. ^3 (B)On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” ⁴ So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. ⁵ And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. ⁶ And there were certain men who were ^(C)unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and ^(D)they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. ⁷ And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord's ^(E)offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” ⁸ And Moses said to them, “Wait, that ^(F)I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”

⁹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁰ “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. ^11 (G)In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. ^(H)They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ^12 (I)They shall leave none of it until the morning, ^(J)nor break any of its bones; ^(K)according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. ¹³ But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, ^(L)that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord's ^(M)offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. ¹⁴ And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. ^(N)You shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”

The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle

^15 (O)On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And ^(P)at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. ¹⁶ So it was always: the cloud covered it by day^[a] and the appearance of fire by night. ¹⁷ And whenever the cloud ^(Q)lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. ¹⁸ At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. ^(R)As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. ¹⁹ Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel ^(S)kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. ²¹ And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. ²² Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel ^(T)remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. ²³ At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. ^(U)They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for ^(V)summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. ³ And when ^(W)both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁴ But if they blow only one, then ^(X)the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. ⁵ When you blow an alarm, ^(Y)the camps that are on the east side shall set out. ⁶ And when you blow an alarm the second time, ^(Z)the camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. ⁷ But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ^(AA)you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not ^(AB)sound an alarm. ^8 (AC)And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. ⁹ And ^(AD)when you go to war in your land against the adversary who ^(AE)oppresses you, then you shall ^(AF)sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be ^(AG)remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. ^10 (AH)On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and ^(AI)at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be ^(AJ)a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Israel Leaves Sinai

¹¹ In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, ^(AK)the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, ¹² and the people of Israel ^(AL)set out by stages from the ^(AM)wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the ^(AN)wilderness of Paran. ¹³ They set out for the first time ^(AO)at the command of the Lord by Moses. ¹⁴ The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out ^(AP)first by their companies, and over their company was ^(AQ)Nahshon the son of Amminadab. ¹⁵ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. ¹⁶ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

¹⁷ And when ^(AR)the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, ^(AS)who carried the tabernacle, set out. ¹⁸ And ^(AT)the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(AU)Elizur the son of Shedeur. ¹⁹ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was ^(AV)Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ²⁰ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was ^(AW)Eliasaph the son of ^(AX)Deuel.

²¹ Then the Kohathites set out, ^(AY)carrying the holy things, and ^(AZ)the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. ²² And ^(BA)the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(BB)Elishama the son of Ammihud. ²³ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was ^(BC)Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²⁴ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was ^(BD)Abidan the son of Gideoni.

²⁵ Then ^(BE)the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the ^(BF)rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(BG)Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was ^(BH)Pagiel the son of Ochran. ²⁷ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was ^(BI)Ahira the son of Enan. ^28 (BJ)This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.

²⁹ And Moses said to Hobab the son of ^(BK)Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ^(BL)‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for ^(BM)the Lord has promised good to Israel.” ³⁰ But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” ³¹ And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve ^(BN)as eyes for us. ³² And if you do go with us, ^(BO)whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

³³ So they set out from ^(BP)the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out ^(BQ)a resting place for them. ^34 (BR)And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.

³⁵ And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ^(BS)“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” ³⁶ And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of ^(A)the Sons of Korah. According to ^(B)Alamoth.^[a] A Song.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days ^(A)a decree went out from ^(B)Caesar Augustus that all the world should be ^(C)registered. ² This was the first ^(D)registration when^[a] Quirinius ^(E)was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up ^(F)from Galilee, from the town of ^(G)Nazareth, to Judea, to ^(H)the city of David, which is called ^(I)Bethlehem, ^(J)because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,^[b] who was with child. ⁶ And ^(K)while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and ^(L)wrapped him in swaddling cloths and ^(M)laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in ^(N)the inn.^[c]

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord ^(O)appeared to them, and ^(P)the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all ^(Q)the people. ¹¹ For ^(R)unto you is born this day in ^(S)the city of David ^(T)a Savior, who is ^(U)Christ ^(V)the Lord. ¹² And ^(W)this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby ^(X)wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel ^(Y)a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby ^(AE)lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But ^(AF)Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, ^(AG)glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

²¹ And ^(AH)at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, ^(AI)he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²² And ^(AJ)when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem ^(AK)to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in ^(AL)the Law of the Lord, ^(AM)“Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in ^(AN)the Law of the Lord, ^(AO)“a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” ²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was ^(AP)righteous and ^(AQ)devout, ^(AR)waiting for ^(AS)the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not ^(AT)see death before he had seen ^(AU)the Lord's Christ. ²⁷ And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when ^(AV)the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and ^(AW)blessed God and said,

³³ And ^(BF)his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed ^(BG)for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign ^(BH)that is opposed ³⁵ (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ And there was ^(BI)a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, ³⁷ and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.^[f] She did not depart from the temple, ^(BJ)worshiping with ^(BK)fasting and prayer night and day. ³⁸ And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were ^(BL)waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

³⁹ And when they had performed everything according to ^(BM)the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of ^(BN)Nazareth. ^40 (BO)And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

⁴¹ Now ^(BP)his parents went ^(BQ)to Jerusalem every year at ^(BR)the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, ^(BS)they went up according to custom. ⁴³ And when the feast ^(BT)was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. ^(BU)His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, ^(BV)sitting among ^(BW)the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸ And when his parents^[g] saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, ^(BX)your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” ⁴⁹ And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that ^(BY)I must be in ^(BZ)my Father's house?”^{[h] 50} And ^(CA)they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. ⁵¹ And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And ^(CB)his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus ^(CC)increased in wisdom and in stature^[i] and in ^(CD)favor with God and man.