Numbers 10
Lexham English Bible
The Silver Trumpets
10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Make yourself two silver trumpets; make them of hammered-work. You will use them[a] for calling the community and for breaking the camp. 3 You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly. 4 But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you. 5 When you will blow a blast, the camps that are camping on the east will set out; 6 when you blow a second blast, the camps that are camping on the south will set out; they will blow a blast for their journeys. 7 But when summoning the assembly, you will blow, but you will not signal with a loud noise. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow on the trumpets; this will be an eternal decree for your generations. 9 If you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, you will signal with a loud noise on the trumpets. You will be remembered before[b] Yahweh your God, and you will be rescued from your enemies.
10 “And on the day of your joy and in your appointed times, at the beginning of your months, you will blow on the trumpets in addition to your burnt offerings and in addition to the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. And they will be as a memorial for you before[c] your God; I am Yahweh your God.”
The Israelites Depart from Sinai
11 And it happened, in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month the cloud was lifted from upon the tabernacle of the testimony.[d] 12 And the Israelites[e] set out for their journey[f] from the desert of Sinai, and the cloud dwelled in the desert of Paran. 13 They set out for the first time[g] on the command of Yahweh in the hand of Moses.[h] 14 The standard of the camp of the descendants[i] of Judah set out for the first time according to their divisions, with Nahshon son of Amminadab over its division. 15 And Nathanel son of Zuar was over the division of the descendants[j] of Issachar; 16 Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of the descendants[k] of Zebulun.
17 The tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, the bearers of the tabernacle, set out. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their divisions; Elizur son of Shedeur was over their division. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the sons of the tribe of Simeon. 20 Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of the descendants[l] of Gad.
21 The Kohathites, the bearers of the sanctuary, set out, and they set up the tabernacle before they arrived. 22 And the stand of the camp of the descendants[m] of Ephraim set out according to their divisions; Elishama son of Ammihud was over its division. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of the descendants[n] of Manasseh. 24 Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of the descendants[o] of Benjamin.
25 Then the standard of the camp of the descendants[p] of Dan, who formed a rear guard for all the camps, set out according to their divisions; Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was over its division. 26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of the descendants[q] of Asher. 27 Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of the descendants[r] of Naphtali. 28 These were the departures of the Israelites[s] according to their divisions; and so they set out.
29 Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, “We are setting out to the place that Yahweh said, ‘I will give it to you’; go with us, and we will treat you well[t] because Yahweh promised[u] good concerning Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will only go to my land and to my family.” 31 He[v] said, “Please, do not abandon us because you know our encampment in the desert, and you should be our guide.[w] 32 Moreover, if you go with us, the good that Yahweh will do to us we will do to you.”
33 And so they set out from the mountain of Yahweh a journey of three days, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh setting out ahead of them[x] three days’ journey to search out a resting place for them; 34 and the cloud of Yahweh was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 And whenever the ark was setting out Moses would say,
“Rise up, Yahweh!
May your enemies be scattered;
may the ones that hate you flee from your presence.”
36 And when it rested he would say,
“Return, Yahweh,
to the countless thousands of Israel.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 10:2 Literally “They will be for you”
- Numbers 10:9 Literally “in the presence of”
- Numbers 10:10 Literally “in the presence of”
- Numbers 10:11 Some modern translations (e.g., the NRSV) have “tabernacle of the covenant”
- Numbers 10:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 10:12 Hebrew “journeys”
- Numbers 10:13 Literally “in the beginning”
- Numbers 10:13 Or “through Moses”
- Numbers 10:14 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:15 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:16 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:20 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:22 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:23 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:24 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:25 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:26 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:27 Or “sons”
- Numbers 10:28 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Numbers 10:29 Literally “do good to you”
- Numbers 10:29 Literally “Yahweh spoke”
- Numbers 10:31 That is, Moses
- Numbers 10:31 Literally “you should be our eyes”
- Numbers 10:33 Or “before them”
Numbers 10
Living Bible
10 1-2 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Make two trumpets of beaten silver to be used for summoning the people to assemble and for signaling the breaking of camp. 3 When both trumpets are blown, the people will know that they are to gather at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 4 But if only one is blown, then only the chiefs of the tribes of Israel shall come to you.
5-7 “Different trumpet blasts will be necessary to distinguish between the summons to assemble and the signal to break camp and move onward.[a] When the travel signal is blown, the tribes camped on the east side of the Tabernacle shall leave first; at the second signal, the tribes on the south shall go. 8 Only the priests are permitted to blow the trumpets. This is a permanent instruction to be followed from generation to generation.
9 “When you arrive in the Promised Land and go to war against your enemies, God will hear you and save you from your enemies when you sound the alarm with these trumpets. 10 Use the trumpets in times of gladness, too, blowing them at your annual festivals and at the beginning of each month to rejoice over your burnt offerings and peace offerings. And God will be reminded of his covenant with you. For I am Jehovah, your God.”
11 The Cloud lifted from the Tabernacle on the twentieth day of the second month[b] of the second year of Israel’s leaving Egypt; 12 so the Israelites left the wilderness of Sinai, and followed the Cloud until it stopped in the wilderness of Paran. 13 This was their first journey after having received the Lord’s travel instructions to Moses.
14 At the head of the march was the tribe of Judah grouped behind its flag and led by Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. 15 Next came the tribe of Issachar, led by Nethanel, the son of Zuar, 16 and the tribe of Zebulun, led by Eliab, the son of Helon.
17 The Tabernacle was taken down and the men of the Gershon and Merari divisions of the tribe of Levi were next in the line of march, carrying the Tabernacle upon their shoulders. 18 Then came the flag of the camp of Reuben, with Elizur the son of Shedeur leading his people. 19 Next was the tribe of Simeon headed by Shelumiel, the son of Zurishaddai; 20 and the tribe of Gad led by Eliasaph, the son of Deuel.
21 Next came the Kohathites carrying the items from the inner sanctuary. (The Tabernacle was already erected in its new location by the time they arrived.) 22 Next in line was the tribe of Ephraim behind its flag, led by Elishama, the son of Ammihud; 23 and the tribe of Manasseh led by Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 24 and the tribe of Benjamin, led by Abidan the son of Gideoni. 25 Last of all were the tribes headed by the flag of the tribe of Dan under the leadership of Ahiezer, the son of Ammishaddai; 26 the tribe of Asher, led by Pagiel, the son of Ochran; 27 and the tribe of Naphtali, led by Ahira, the son of Enan. 28 That was the order in which the tribes traveled.
29 One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab (son of Reuel, the Midianite), “At last we are on our way to the Promised Land. Come with us and we will do you good; for the Lord has given wonderful promises to Israel!”
30 But his brother-in-law replied, “No, I must return to my own land and kinfolk.”
31 “Stay with us,” Moses pleaded, “for you know the ways of the wilderness and will be a great help to us.[c] 32 If you come, you will share in all the good things the Lord does for us.”
33 They traveled for three days after leaving Mount Sinai,[d] with the Ark at the front of the column to choose a place for them to stop. 34 It was daytime when they left, with the Cloud moving along ahead of them as they began their march. 35 As the Ark was carried forward, Moses cried out, “Arise, O Lord, and scatter your enemies; let them flee before you.” 36 And when the Ark was set down he said, “Return, O Lord, to the millions of Israel.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 10:5 and the signal to break camp and move onward, more literally, v. 7 reads: “But when the Assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow but you shall not sound the alarm.”
- Numbers 10:11 on the twentieth day of the second month (of the Hebrew calendar), this was approximately May 5.
- Numbers 10:31 for you know the ways of the wilderness and will be a great help to us, literally, “you know how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.”
- Numbers 10:33 Mount Sinai, literally, “the mount of Jehovah.”
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