Numbers 10
Christian Standard Bible
Two Silver Trumpets
10 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver to summon the community(A) and have the camps set out. 3 When both are sounded in long blasts, the entire community is to gather before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 4 However, if one is sounded, only the leaders, the heads of Israel’s clans,(B) are to gather before you.
5 “When you sound short blasts, the camps pitched on the east(C) are to set out. 6 When you sound short blasts a second time, the camps pitched on the south(D) are to set out. Short blasts are to be sounded for them to set out. 7 When calling the assembly together, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. Your use of these is a permanent statute throughout your generations.
9 “When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who is attacking you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God and be saved from your enemies.(E) 10 You are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and your fellowship sacrifices and on your joyous occasions, your appointed festivals, and the beginning of each of your months. They will serve as a reminder for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”(F)
From Sinai to Paran
11 During the second year, in the second month on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was lifted up above the tabernacle of the testimony. 12 The Israelites traveled on from the Wilderness of Sinai, moving from one place to the next(G) until the cloud stopped in the Wilderness of Paran.(H) 13 They set out for the first time according to the Lord’s command through Moses.(I)
14 The military divisions of the camp of Judah’s descendants with their banner set out first, and Nahshon son of Amminadab(J) was over their divisions. 15 Nethanel son of Zuar(K) was over the division of the tribe of Issachar’s descendants, 16 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of Zebulun’s descendants. 17 The tabernacle was then taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting the tabernacle.
18 The military divisions of the camp of Reuben with their banner set out, and Elizur son of Shedeur was over their divisions. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai(L) was over the division of the tribe of Simeon’s descendants, 20 and Eliasaph son of Deuel[a] was over the division of the tribe of Gad’s descendants. 21 The Kohathites then set out, transporting the holy objects;(M) the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.
22 Next the military divisions of the camp of Ephraim’s descendants with their banner set out, and Elishama son of Ammihud(N) was over their divisions. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh’s descendants, 24 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin’s descendants.
25 The military divisions of the camp of Dan’s descendants with their banner set out, serving as rear guard for all the camps, and Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai(O) was over their divisions. 26 Pagiel son of Ochran was over the division of the tribe of Asher’s descendants, 27 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali’s descendants. 28 This was the order of march for the Israelites by their military divisions as they set out.
29 Moses said to Hobab, descendant of Reuel(P) the Midianite and Moses’s relative by marriage, “We’re setting out for the place the Lord promised, ‘I will give it to you.’(Q) Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”(R)
30 But he replied to him, “I don’t want to go. Instead, I will go to my own land and my relatives.”
31 “Please don’t leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes. 32 If you come with us, whatever good the Lord does for us we will do for you.”(S)
33 They set out from the mountain of the Lord on a three-day journey with the ark of the Lord’s covenant traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them.(T) 34 Meanwhile, the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say:
Arise, Lord!
Let your enemies be scattered,
and those who hate you flee from your presence.(U)
36 When it came to rest, he would say:
Return, Lord,
to the countless thousands of Israel.(V)
Footnotes
- 10:20 LXX, Syr read Reuel
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”
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