Numbers 9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Passover at Sinai
9 The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying,(A) 2 “Let the Israelites keep the Passover at its appointed time.(B) 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight,[a] you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its regulations you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the Israelites that they should keep the Passover. 5 They kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight,[b] in the wilderness of Sinai. Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.(C) 6 Now there were certain people who were unclean through touching a corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day. They came before Moses and Aaron on that day(D) 7 and said to him, “Although we are unclean through touching a corpse, why must we be kept from presenting the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?” 8 Moses said to them, “Wait, so that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”(E)
9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the Israelites, saying: Anyone of you or your descendants who is unclean through touching a corpse or is away on a journey shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day, at twilight,[c] they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.(F) 12 They shall leave none of it until morning nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it.(G) 13 But anyone who is clean and is not on a journey and yet refrains from keeping the Passover shall be cut off from the people for not presenting the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; such a one shall bear the consequences for the sin.(H) 14 Any alien residing among you who wishes to keep the Passover to the Lord shall do so according to the statute of the Passover and according to its regulation; you shall have one statute for both the resident alien and the native of the land.”(I)
The Cloud and the Fire
15 On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant, and from evening until morning it was over the tabernacle, having the appearance of fire.(J) 16 It was always so: the cloud covered it by day[d] and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, then the Israelites would set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the Israelites would camp.(K) 18 At the command of the Lord the Israelites would set out, and at the command of the Lord they would camp. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they would remain in camp.(L) 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites would keep the charge of the Lord and would not set out.(M) 20 Sometimes the cloud would remain a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they would remain in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud would remain from evening until morning, and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a longer time that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, resting upon it, the Israelites would remain in camp and would not set out, but when it lifted they would set out.(N) 23 At the command of the Lord they would camp, and at the command of the Lord they would set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
Numbers 9
International Standard Version
The Passover at Sinai(A)
9 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai during the first month of the second year that they had left Egypt, 2 “The Israelis are to observe the Passover at its appointed time 3 on the fourteenth day of this month. You are to observe it at this appointed time between the evenings. You are to observe it according to all its decrees and laws.”
4 So Moses instructed the Israelis to observe the Passover. 5 They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai. The Israelis did everything that the Lord had commanded through Moses.
Special Passover Rules
6 But there were men who couldn’t observe the Passover that day because they had come in contact with a corpse. That very day, they approached Moses and Aaron 7 and asked, “Why can’t we bring an offering to the Lord at the appointed time among the Israelis, even though we are unclean because we came in contact with a corpse?”
8 “Wait while I hear what the Lord has to say about you,” Moses replied.
9 Then the Lord told Moses, 10 “Instruct[a] the Israelis that when any of you or your descendants becomes unclean due to contact with a corpse, or if he is on a long journey, he nevertheless is to observe the Lord’s Passover. 11 On the fourteenth day of the second month at twilight, they are to eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They are not to leave any of it to remain until morning nor are they to break any of its bones. They are to observe it according to all the statutes of the Passover. 13 Now as to the person[b] who is clean and isn’t traveling, but fails to observe the Passover, that person[c] is to be eliminated from his people, because he didn’t bring an offering to the Lord at its appointed time. That person is to bear his sin. 14 If a resident alien lives with you and wants to observe the Lord’s Passover, let him observe it according to the statutes and laws of the Passover. You are to maintain the same statute[d] for the resident alien as you do for the native of the land.”
The Fire Cloud over the Tent
15 On the same morning[e] that the tent was set up, a cloud covered the tent, that is, the Tent of Testimony, and in the evening fire appeared over the tent until morning. 16 It was so continuously—there was a cloud covering by day, and a fire cloud appeared at night. 17 Whenever the cloud above the tent ascended, the Israelis would travel and encamp in the place where the cloud settled. 18 According to whatever the Lord said,[f] the Israelis would travel. According to whatever the Lord said, they would camp as long as the cloud remained over the Tent of Meeting.
19 When the cloud over the tent remained for a longer time, the Israelis did what the Lord had instructed and didn’t travel. 20 There were times when the cloud remained over the tent for a number of days. They camped in accordance with the Lord’s instructions and they traveled in accordance with the Lord’s instructions. 21 There were times when the cloud remained from evening until morning, but when the cloud ascended in the morning, they would journey. Whether by day or by night, they would travel whenever the cloud ascended. 22 Whether for two days, a month, or for longer periods, whenever the cloud would remain above the tent, the Israelis would remain in camp, not traveling. But whenever it ascended, then they would travel. 23 According to what the Lord said, they would remain in camp, and according to what the Lord said, they would travel. They kept the commands that the Lord had given through Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 9:10 Or speak
- Numbers 9:13 Lit. man
- Numbers 9:13 Or soul
- Numbers 9:14 Lit. one decree shall be for you
- Numbers 9:15 Lit. day
- Numbers 9:18 Lit. to the mouth of the Lord
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