Chronological

The Seven Lamps^(A)

8 The Lord told Moses, ² “Tell Aaron, ‘When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps will illuminate the area in^[a] front of the lamp stand.’”^{[b] 3} So Aaron did so, setting up the lamps to illuminate the area in^[c] front of the lamp stand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴ This was how the lamp stand was crafted from hammered gold: From its base to its flowers, it was made of hammered gold. Moses crafted the lamp stand just as the Lord had showed him.^[d]

Purifying the Descendants of Levi

⁵ Then the Lord told Moses, ⁶ “Take the descendants of Levi from the Israelis and purify them. ⁷ This is what you are to do for them in order to purify them: Sprinkle purifying water over them, have them shave their skin, and then have them wash their garments, and they will be purified. ⁸ They are to take a young bull along with its meal offering made of flour mixed with oil. Then you are to take a second young bull as a sin offering. ⁹ Assemble the descendants of Levi in front of the appointed place of meeting, and assemble the whole congregation of Israel, too. ¹⁰ Bring the descendants of Levi into the Lord’s presence and have the Israelis lay their hands on the descendants of Levi.

¹¹ “Then Aaron is to present the descendants of Levi as a wave offering before the Lord from the Israelis, because they are to work in the service of the Lord. ¹² The descendants of Levi are then to lay their hands on the head of the bulls, offering one for a sin offering and the other one for a burnt offering to the Lord to atone for the descendants of Levi. ¹³ You are to make the descendants of Levi stand in the presence of Aaron and his sons. Then you are to wave them as wave offerings to the Lord. ¹⁴ This is how you are to separate the descendants of Levi from among the Israelis. The descendants of Levi belong to me.

¹⁵ “After this, the descendants of Levi are to come to serve at the appointed place of meeting, after you have purified them and presented them as wave offerings, ¹⁶ since they’ve been set apart for me from among the Israelis. I’ve taken them for myself instead of the first to open the womb—every firstborn of the Israelis, ¹⁷ since every firstborn of Israel belongs to me, from human beings to livestock. On the same day that I destroyed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to myself, ¹⁸ taking the descendants of Levi instead of every firstborn of the Israelis. ¹⁹ I’ve set the descendants of Levi apart from the Israelis so that Aaron and his sons would work in service at the appointed place of meeting, making atonement on behalf of the Israelis so that there won’t be a plague among the Israelis whenever they approach the sanctuary.”

²⁰ So Moses and Aaron and the Israelis did this on behalf of the descendants of Levi. The Israelis did everything that the Lord commanded concerning the descendants of Levi. ²¹ The descendants of Levi therefore purified themselves, washed their clothes, and then Aaron presented them as wave offerings to the Lord. Aaron provided atonement for them to purify them. ²² After this, the descendants of Levi entered into their work of service at the appointed place, in the presence of Aaron and his sons. They did everything that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the descendants of Levi.

Age Restrictions for the Descendants of Levi

²³ Later, the Lord told Moses, ²⁴ “Now regarding a descendant of Levi who is 25 years and above, he is to enter work in the service at the appointed place of meeting, ²⁵ but starting at 50 years of age, he is to retire from service and is no longer to work. ²⁶ He may minister to his brothers at the Tent of Meeting by keeping watch, but he is not to engage in service. This is how you are to act with respect to the obligations of the descendants of Levi.”

The Passover at Sinai^(B)

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^[e] 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^[f] who is clean and isn’t traveling, but fails to observe the Passover, that person^[g] 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^[h] for the resident alien as you do for the native of the land.”

The Fire Cloud over the Tent

¹⁵ On the same morning^[i] 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,^[j] 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.

Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord also told Moses, ² “Make two trumpets, crafting them from beaten silver, for use in calling the congregation together and for notifying the camps to set out for travel. ³ Sound them when the whole assembly is to gather together at the entrance to the appointed place of meeting. ⁴ When one trumpet is blown, the elders and the heads of the thousands of the Israelis are to gather to you. ⁵ When you sound an alarm, the ones encamped on the east side are to begin to travel. ⁶ When you sound the alarm the second time, those encamped on the south are to begin to travel. Alarms are to be sounded for their travels. ⁷ But when you blow the trumpet to assemble the whole congregation, don’t use the same sound as you do for sounding an alarm.^{[k] 8} The descendants of Aaron the priest are to blow the trumpets. Have them do this for you permanently throughout your generations to come.”

Sounding the Trumpet in Battle

⁹ “When you wage war in your land against an enemy who is hostile to you, you are to sound an alarm with the trumpets. Then you will be remembered before the face of the Lord your God and you will be delivered from your enemies. ¹⁰ At the beginning of the month, during your time of rejoicing at the appointed place, sound the trumpet over your burnt offering, then sacrifice your peace offering, since they are to be your memorial before the Lord your God. I am the Lord your God.”

Order of Travel in the Wilderness

¹¹ On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year, the cloud was lifted up from the Tent of Meeting, ¹² so the Israelis set out from the Sinai Wilderness until the cloud settled in the Paran Wilderness, ¹³ doing what the Lord had said through Moses.

¹⁴ The standard of the camp of Judah was the first to travel, accompanied by its army with Amminadab’s son Nahshon in charge. ¹⁵ Zuar’s son Nethanel was in charge of the camp of Issachar. ¹⁶ Helon’s son Eliab was in charge of the camp of Zebulun. ¹⁷ The tent was taken down, and the descendants of Gershon and Merari carried the tent.

¹⁸ Then the standard of the camp of Reuben set out, accompanied by its army with Shedeur’s son Elizur in charge. ¹⁹ Zurishaddai’s son Shelumiel was in charge of the tribe of Simeon. ²⁰ Deuel’s son Eliasaph was in charge of the tribe of Gad. ²¹ Then the descendants of Kohath, carrying the sanctuary, set out, since the tent was to be set up before they arrive.

²² After this, the standard of the camp of Ephraim set out, accompanied by its army with Ammihud’s son Elishama in charge. ²³ Pedazzur’s son Gamaliel was in charge of the tribe of Manasseh. ²⁴ Gideoni’s son Abidan was in charge of the army of the tribe of Benjamin.

²⁵ Then the standard of the camp of Dan set out, functioning as the rear guard for all the encampments, accompanied by its army with Ammishaddai’s son Ahiezer. ²⁶ Ochran’s son Pagiel was in charge of the tribe of Asher. ²⁷ Enan’s son Ahira was in charge of the tribe of Naphtali.

²⁸ This was the travel order for the Israelis, whenever their companies traveled.

Moses invites His Father-in-Law to Accompany Israel

²⁹ Then Moses told Reuel’s son Hobab, Moses’ relative by marriage^[l] from Midian, “We are traveling to the place about which the Lord said ‘I will give it to you.’ So come with us and we’ll be good to you, because the Lord has spoken good things about Israel.”

³⁰ But he said, “I won’t go with you because I’m returning to my land and to my own family.”

³¹ Then Moses^[m] responded, “Please don’t leave us now, since you know where we can camp in the wilderness. You could be our guide.^{[n] 32} And when you come with us, the good things that the Lord will grant us, we’ll give you as well.”^[o]

³³ So they traveled from the mountain of the Lord, a three-day trip, with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord traveling in front of them—a three day trip to explore a place for them to rest. ³⁴ Moreover, the cloud of the Lord protected them during the day when they left their camp. ³⁵ Whenever the ark was ready to travel, Moses would say:

³⁶ Whenever the ark was being readied to rest, he would say: