Numbers 9

1Yahweh spoke to Moses in the Sinai wilderness, in the first month of the second year after they departed from Egypt's land, saying,

2The children of Israel shall observe the Passover at its appointed time.

3On the fourteenth day of this month, between the twilights, observe it at its appointed time—according to all its decrees and according to all its rulings, observe it.

4Moses spoke to the children of Israel to keep the Passover.

5They observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the wilderness of Sinai, precisely as Yahweh commanded Moses in every detail; so the children of Israel did.

6There were men who were unclean because of a man's corpse, so they could not perform the Passover that day, and they approached before Moses and before Aaron that day.

7Those men said to him, "We are unclean because of a man's corpse. Why are we restrained from offering Yahweh's offering at its appointed time among the children of Israel?"

8Moses said to them, "Remain here, and I will hear what Yahweh commands you."

9Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

10Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, "If any man among you or your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is traveling far away, he shall observe Passover to Yahweh."

11In the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; they shall eat it.

12They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break any bone of it. They shall observe it according to every statute of the Passover.

13But the man who is clean and not traveling yet fails to observe the Passover—that soul shall be cut off from his people, because he did not present Yahweh's offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin.

14If a sojourner resides among you and observes Passover to Yahweh, according to the Passover statute and its regulation, so shall he observe it. One statute shall apply to you and to the sojourner and to the native of the land.

15On the day the tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of testimony, and at evening it stood over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.

16Thus it was always: the cloud covered it, and by night the appearance of fire.

17Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle, afterward the sons of Israel would set out; and in whatever place the cloud settled there, there the sons of Israel would encamp.

18At Yahweh's word the Israelites set out, and at Yahweh's word they encamped—all the days the cloud dwelt upon the tabernacle, they encamped.

19When the cloud prolonged over the tabernacle many days, the sons of Israel kept Yahweh's charge and did not journey.

20When the cloud stayed a few days over the tabernacle, they encamped according to Yahweh's command, and they journeyed according to Yahweh's command.

21Sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they journeyed; or by day and by night, when the cloud lifted, they journeyed.

22Whether two days, or a month, or days prolonged, when the cloud lengthened over the tabernacle, dwelling upon it, the sons of Israel encamped and did not set out; but when it lifted, they set out.

23They camped at Yahweh's command and traveled at Yahweh's command; they kept Yahweh's charge at Yahweh's command through Moses.