Numbers 10

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

² 'Make yourself two trumpets; make them of beaten silver, so that you can use them for summoningthe community, and for sounding the order to break camp.

³ Whenever they are sounded, the whole community must gather round you, at the entrance to theTent of Meeting.

⁴ But if only one trumpet is sounded, then only the leaders, the heads of Israel's thousands, mustgather round you.

⁵ 'When the trumpet blast is accompanied by a battle cry, the encampments pitched to the east wil setout.

⁶ At the second blast accompanied by a battle cry, the encampments pitched to the south wil set out.For breaking camp, the trumpet blast wil be accompanied by a battle cry,

⁷ but for assembling the community the trumpets will be sounded without battle cry.

⁸ The Aaronite priests wil sound the trumpets; this is a perpetual decree for you and your descendants.

⁹ 'When in your country you go to war against an enemy who is oppressing you, you will soundtrumpets with a battle cry, and Yahweh your God wil remember you, and you wil be delivered from yourenemies.

¹⁰ At your festivals, solemnities and new-moon feasts, you will sound the trumpets over your burntofferings and communion sacrifices, so that they recal you to the remembrance of your God. I am Yahweh yourGod.'

¹¹ In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud rose fromwhere the Dwel ing of the Testimony was,

¹² and the Israelites set out, in marching order, from the desert of Sinai. The cloud came to rest in thedesert of Paran.

¹³ These were the men who set out in the vanguard, at Yahweh's order through Moses:

¹⁴ first went the standard of the camp of the Judahites and their units, with Nahshon son ofAmminadab commanding that contingent;

¹⁵ Nethanel son of Zuar commanding the tribal contingent of the Issacharites;

¹⁶ and Eliab son of Helon commanding the tribal contingent of the Zebulunites.

¹⁷ The Dwel ing was then dismantled and the Gershonites and Merarites set out, carrying the Dwel ing.

¹⁸ Then came the standard of the camp of the Reubenites and their units, with Elizur son of Shedeurcommanding that contingent;

¹⁹ Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai commanding the tribal contingent of the Simeonites;

²⁰ and Eliasaph son of Reuel commanding the tribal contingent of the Gadites.

²¹ Then came the Kohathites carrying the sanctuary (the Dwel ing was erected before they arrived).

²² Then came the standard of the camp of the Ephraimites and their units, with Elishama son ofAmmihud commanding that contingent;

²³ Gamaliel son of Pedahzur commanding the tribal contingent of the Manassehites;

²⁴ and Abidan son of Gideoni commanding the tribal contingent of the Benjaminites.

²⁵ Last of al , the rearguard of al the camps, came the standard of the camp of the Danites and theirunits, with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai commanding that contingent;

²⁶ Pagiel son of Ochran commanding the tribal contingent of the Asherites;

²⁷ and Ahira son of Enan commanding the tribal contingent of the Naphtalites.

²⁸ Such was the order of march for the Israelites, unit by unit. So they set out.

²⁹ Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, his father-in-law, 'We are setting out for the countryof which Yahweh has said: I shall give it to you. Come with us, and we wil treat you wel , for Yahweh haspromised good things for Israel.'

³⁰ 'I wil not come with you,' he replied, 'but shal go to my own country and kin.'

³¹ 'Do not leave us,' Moses said, 'for you know where we can camp in the desert, and so you will beour eyes.

³² If you come with us, we shal share with you whatever blessings Yahweh gives us.'

³³ They set out from Yahweh's mountain and travel ed for three days, while the ark of the covenant ofYahweh preceded them on the three-day journey, searching out a place for them to halt.

³⁴ In the daytime, Yahweh's cloud was over them, once they had broken camp.

³⁵ Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say: Rise, Yahweh, may your enemies be scattered andthose who hate you flee at your approach!

³⁶ And when it halted, he would say: Come back, Yahweh, to the countless thousands of Israel!