Numbers 9

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, in the desert of Sinai, in the second year after the exodus from Egypt, in thefirst month, and said:

² 'The Israelites must keep the Passover at its appointed time.

³ The fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, is the time appointed for you to keep it. You wil keep itwith all the laws and customs proper to it.'

⁴ Moses told the Israelites to keep the Passover.

⁵ They kept it, in the desert of Sinai, in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight.The Israelites did everything as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

⁶ It happened that some men had become unclean by touching a dead body; they could not keep thePassover that day. They came the same day to Moses and Aaron,

⁷ and said, 'We have become unclean by touching a dead body. Why should we be excluded frombringing an offering to Yahweh at the proper time with the rest of the Israelites?'

⁸ Moses replied, 'Wait here until I hear what order Yahweh gives about you.'

⁹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

¹⁰ 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "Any of you or your descendants who becomes unclean by touchinga dead body, or is away on a long journey, can stil keep a Passover for Yahweh.

¹¹ Such persons wil keep it in the second month, on the fourteenth day, at twilight. They wil eat it withunleavened bread and bitter herbs;

¹² nothing of it must be left over until morning, nor wil they break any of its bones. They wil keep it,fol owing the entire Passover ritual.

¹³ But anyone who is clean, or who is not on a journey, but fails to keep the Passover, such a personwil be outlawed from his people. For not having brought the offering to Yahweh at its appointed time, the personwil bear the consequences of the sin.

¹⁴ "A resident alien who keeps a Passover for Yahweh, wil keep it in accordance with the ritual andcustoms of the Passover. You will have one law for alien and citizen alike." '

¹⁵ On the day the Dwel ing was erected, the cloud covered the Dwelling, the Tent of the Testimony.From nightfall until morning it remained over the Dwel ing looking like fire.

¹⁶ So the cloud covered it all the time, and at night it looked like fire.

¹⁷ Whenever the cloud rose from the Tent, the Israelites broke camp, and wherever the cloud halted,there the Israelites pitched camp.

¹⁸ At Yahweh's order, the Israelites set out and, at Yahweh's order, the Israelites pitched camp. Theyremained in camp for as long as the cloud rested on the Dwel ing.

¹⁹ If the cloud stayed for many days on the Dwelling, the Israelites performed their duty to Yahweh anddid not set out.

²⁰ But if the cloud happened to stay for only a few days on the Dwel ing, just as they had pitched campat Yahweh's order, at Yahweh's order they set out.

²¹ If the cloud happened to remain only from evening to morning, they set out when it lifted the nextmorning. Or, if it stayed for a whole day and night, they set out only when it lifted.

²² Sometimes it stayed there for two days, a month, or a longer time; however long the cloud rested onthe Dwel ing, the Israelites remained in camp, and when it lifted they set out.

²³ At Yahweh's order they pitched camp, and at Yahweh's order they set out. They performed their dutyto Yahweh, as Yahweh had ordered through Moses.