Numbers 9
Legacy Standard Bible
The Passover
9 Thus Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in (A)the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at (B)its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, [a]at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its judgments.” 4 So Moses [b]told the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover. 5 (C)And they celebrated the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; (D)according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6 But there were some men who were (E)unclean because of a [c]dead person, so that they could not celebrate Passover on that day; so (F)they came near before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean because of a [d]dead person. But why are we restrained from bringing near the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8 Moses therefore said to them, “[e](G)Wait, and I will listen to what Yahweh will command concerning you.”
9 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead [f]person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, celebrate the Passover to Yahweh. 11 In the second month on the (H)fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they (I)shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They (J)shall leave none of it until morning (K)nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall celebrate it. 13 (L)But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet [g]neglects to celebrate the Passover, that [h]person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not bring near the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time. That man (M)will bear his sin. 14 (N)If a sojourner sojourns among you and [i]celebrates the Passover to Yahweh, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its judgment, so he shall do; you shall have (O)one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native of the land.’”
The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle
15 Now on (P)the day that the tabernacle was erected (Q)the cloud covered the tabernacle, the (R)tent of the testimony, and (S)in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. 16 So it was continuously; (T)the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 (U)Now whenever the cloud would go up from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would then set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18 At the [j]command of Yahweh the sons of Israel would set out, and at the [k]command of Yahweh they would camp; (V)as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, [l]the sons of Israel would keep the charge of Yahweh and not set out. 20 If [m]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, (W)according to the [n]command of Yahweh they remained camped. Then according to the [o]command of Yahweh they set out. 21 If [p]sometimes the cloud [q]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would move out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, dwelling above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but (X)when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 (Y)At the [r]command of Yahweh they camped, and at the [s]command of Yahweh they set out; they kept the charge of Yahweh, according to the [t]command of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
Footnotes
- Numbers 9:3 Lit between the two evenings, so in ch
- Numbers 9:4 Lit spoke to
- Numbers 9:6 Lit soul of man
- Numbers 9:7 Lit soul of man
- Numbers 9:8 Lit Stand
- Numbers 9:10 Lit soul
- Numbers 9:13 Or ceases
- Numbers 9:13 Lit soul
- Numbers 9:14 Or would celebrate
- Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:18 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:19 Lit and the
- Numbers 9:20 Lit it was that
- Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:20 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:21 Lit it was that
- Numbers 9:21 Lit was
- Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
- Numbers 9:23 Lit mouth
Numbers 9
Contemporary English Version
Regulations for Celebrating Passover
9 (A) During the first month of Israel's second year in the Sinai Desert,[a] the Lord had told Moses 2 to say to the people, “Celebrate Passover 3 in the evening of the fourteenth day of this month[b] and do it by following all the regulations.” 4-5 Moses told the people what the Lord had said, and they celebrated Passover there in the desert in the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month.
6 Some people in Israel's camp had touched a dead body and had become unfit to worship the Lord, and they could not celebrate Passover. But they asked Moses and Aaron, 7 “Even though we have touched a dead body, why can't we celebrate Passover and offer sacrifices to the Lord at the same time as everyone else?”
8 Moses said, “Wait here while I go into the sacred tent and find out what the Lord says about this.”
9 The Lord then told Moses 10 to say to the community of Israel:
If any of you or your descendants touch a dead body and become unfit to worship me, or if you are away on a long journey, you may still celebrate Passover. 11 But it must be done in the second month,[c] in the evening of the fourteenth day. Eat the Passover lamb with thin bread and bitter herbs, 12 (B) and don't leave any of it until morning or break any of the animal's bones. Be sure to follow these regulations.
13 But if any of you are fit to worship me, and yet refuse to celebrate Passover when you are not away on a journey, you will no longer belong to my people. You will be punished because you did not offer sacrifices to me at the proper time.
14 Anyone, including foreigners who live among you, can celebrate Passover, if they follow all the regulations.
The Cloud over the Sacred Tent
(Exodus 40.34-38)
15-16 As soon as the sacred tent was set up,[d] a thick cloud appeared and covered it. The cloud was there each day, and during the night, a fire could be seen in it. 17-19 The Lord used this cloud to tell the Israelites when to move their camp and where to set it up again. As long as the cloud covered the tent, the Israelites did not break camp. But when the cloud moved, they followed it, and wherever it stopped, they camped and stayed there, 20-22 whether it was only one night, a few days, a month, or even a year. As long as the cloud remained over the tent, the Israelites stayed where they were. But when the cloud moved, so did the Israelites. 23 They obeyed the Lord's commands and went wherever he directed Moses.
Footnotes
- 9.1 first month … Sinai Desert: The book of Numbers begins in the second month of the second year (see 1.1), so 9.1-5 refers to a Passover celebration that had already taken place.
- 9.3 this month: Abib (also called Nisan), the first month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-March to mid-April.
- 9.11 second month: See the note at 1.1.
- 9.15,16 As soon as the sacred tent was set up: According to Exodus 40.17, this took place “on the first day of the first month of the second year” of the Israelites' stay in the desert.
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