Numbers 9

New King James Version

The Second Passover^(A)

9 Now theLordspoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying:² “Let the children of Israel keep^(B)the Passover at its appointed^(C)time.³ On the fourteenth day of this month,^[a]at twilight, you shall^[b]keep it at its appointed time. According to all its^[c]rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.”⁴ So Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover.⁵ And^(D)they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that theLordcommanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.

⁶ Now there werecertainmen who were^(E)defiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day;^(F)and they came before Moses and Aaron that day.⁷ And those men said to him, “Webecamedefiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of theLordat its appointed time among the children of Israel?”

⁸ And Moses said to them, “Stand still, that^(G)I may hear what theLordwill command concerning you.”

⁹ Then theLordspoke to Moses, saying,¹⁰ “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your^[d]posterity is unclean because of a corpse, orisfar away on a journey, he may still keep theLord’s Passover.¹¹ On^(H)the fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shall^(I)eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.^12 (J)They shall leave none of it until morning,^(K)nor break one of its bones.^(L)According to all the^[e]ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.¹³ But the man whoisclean and is not on a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, that same person^(M)shall be cut off from among his people, because he^(N)did not bring the offering of theLordat its appointed time; that man shall^(O)bear his sin.

¹⁴ ‘And if a stranger^[f]dwells among you, and would keep theLord’s Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony;^(P)you shall have one^[g]ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.’ ”

The Cloud and the Fire^(Q)

¹⁵ Now^(R)on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud^(S)covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony;^(T)from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire.¹⁶ So it was always: the cloud covered itby day,and the appearance of fire by night.¹⁷ Whenever the cloud^(U)was^[h]taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.¹⁸ At the^[i]command of theLordthe children of Israel would journey, and at the command of theLordthey would camp;^(V)as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.¹⁹ Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israel^(W)kept the charge of theLordand did not journey.²⁰ So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of theLordthey would remain encamped, and according to the command of theLordthey would journey.²¹ So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey.²² Whether it wastwo days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israel^(X)would remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey.²³ At the command of theLordthey remained encamped, and at the command of theLordthey journeyed; they^(Y)kept the charge of theLord, at the command of theLordby the hand of Moses.