Numbers 10

The Silver Trumpets

10The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for ^xsummoning the congregation and for breaking camp. ³And when ^yboth are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. ⁴But if they blow only one, then ^zthe chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. ⁵When you blow an alarm, ^athe camps that are on the east side shall set out. ⁶And when you blow an alarm the second time, ^bthe camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. ⁷But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ^cyou shall blow a long blast, but you shall not ^dsound an alarm. ^8eAnd the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. ⁹And ^fwhen you go to war in your land against the adversary who ^goppresses you, then you shall ^dsound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be ^hremembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. ¹⁰ⁱOn the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and ^jat the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be ^ka reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Israel Leaves Sinai

¹¹In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, ^lthe cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, ¹²and the people of Israel ^mset out by stages from the ⁿwilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the ^owilderness of Paran. ¹³They set out for the first time ^pat the command of the Lord by Moses. ¹⁴The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out ^qfirst by their companies, and over their company was ^rNahshon the son of Amminadab. ¹⁵And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. ¹⁶And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.

¹⁷And when ^sthe tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, ^twho carried the tabernacle, set out. ¹⁸And ^uthe standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was ^vElizur the son of Shedeur. ¹⁹And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was ^wShelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. ²⁰And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was ^xEliasaph the son of ^yDeuel.

²¹Then the Kohathites set out, ^zcarrying the holy things, and ^athe tabernacle was set up before their arrival. ²²And ^bthe standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was ^cElishama the son of Ammihud. ²³And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was ^cGamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²⁴And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was ^dAbidan the son of Gideoni.

²⁵Then ^ethe standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the ^frear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was ^gAhiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was ^hPagiel the son of Ochran. ²⁷And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was ⁱAhira the son of Enan. ^28jThis was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.

²⁹And Moses said to Hobab the son of ^kReuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ^l‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for ^mthe Lord has promised good to Israel.” ³⁰But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” ³¹And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve ⁿas eyes for us. ³²And if you do go with us, ^owhatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

³³So they set out from ^pthe mount of the Lord three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out ^qa resting place for them. ^34rAnd the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.

³⁵And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ^s“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” ³⁶And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”