Numbers 9–11

9TH CHAPTER

The Second Passover

¹In the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses in the Desert of Sinai. He said, ²“The Israelites must celebrate the Passover at the same time every year. ³You must celebrate it on the fourteenth day of this month at dusk. Follow all the rules and regulations for the celebration of the Passover.” 

⁴So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover, ⁵and they celebrated it on the fourteenth day of the first month at dusk while they were in the Desert of Sinai. The Israelites did everything as the Lord had commanded Moses. 

⁶But there were some men who had become unclean^afrom touching a dead body, and they couldn’t celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron ⁷and said, “We are unclean because we touched a dead body. Why won’t you let us bring our offerings to the Lord at the same time the rest of the Israelites bring their offerings?” 

⁸Moses answered them, “Wait here until I find out what the Lord commands you to do.” 

⁹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites: ¹⁰Suppose you or any of your descendants is unclean from touching a dead body or is away on a long trip. You may still celebrate the Passover. ¹¹You will celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at dusk. You must eat the Passover animal along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ¹²You must never leave any of the meat until morning or break any of the animal’s bones. You must follow all the rules for the Passover when you celebrate it. ¹³But if you are clean^band not on a trip and yet don’t bother to celebrate the Passover, you must be excluded from the people. You didn’t bring your offering to the Lord at the right time. You must suffer the consequences for your sin. 

¹⁴“Foreigners living with you may want to celebrate the Lord’s Passover. They must follow these same rules and regulations. The same rules will apply to foreigners and native-born Israelites.” 

The Column of Smoke Leads Israel through the Desert

¹⁵On the day the tent of the words of God’s promise was set up, the ⸤column of⸥ smoke covered it. From evening until morning, the smoke over the tent glowed like fire. ¹⁶The smoke always glowed this way. At night the smoke covering the tent glowed like fire. ¹⁷Whenever the smoke moved from the tent, the Israelites would break camp, and wherever it stopped, the Israelites would set up camp. ¹⁸At the Lord’s command the Israelites would break camp, and at his command they would set up camp. As long as the ⸤column of⸥ smoke stayed over the tent, they would stay in the same place. ¹⁹When the smoke stayed over the tent for a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s command and wouldn’t break camp. ²⁰The same thing happened when the smoke stayed only a few days over the tent: At the Lord’s command they would set up camp, and at his command they would break camp. ²¹Sometimes the ⸤column of⸥ smoke stayed only from evening until morning. When the smoke moved in the morning, they broke camp. Day or night, when the smoke moved, they broke camp. ²²Whether it was two days, a month, or a year, as long as the ⸤column of⸥ smoke stayed over the tent, the Israelites would stay in the same place and not break camp. But when the smoke moved, they would break camp. ²³At the Lord’s command they set up camp, and at his command they broke camp. They obeyed the command that the Lord had given through Moses. 

10TH CHAPTER

Two Silver Signal Trumpets

¹The Lord said to Moses, ²“Make two trumpets out of hammered silver. Use them to call the community together and as a signal to break camp. ³When you blow both trumpets, the whole community will meet with you at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁴If only one trumpet blows, the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, will meet with you. ⁵When they hear the trumpet fanfare, the tribes that are camped on the east side will break camp first. ⁶When the trumpets sound a second fanfare, the tribes that are camped on the south will break camp. The fanfare is the signal to break camp. ⁷But when you gather the assembly, the trumpets will blow without sounding a fanfare. ⁸The sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow the trumpets. This will be a permanent law for you and your descendants. 

⁹“When you go to war in your own country against an enemy who is oppressing you, the trumpets will sound a fanfare. Then the Lord your God will remember you and rescue you from your enemies. ¹⁰Also, on your festival days and on the first day of the month, blow the trumpets when you sacrifice your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The trumpets will be a reminder for you in God’s presence. I am the Lord your God.” 

Israel Leaves Mount Sinai

¹¹On the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, the ⸤column of⸥ smoke left the tent of the words of God’s promise. ¹²So the Israelites moved from the Desert of Sinai and traveled from place to place until the ⸤column of⸥ smoke stopped in the Desert of Paran. 

¹³This was the first time they moved, following the command that the Lord had given through Moses. ¹⁴With their flag in front, the armies led by Judah’s descendants broke camp first. Nahshon, son of Amminadab, was in command. ¹⁵Nethanel, son of Zuar, commanded the army of Issachar. ¹⁶Eliab, son of Helon, commanded the army of Zebulun. ¹⁷Then the tent ⸤of meeting⸥ was taken down, and the Gershonites and Merarites, who carried it, broke camp. 

¹⁸With their flag in front, the armies led by Reuben’s descendants broke camp next. Elizur, son of Shedeur, was in command. ¹⁹Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai, commanded the army of Simeon. ²⁰Eliasaph, son of Deuel, commanded the army of Gad. ²¹Then the Kohathites, who carried the holy things, broke camp. By the time they arrived, the tent ⸤of meeting⸥ would already be set up. 

²²With their flag in front, the armies led by Ephraim’s descendants broke camp next. Elisha, son of Ammihud, was in command. ²³Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, commanded the army of Manasseh. ²⁴Abidan, son of Gideoni, commanded the army of Benjamin. 

²⁵As a rear guard for the whole camp, the armies led by Dan’s descendants broke camp last with their flag in front. Ahiezer, son of Ammishaddai, was in command. ²⁶Pagiel, son of Ochran, commanded the army of Asher. ²⁷Ahira, son of Enan, commanded the army of Naphtali. 

²⁸This was the order in which the Israelite armies broke camp when they went from place to place. 

²⁹Moses said to his brother-in-law Hobab, son of Reuel the Midianite, “We are going to the place the Lord promised to give us. Come with us. We will be good to you, because the Lord has promised good things to Israel.” 

³⁰Hobab answered, “No, I won’t go. I want to go back to my own country where my relatives are.” 

³¹But Moses said, “Please don’t leave us. You know where we can set up camp in the desert, and you could be our guide. ³²If you come with us, we will share with you all the good things the Lord gives us.” 

³³So they left the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the Lord’s promise went ahead of them a distance of three days’ journey to find them a place to rest. ³⁴The Lord’s ⸤column of⸥ smoke was over them by day when they moved the camp. 

³⁵Whenever the ark started to move, Moses would say, 

“Arise, O Lord! 

Scatter your enemies! 

Make those who hate you run away from you!” 

³⁶And whenever it stopped, he would say, 

“Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel!” 

11TH CHAPTER

The People of Israel Demand Meat to Eat

¹The people began complaining out loud to the Lord about their troubles. When the Lord heard them, he became angry, and fire from the Lord began to burn among them. It destroyed some people on the outskirts of the camp. ²The people cried out to Moses, Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. ³That place was called Taberah ^[Fire^[ because fire from the Lord burned among them there. 

⁴Some foreigners among the Israelites had a strong craving for ⸤other kinds of⸥ food. Even the Israelites started crying again and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵Remember all the free fish we ate in Egypt and the cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions, and garlic we had? ⁶But now we’ve lost our appetite! Everywhere we look there’s nothing but manna!” 

⁷(Manna was ⸤small⸥ like coriander seeds and looked like resin. ⁸The people would go around and gather it, then grind it in a handmill or crush it in a mortar. They would cook it in a pot or make round loaves of bread out of it. It tasted like rich pastry made with olive oil. ⁹When dew fell on the camp at night, manna fell with it.) 

¹⁰Moses heard people from every family crying at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became very angry, and Moses didn’t like it either. ¹¹So he asked, “Lord, why have you brought me this trouble? How have I displeased you that you put the burden of all these people on me? ¹²Am I their mother? Did I give birth to them? Are you really asking me to carry them in my arms—as a nurse carries a baby—all the way to the land you promised their ancestors with an oath? ¹³Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying for me to give them meat to eat. ¹⁴I can’t take care of all these people by myself. This is too much work for me! ¹⁵If this is how you’re going to treat me, why don’t you just kill me? I can’t face this trouble anymore.” 

¹⁶The Lord answered Moses, “Bring me 70 Israelite men who you know are leaders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting, and have them stand with you. ¹⁷I’ll come down and speak with you there. I’ll take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will help you take care of the people. You won’t have to take care of the people alone. ¹⁸Tell the people to get ready for tomorrow. They must be set apart as holy. Then they will eat meat. I, the Lord, heard them crying and saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ So I will give them meat. ¹⁹They…