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9
1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai desert in the first month of the second year after Israel had left Egypt. He told him, 2 “The Israelites are to keep the Passover at its designated time. 3 Observe it at the time required—in the evening after sunset on the fourteenth day of this month, and do so in accordance with its rules and regulations.”
4 Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover. 5 So they kept the Passover in the Sinai desert, beginning in the evening after sunset on the fourteenth day of the first month. The Israelites followed all the instructions the Lord had given to Moses.
6 However, there were some men who were unclean because they had been in contact with a dead body, so they could not keep the Passover on that day. They went to see Moses and Aaron the same day, 7 and explained to Moses, “We are unclean because of a dead body, but why should that mean we're prevented from giving our offering to the Lord with the other Israelites at the appropriate time?”
8 “Stay here while I find out what the Lord's instructions are concerning you,” Moses responded.
9 The Lord told Moses, 10 “Tell the Israelites: ‘If you or your descendants are unclean because of a dead body, or are away traveling, you can still keep the Lord's Passover. 11 You are to observe it in the evening after sunset on the fourteenth day of the second month. You are to eat the lamb with the bread made without yeast, and the bitter herbs. 12 You must not leave any of it until the following morning and you must not break any of its bones. You must observe the Passover according to all the regulations.
13 However, anyone ceremonially clean and not away traveling who neglects to observe the Passover must be expelled from their people, because they didn't present the Lord's offering at the appropriate time. They will bear the responsibility for the consequences of their sin. 14 Any foreigners living among you who want to observe the Lord's Passover can do so following the Passover rules and regulations. The same rules apply to the foreigners as they do to you.’ ”
15 The cloud covered the Tent of the Testimony (the Tabernacle) on the day that it was set up, and looked like fire above it from evening until the morning. 16 It was always like this. The cloud covered the Tabernacle during the day*“During the day”: Septuagint reading. and at night it looked like fire. 17 When the cloud rose from over the Tent, the Israelites would move on, and where the cloud stopped, the Israelites would set up camp there. 18 The Israelites moved on when the Lord told them to, and set up camp when the Lord told them to. While the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle, they remained camped there. 19 Even if the cloud didn't move for a long time, the Israelites did what the Lord told them and didn't move on. 20 Sometimes the cloud only stayed over the Tabernacle for a few days. As always they followed the Lord's command as to whether to camp or to move on. 21 Sometimes the cloud only stayed overnight, so when it rose in the morning they would move on. Whenever the cloud rose, day or night, they would leave. 22 If the cloud stayed in one place for two days, or a month, or longer, the Israelites stayed where they were and didn't leave as long as the cloud remained over the Tabernacle. However, once it rose, they would leave. 23 They camped when the Lord told them to, and left when he told them to. They followed the Lord's instructions that he gave to Moses.

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*9:16 “During the day”: Septuagint reading.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher