The Passover Celebrated

9 And the Lord spoke to Moses ^sin 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 people of Israel keep the ^tPassover ^uat its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they ^vkept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. 6 And there were certain men who were unclean ^wthrough touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and ^xthey came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the Lord’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” 8 And Moses said to them, ^y“Wait, ^zthat I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the Lord. 11 ^aIn the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it ^bwith unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall ^cleave none of it until the morning, ^dnor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. 13 But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger sojourns among you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its rule, so shall he do. ^eYou shall have one statute, both for the sojourner and for the native.”

The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle

15 ^fOn the day that the tabernacle was set up, the ^gcloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: ^hthe cloud covered it by day¹ and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud ⁱlifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 ^jAt the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Make two silver ^ktrumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. 3 And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 But if they blow only one, then the ^lchiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. 5 When you blow an alarm, ^mthe camps that are on the east side shall set out. 6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, ⁿthe camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. 7 But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm. 8 And ^othe sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 9 And ^pwhen you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. 10 ^qOn the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and ^rat 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 a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”

Israel Leaves Sinai

11 ^sIn the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud ^tlifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, 12 ^uand the people of Israel set out ^vby stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of ^wParan. 13 They set out for the first time ^xat the command of the Lord by Moses. 14 ^yThe standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was ^zNahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was ^aNethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was ^bEliab the son of Helon.

17 And when the tabernacle was ^ctaken down, the ^dsons of Gershon and the ^esons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was ^fElizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was ^gShelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was ^hEliasaph the son of Deuel.

21 ⁱThen the Kohathites set out, ^jcarrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was ^kset up before their arrival. 22 ^lAnd the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was ^mElishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was ⁿGamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was ^oAbidan the son of Gideoni.

25 ^pThen the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was ^qAhiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was ^rPagiel the son of Ochran. 27 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was ^sAhira the son of Enan. 28 This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.

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

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

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

The People Complain

11 And the people ^acomplained ^bin the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses ^cprayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called ^dTaberah,¹ because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong ^ecraving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, ^f“Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and ^gthere is nothing at all but this ^hmanna to look at.”

7 Now the manna was ⁱlike coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 ^jWhen the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

10 ^kMoses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 Moses said to the Lord, ^l“Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the ^mburden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the ⁿland that you swore to give their fathers? 13 ^oWhere am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people ^palone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 ^qIf you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Elders Appointed to Aid Moses

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, ^r“Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the ^selders of the people and ^tofficers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you ^uand put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For ^vit was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have ^wrejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number ^xsix hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ 22 ^yShall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” 23 And the Lord said to Moses, ^z“Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord ^acame down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And ^bas soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, ^cthe assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, ^dstop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? ^eWould that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

Quail and a Plague

31 Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, ^fand it brought ^gquail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits² above the ground. 32 And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers.³ And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 ^hWhile the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great ⁱplague. 34 Therefore the name of that place was called ^jKibroth-hattaavah,⁴ because there they buried the people who had the craving. 35 ^kFrom Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to ^lHazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 ^mAnd they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very ⁿmeek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord ^ocame down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; ^pI speak with him in a dream. 7 ^qNot so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak ^rmouth to mouth, ^sclearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.

10 ^tWhen the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous,^{1 u}like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us² because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but ^vspit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? ^wLet her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 ^xAfter that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of ^yParan.

Spies Sent into Canaan

13 ^zThe Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 ^a“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel. 4 And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, ^bHoshea the son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, 18 and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, 19 and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, 20 and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. 22 They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. ^cAhiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And they came to the ^dValley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol,¹ because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.

Report of the Spies

25 At the end of ^eforty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of ^fParan, at ^gKadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, ^h“We came to the land to which you sent us. It ⁱflows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, ^jthe people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And ^kthe Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.”