Numbers 9
1NOW in the second year after their coming out of the land of Egypt, in the first month, the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sina, saying,
2Give orders, and let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season.
3On the fourteenth day of this first month, toward evening, thou shalt celebrate it in its season. According to its rites, and according to its institution, thou shalt celebrate it.
4Accordingly Moses spoke to the children of Israel to keep the passover
5on the fourteenth day of the first month, in the wilderness of Sina. And when the children of Israel were doing as the Lord commanded Moses,
6there were some men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, and could not keep the passover; so these men came to Moses and Aaron on that day,
7and said to them, We are defiled by the dead body of a man, must we therefore be deprived of the opportunity of offering our gift to the Lord, in its appointed season, among the children of Israel: whereupon
8Moses said to them, Stand here; and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.
9Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
10Speak to the children of Israel, and say, If any man among you, or among your posterity, happen to be defiled by the dead, or be on a far distant journey, he shall keep the passover to the Lord
11in the second month. On the fourteenth day they shall keep it towards evening. They shall eat it with unleavened bread, and bitter herbs;
12they shall not leave any of it till the morning; nor shall they break a bone of it. They shall keep it according to the ritual of the passover.
13And if any man be clean, and not on a distant journey, and fail to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from among his people; because he did not offer this gift to the Lord, in its appointed time, such a man shall bear his sin.
14And if there come to you a proselyte in your land, and he choose to keep the passover to the Lord, he must keep it according to its ritual, and according to its institution. You shall have one law for the proselyte and for him born in the land.
15Now on the day when the tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the tabernacle—the house of the testimony: and in the evening there was over the tabernacle an appearance like that of fire, which continued till the morning.
16Thus it was continually. The cloud covered it by day: and there was an appearance of fire during the night.
17And when the cloud ascended from the tabernacle, the Israelites thereupon began their march; and at what place soever the cloud halted there the Israelites encamped.
18By the command of the Lord the Israelites were to encamp, and by the command of the Lord, they were to march.
19All the time the cloud overshadowed the tabernacle, the Israelites were to continue encamped.
20And when the cloud was continued over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites were to keep the watch of their God, and not remove. And such was to be the case when the cloud overshadowed the tabernacle but a few days. At the command of the Lord, they were to encamp; and at the command of the Lord, they were to march.
21And this was to be the case when the cloud was from evening till morning. When the cloud ascended in the morning, they were to take up their march, whether it was day or night.
22But while the cloud continued to overshadow it, even for a month or more, the Israelites were to continue encamped, and not remove.
23Because at the command of the Lord, they were to move, and at the command of the Lord, by the ministry of Moses, they kept the watch of the Lord.