Date of the Passover
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year after
the exodus from Egypt, in the first month. He said:
2 ¡°Let the sons of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time.
3 The fourteenth day of this month, between the two evenings, is the
appointed time for you to keep it. Then you must celebrate the Passover
according to all the laws and customs proper to it.¡±
4 So Moses gave orders for the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover.
5 They celebrated it in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month, on the
fourteenth day of the month, between the two evenings. The people of Is rael
did exactly as Yahweh had ordered Moses.
6 It happened that some men had be come unclean by touching a dead body and
they could not celebrate the Passover that day. They came the same day to Mo
ses and Aaron,
7 and said to them, ¡°We have become unclean by touching a dead body. Why
should we be for bidden to celebrate the sacrifice to Yahweh at the pro per
time with the rest of the Israe lites?¡±
8 Moses answered them, ¡°Wait there till I hear what Yahweh tells me about
you.¡±
9 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
10 ¡°Say this to the Israelites: If anyone, among you or your descendants, be
comes unclean by touching a dead body or is far away on a journey, he can
still celebrate the Passover for Yahweh.
11 He shall do it one month later instead, on the fourteenth day, between
the two eve nings. Then you shall celebrate it with unleavened bread and
bitter herbs;
12 no thing of the victim must be left over until morning, nor must they
break any of its bones: You shall keep all the regulations of the Passover.
13 But anyone who is clean and not away on a journey, and who fails to
celebrate the Passover, shall be cut off from his people because he did not
bring the offering to Yahweh at its appointed time. So he must suffer the
punishment for his sin.
14 If a stranger is living among you and wants to celebrate the Passover for
Yah weh, he must celebrate it in accordance with the laws and customs of the
Pass over. There is to be only one law among you, for settler and native
alike.¡±
By means of the cloud, God leads his people
15 On the day the Holy Tent, that is the Tent of Meeting, was set up, the
Cloud covered it. At nightfall the Cloud took the appearance of fire over
the Holy Tent and remained so until the morning.
16 The Cloud covered it continually in daytime and at night it looked like
fire.
17 Whenever the Cloud lifted above the Tent, the Israelites took down their
tents and continued their journey; whenever the Cloud stopped, there the
Israelites camped. 18 The Israelites left at the command of Yahweh, and at
his command they camped.
18 The people remained in camp as long as the Cloud rested on the Holy Tent.
19 As long as the Cloud stayed above the Holy Tent the Israelites obeyed
Yahweh and did not move on.
20 Whether the Cloud happened to stay for many days above the Holy Tent or
only one day, they camped at Yahweh¡¯s command and moved on at Yahweh¡¯s
command.
21 If the Cloud happened to remain only from evening to morning, they moved
on when it lifted the next morning. Or, if it stayed for a whole day and
night, they moved on only when it lifted.
22 Sometimes it stayed there for two days, a month, or a year; however long
the Cloud stayed above the Holy Tent, the Israelites remained in camp in the
same place, and when it lifted they moved on.
23 At Yahweh¡¯s command they camped, and at Yahweh¡¯s command they moved on.
They obeyed Yahweh¡¯s command given through Moses.