The Second Passover
1 Now theLordspoke to Moses in 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 children of Israel keepthe Passover at its appointedtime.
3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time. According to all its rites and ceremonies you shall keep it.”
4 So Moses told the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover.
5 Andthey kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at twilight, in the Wilderness of Sinai; according to all that theLordcommanded Moses, so the children of Israel did.
6 Now there werecertainmen who weredefiled by a human corpse, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day;and they came before Moses and Aaron that day.
7 And those men said to him, “Webecamedefiled by a human corpse. Why are we kept from presenting the offering of theLordat its appointed time among the children of Israel?”
8 And Moses said to them, “Stand still, thatI may hear what theLordwill command concerning you.”
9 Then theLordspoke to Moses, saying,
10 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If anyone of you or your posterity is unclean because of a corpse, orisfar away on a journey, he may still keep theLord’s Passover.
11 Onthe fourteenth day of the second month, at twilight, they may keep it. They shalleat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12 They shall leave none of it until morning,nor break one of its bones.According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it.
13 But the man whoisclean and is not on a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, that same personshall be cut off from among his people, because hedid not bring the offering of theLordat its appointed time; that man shallbear his sin.
14 ‘And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep theLord’s Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony;you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.’ ”
The Cloud and the Fire
15 Nowon the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloudcovered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony;from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire.
16 So it was always: the cloud covered itbyday,and the appearance of fire by night.
17 Whenever the cloudwas taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.
18 At the command of theLordthe children of Israel would journey, and at the command of theLordthey would camp;as long as the cloud stayed above the tabernacle they remained encamped.
19 Even when the cloud continued long, many days above the tabernacle, the children of Israelkept the charge of theLordand did not journey.
20 So it was, when the cloud was above the tabernacle a few days: according to the command of theLordthey would remain encamped, and according to the command of theLordthey would journey.
21 So it was, when the cloud remained only from evening until morning: when the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they would journey; whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud was taken up, they would journey.
22 Whetheritwastwo days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained above the tabernacle, the children of Israelwould remain encamped and not journey; but when it was taken up, they would journey.
23 At the command of theLordthey remained encamped, and at the command of theLordthey journeyed; theykept the charge of theLord, at the command of theLordby the hand of Moses.