February 14

Numbers 9:1 — 11:35

9 And Jehovah proceeded to speak to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the second year of their coming out of the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying: 2 “Now the sons of Israel should prepare the passover sacrifice at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day in this month between the two evenings YOU should prepare it at its appointed time. According to all its statutes and all its regular procedures YOU should prepare it.”

4 So Moses spoke to the sons of Israel to prepare the passover sacrifice. 5 Then they prepared the passover sacrifice in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month between the two evenings, in the wilderness of Sinai. According to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did.

6 Now there happened to be men who had become unclean by a human soul so that they were not able to prepare the passover sacrifice on that day. Hence they presented themselves before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 Then those men said to him: “We are unclean by a human soul. Why should we be restrained from presenting the offering to Jehovah at its appointed time in the midst of the sons of Israel?” 8 At this Moses said to them: “Stand there, and let me hear what Jehovah may command regarding YOU.”

9 Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying: 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Although any man of YOU or of YOUR generations should happen to be unclean by a soul or off on a distant journey, he too must prepare the passover sacrifice to Jehovah. 11 In the second month, on the fourteenth day between the two evenings, they should prepare it. Together with unfermented cakes and bitter greens they should eat it. 12 They must not let any of it remain until morning, and they should break no bone in it. According to the whole statute of the passover they should prepare it. 13 But when the man was clean or did not happen to be off on a journey and neglected to prepare the passover sacrifice, that soul must then be cut off from his people, because the offering of Jehovah he did not present at its appointed time. For his sin that man will answer.

14 “‘And in case an alien resident should be residing with YOU as an alien, he also must prepare the passover sacrifice to Jehovah. According to the statute of the passover and according to its regular procedure is the way he should do. There should exist one statute for YOU people, both for the alien resident and for the native of the land.’”

15 Now on the day of setting up the tabernacle the cloud covered the tabernacle of the tent of the Testimony, but in the evening what appeared to be fire continued over the tabernacle until morning. 16 That is the way it went on constantly: The cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud would go up from over the tent, the sons of Israel would pull away right afterward, and in the place where the cloud would reside, there is where the sons of Israel would encamp. 18 At the order of Jehovah the sons of Israel would pull away, and at the order of Jehovah they would encamp. All the days that the cloud would reside over the tabernacle, they would remain encamped. 19 And when the cloud prolonged its stay over the tabernacle many days, the sons of Israel also kept their obligation to Jehovah that they should not pull away. 20 And sometimes the cloud would continue a few days over the tabernacle. At the order of Jehovah they would remain encamped, and at the order of Jehovah they would pull away. 21 And sometimes the cloud would continue from evening to morning; and the cloud lifted itself in the morning, and they pulled away. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud lifted itself, they also pulled away. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or more days during which the cloud prolonged its stay over the tabernacle by residing over it, the sons of Israel remained encamped and would not pull away, but when it lifted itself they would pull away. 23 At the order of Jehovah they would encamp, and at the order of Jehovah they would pull away. They kept their obligation to Jehovah at the order of Jehovah by means of Moses.

10 And Jehovah proceeded to speak to Moses, saying: 2 “Make for yourself two trumpets of silver. You will make them of hammered work, and they must be at your service for convening the assembly and for breaking up the camps. 3 And they must blow on them both, and the whole assembly must keep their appointment with you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 And if they should blow on just one, the chieftains as heads of the thousands of Israel must also keep their appointment with you.

5 “And YOU men must blow a fluctuating blast, and the camps of those camping to the east must pull away. 6 And YOU must blow a fluctuating blast a second time, and the camps of those camping to the south must pull away. They should blow a fluctuating blast for each time one of them pulls away.

7 “Now when calling the congregation together, YOU should blow, but YOU must not sound a fluctuating blast. 8 And Aaron’s sons, the priests, should blow on the trumpets, and the use of them must serve as a statute for YOU men to time indefinite during YOUR generations.

9 “And in case YOU should enter into war in YOUR land against the oppressor who is harassing YOU, YOU must also sound a war call on the trumpets, and YOU will certainly be remembered before Jehovah YOUR God and be saved from YOUR enemies.

10 “And in the day of YOUR rejoicing and in YOUR festal seasons and at the commencements of YOUR months, YOU must blow on the trumpets over YOUR burnt offerings and YOUR communion sacrifices; and their use must serve as a memorial for YOU before YOUR God. I am Jehovah YOUR God.”


       11 Now it came about that in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day in the month, the cloud lifted itself from over the tabernacle of the Testimony. 12 And the sons of Israel began to pull away in the manner of their departures from the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud proceeded to reside in the wilderness of Paran. 13 And they began pulling away for the first time, according to the order of Jehovah by means of Moses.

14 So the [three-tribe] division of the camp of the sons of Judah pulled away first of all in their armies, and Nahshon the son of Amminadab was over its army. 15 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Issachar there was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun there was Eliab the son of Helon.

17 And the tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari as carriers of the tabernacle pulled away.

18 And the [three-tribe] division of the camp of Reuben pulled away in their armies, and Elizur the son of Shedeur was over its army. 19 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Simeon there was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Gad there was Eliasaph the son of Deuel.

21 And the Kohathites as carriers of the sanctuary pulled away, as they will have set up the tabernacle by the time of their coming.

22 And the [three-tribe] division of the camp of the sons of Ephraim pulled away in their armies, and Elishama the son of Ammihud was over its army. 23 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh there was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin there was Abidan the son of Gideoni.

25 And the [three-tribe] division of the camp of the sons of Dan pulled away as forming the rear guard for all the camps in their armies, and Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai was over its army. 26 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Asher there was Pagiel the son of Ochran. 27 And over the army of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali there was Ahira the son of Enan. 28 In this manner were the departures of the sons of Israel in their armies when they would pull away.

29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses: “We are pulling away for the place about which Jehovah said, ‘I shall give it to YOU.’ Do come with us, and we shall certainly do good to you, because Jehovah has spoken good concerning Israel.” 30 But he said to him: “I shall not go along, but I shall go to my own country and to my relatives.” 31 At this he said: “Please, do not leave us, because, for the reason that you well know where we may encamp in the wilderness, you must serve as eyes for us. 32 And it must occur that in case you should come with us, yes, it must occur that with what goodness Jehovah will do good with us, we, in turn, will do good to you.”

33 So they went marching from the mountain of Jehovah for a journey of three days, and the ark of Jehovah’s covenant was marching before them for a journey of three days to search out a resting-place for them. 34 And Jehovah’s cloud was over them by day at their marching out from the encampment.

35 And it would occur that when the Ark would set out, Moses would say: “Do arise, O Jehovah, and let your enemies be scattered; and let those who intensely hate you flee from before you.” 36 And when it would rest, he would say: “Do return, O Jehovah, to the myriads of thousands of Israel.”

11 Now the people became as men having something evil to complain about in the ears of Jehovah. When Jehovah got to hear it, then his anger grew hot, and a fire of Jehovah began to blaze against them and to consume some in the extremity of the camp. 2 When the people began to cry out to Moses, then he made supplication to Jehovah, and the fire sank down. 3 And the name of that place got to be called Taberah, because a fire of Jehovah had blazed against them.

4 And the mixed crowd that was in the midst of them expressed selfish longing, and the sons of Israel too began to weep again and say: “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 How we remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers and the watermelons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic! 6 But now our soul is dried away. Our eyes are on nothing at all except the manna.”

7 Incidentally, the manna was like coriander seed, and its look was like the look of bdellium gum. 8 The people spread out and picked it up and ground it in hand mills or pounded it in a mortar, and they boiled it in cooking pots or made it into round cakes, and its taste proved to be like the taste of an oiled sweet cake. 9 And when the dew descended upon the camp by night, the manna would descend upon it.

10 And Moses got to hear the people weeping in their families, each man at the entrance of his tent. And Jehovah’s anger began growing very hot, and in the eyes of Moses it was bad. 11 Then Moses said to Jehovah: “Why have you caused evil to your servant, and why have I not found favor in your eyes, in placing the load of all this people upon me? 12 Have I myself conceived all this people? Is it I who have given them birth, so that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, just as the male nurse carries the suckling,’ to the soil about which you swore to their forefathers? 13 From where do I have meat to give to all this people? For they keep weeping toward me, saying, ‘Do give us meat, and let us eat!’ 14 I am not able, I by myself, to carry all this people, because they are too heavy for me. 15 So if this is the way you are doing to me, please kill me off altogether, if I have found favor in your eyes, and let me not look upon my calamity.”

16 In turn Jehovah said to Moses: “Gather for me seventy men of the older men of Israel, whom you do know that they are older men of the people and officers of theirs, and you must take them to the tent of meeting, and they must station themselves there with you. 17 And I shall have to come down and speak with you there; and I shall have to take away some of the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them, and they will have to help you in carrying the load of the people that you may not carry it, just you alone. 18 And to the people you should say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, as YOU will certainly eat meat, because YOU have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying: “Who will give us meat to eat, for it was well with us in Egypt?” And Jehovah will certainly give YOU meat, and YOU will indeed eat. 19 YOU will eat, not one day nor two days nor five days nor ten days nor twenty days, 20 but up to a month of days, until it comes out of YOUR nostrils and it has become a loathing to YOU, just because YOU rejected Jehovah, who is in YOUR midst, and YOU went weeping before him, saying: “Why is it that we have come out of Egypt?”’”

21 Then Moses said: “The people in the midst of whom I am are six hundred thousand men on foot, and yet you—you have said, ‘Meat I shall give them, and they will certainly eat for a month of days’! 22 Will flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, for it to be adequate for them? Or will all the fish of the sea be caught for them, for it to be adequate for them?”

23 At this Jehovah said to Moses: “The hand of Jehovah is cut short, is it? Now you will see whether what I say befalls you or not.”

24 After that Moses went out and spoke to the people the words of Jehovah. And he went gathering seventy men from the older men of the people and proceeded to have them stand round about the tent. 25 Then Jehovah came down in a cloud and spoke to him and took away some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon each of the seventy older men. And it came about that as soon as the spirit settled down upon them, then they proceeded to act as prophets; but they did not do it again.

26 Now there were two of the men remaining in the camp. The name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad. And the spirit began to settle down upon them, as they were among those written down, but they had not gone out to the tent. So they proceeded to act as prophets in the camp. 27 And a young man went running and reporting to Moses and saying: “Eldad and Medad are acting as prophets in the camp!” 28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his young manhood on, responded and said: “My lord Moses, restrain them!” 29 However, Moses said to him: “Are you feeling jealous for me? No, I wish that all of Jehovah’s people were prophets, because Jehovah would put his spirit upon them!” 30 Later Moses withdrew to the camp, he and the older men of Israel.

31 And a wind burst forth from Jehovah and began driving quails from the sea and letting them fall above the camp about a day’s journey this way and about a day’s journey that way, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the earth. 32 Then the people got up all that day and all night and all the next day and kept gathering the quail. The one collecting least gathered ten homers, and they kept spreading them extensively all around the camp for themselves. 33 The meat was yet between their teeth, before it could be chewed, when Jehovah’s anger blazed against the people, and Jehovah began striking at the people with a very great slaughter.

34 The name of that place came to be called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who showed selfish craving. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people pulled away for Hazeroth, and they continued in Hazeroth.