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.