Holman Christian Standard Bible (45 page)

Consecration of the Levites

5
 The
Lord
spoke to Moses:
6
 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites and ceremonially cleanse them.
7
 This is what you must do to them for their purification: Sprinkle them with the purification water. Have them shave their entire bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves. 

8
 “They are to take a young bull and its
•grain
offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and you are to take a second young bull for a
•sin
offering.
9
 Bring the Levites before the tent of meeting and assemble the entire Israelite community. 
10
 Then present the Levites before the
Lord
, and have the Israelites lay their hands on them.
11
 Aaron is to present the Levites before the
Lord
as a presentation offering from the Israelites, so that they may perform the
Lord
's work. 
12
 Next the Levites are to lay their hands on the heads of the bulls. Sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a
•burnt
offering to the
Lord
, to make
•atonement
for the Levites. 

13
 “You are to have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you are to present them before the
Lord
as a presentation offering.
14
 In this way you are to separate the Levites from the rest of the Israelites so that the Levites will belong to Me. 
15
 After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering. 
16
 For they have been exclusively assigned to Me from the Israelites. I have taken them for Myself in place of all who come first from the womb, every Israelite firstborn. 
17
 For every firstborn among the Israelites is Mine, both man and animal. I consecrated them to Myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt.
18
 But I have taken the Levites in place of every firstborn among the Israelites.
19
 From the Israelites, I have given the Levites exclusively to Aaron and his sons to perform the work for the Israelites at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on their behalf, so that no plague will come against the Israelites when they approach the sanctuary.” 

20
 Moses, Aaron, and the entire Israelite community did this to the Levites. The Israelites did everything to them the
Lord
commanded Moses regarding the Levites.
21
 The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes; then Aaron presented them before the
Lord
as a presentation offering. Aaron also made atonement for them to ceremonially cleanse them.
22
 After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the
Lord
had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.

23
 The
Lord
spoke to Moses:
24
 “In regard to the Levites: From 25 years old or more, a man enters the service in the work at the tent of meeting. 
25
 But at 50 years old he is to retire from his service in the work and no longer serve.
26
 He may assist his brothers to fulfill responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not do the work. This is how you are to deal with the Levites regarding their duties.”

Numbers

The Second Passover

9
In the first month of the second year after their departure from the land of Egypt, the
Lord
told Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai: 
2
 “The Israelites are to observe the
•Passover
at its appointed time. 
3
 You must observe it at its appointed time on the fourteenth day of this month at twilight; you are to observe it according to all its statutes and ordinances.” 
4
 So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover,
5
 and they observed it in the first month on the fourteenth day at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai. The Israelites did everything as the
Lord
had commanded Moses.

6
 But there were some men who were
•unclean
because of a human corpse, so they could not observe the Passover on that day. These men came before Moses and Aaron the same day
7
 and said to him, “We are unclean because of a human corpse. Why should we be excluded from presenting the
Lord
's offering at its appointed time with the other Israelites? ”

8
 Moses replied to them, “Wait here until I hear what the
Lord
commands for you.”

9
 Then the
Lord
spoke to Moses:
10
 “Tell the Israelites: When any one of you or your descendants is unclean because of a corpse or is on a distant journey, he may still observe the Passover to the
Lord
.
11
 Such people are to observe it in the second month, on the fourteenth day at twilight. They are to eat the animal with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 
12
 they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes.

13
 “But the man who is ceremonially
•clean
, is not on a journey, and yet fails to observe the Passover is to be cut off from his people, because he did not present the
Lord
's offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.

14
 “If a foreigner resides with you and wants to observe the Passover to the
Lord
, he is to do so according to the Passover statute and its ordinances. You are to apply the same statute to both the foreign resident and the native of the land.” 

Guidance by the Cloud

15
 On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the
•testimony
, and it appeared like fire above the tabernacle from evening until morning.
16
 It remained that way continuously: the cloud would cover it, appearing like fire at night. 
17
 Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped. 
18
 At the
Lord
's command the Israelites set out, and at the
Lord
's command they camped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they camped.

19
 Even when the cloud stayed over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites carried out the
Lord
's requirement and did not set out.
20
 Sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle for only a few days. They would camp at the
Lord
's command and set out at the
Lord
's command.
21
 Sometimes the cloud remained only from evening until morning; when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out. Or if it remained a day and a night, they moved out when the cloud lifted.
22
 Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, the Israelites camped and did not set out as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle. But when it was lifted, they set out.
23
 They camped at the
Lord
's command, and they set out at the
Lord
's command. They carried out the
Lord
's requirement according to His command through Moses.

Numbers

Two Silver Trumpets

10
The
Lord
spoke to Moses:
2
 “Make two trumpets of hammered silver to summon the community and have the camps set out.
3
 When both are sounded in long blasts, the entire community is to gather before you at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
4
 However, if one is sounded, only the leaders, the heads of Israel's clans, are to gather before you.

5
 “When you sound short blasts, the camps pitched on the east are to set out.
6
 When you sound short blasts a second time, the camps pitched on the south are to set out. Short blasts are to be sounded for them to set out.
7
 When calling the assembly together, you are to sound long blasts, not short ones.
8
 The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to sound the trumpets. Your use of these is a permanent statute throughout your generations.

9
 “When you enter into battle in your land against an adversary who is attacking you, sound short blasts on the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the
Lord
your God and be delivered from your enemies. 
10
 You are to sound the trumpets over your
•burnt
offerings and your
•fellowship
sacrifices and on your joyous occasions, your appointed festivals, and the beginning of each of your months. They will serve as a reminder for you before your God: I am
•Yahweh
your God.” 

From Sinai to Paran

11
 During the second year, in the second month on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud was lifted up above the tabernacle of the
•testimony
.
12
 The Israelites traveled on from the Wilderness of Sinai, moving from one place to the next until the cloud stopped in the Wilderness of Paran. 
13
 They set out for the first time according to the
Lord
's command through Moses. 

14
 The military divisions of the camp of Judah with their banner set out first, and Nahshon son of Amminadab was over Judah's divisions.
15
 Nethanel son of Zuar was over the division of the Issachar tribe,
16
 and Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the Zebulun tribe.
17
 The tabernacle was then taken down, and the Gershonites and the Merarites set out, transporting the tabernacle.

18
 The military divisions of the camp of Reuben with their banner set out, and Elizur son of Shedeur was over Reuben's division.
19
 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of Simeon's tribe,
20
 and Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of Gad.
21
 The Kohathites then set out, transporting the holy objects; the tabernacle was to be set up before their arrival.

22
 Next the military divisions of the camp of Ephraim with their banner set out, and Elishama son of Ammihud was over Ephraim's division.
23
 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of Manasseh,
24
 and Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of Benjamin.

25
 The military divisions of the camp of Dan with their banner set out, serving as rear guard for all the camps, and Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was over Dan's division.
26
 Pagiel son of Ochran was over the division of the tribe of Asher,
27
 and Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of Naphtali.
28
 This was the order of march for the Israelites by their military divisions as they set out.

29
 Moses said to Hobab, son of Moses' father-in-law Reuel the Midianite: “We're setting out for the place the
Lord
promised: ‘I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will treat you well, for the
Lord
has promised good things to Israel.” 

30
 But he replied to him, “I don't want to go. Instead, I will go to my own land and my relatives.”

31
 “Please don't leave us,” Moses said, “since you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our eyes.
32
 If you come with us, whatever good the
Lord
does for us we will do for you.” 

33
 They set out from the mountain of the
Lord
on a three-day journey with the ark of the
Lord
's covenant traveling ahead of them for those three days to seek a resting place for them. 
34
 Meanwhile, the cloud of the
Lord
was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

35
 Whenever the ark set out, Moses would say:

36
 When it came to rest, he would say:

Numbers

Complaints about Hardship

11
Now the people began complaining openly before the
Lord
about hardship. When the
Lord
heard, His anger burned, and fire from the
Lord
blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.
2
 Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the
Lord
, and the fire died down.
3
 So that place was named Taberah, because the
Lord
's fire had blazed among them.

Complaints about Food

4
 Contemptible people among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, “Who will feed us meat?
5
 We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
6
 But now our appetite is gone; there's nothing to look at but this manna! ”