- And the Lord spoke unto 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, Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at sunset, you shall keep it in his appointed season; according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall you keep it. And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month, at sunset, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
- And there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Passover on that day. And they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel? And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord. The fourteenth day of the second month, at sunset, they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it; according to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it. But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and ceases to keep the Passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people, because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season. That man shall bear his sin. And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the Passover unto the Lord according to the ordinance of the Passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do. You shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and for him that was born in the land.
- And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony. And at evening there was upon the tabernacle the appearance as of fire, until the morning. So it was always. The cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that, the children of Israel journeyed. And in the place where the cloud abided, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched. As long as the cloud abided upon the tabernacle, they rested in their tents. And when the cloud stayed long upon the tabernacle, many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and journeyed not. And so it was: when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle, according to the commandment of the Lord they abided in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. And so it was: when the cloud abided from evening unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed. Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year that the cloud stayed upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abided in their tents and journeyed not. But when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
- And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Make yourself two trumpets of silver. Of a whole piece shall you make them, that you may use them for the calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to you at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And if they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, who are heads of the thousands of Israel, shall gather themselves unto you. When you blow an alarm, then the camps that lie on the east parts shall set out. When you blow an alarm the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall take their journey. They shall blow an alarm for their journeys. But when the congregation is to be gathered together, you shall blow, but you shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with the trumpets, and they shall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your generations. And if you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then you shall blow an alarm with the trumpets. And you shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. Also, in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, you shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, that they may be to you for a memorial before your God. I am the Lord your God.
- And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. And they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses. In the first place went the standard of the camp of the children of Judah, according to their armies. And over his host was Nahshon the son of Amminadab. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon. And the tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari set out, bearing the tabernacle.
- And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out according to their armies. And over his host was Elizur the son of Shedeur. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Simeon was Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Gad was Eliasaph the son of Deuel. And the Kohathites set out, bearing the sanctuary, and the other did set up the tabernacle before they came.
- And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set out according to their armies. And over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni.
- And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan set out, which was the rearguard of all the camps throughout their hosts. And over his host was Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Asher was Pagiel the son of Ocran. And over the host of the tribe of the children of Naphtali was Ahira the son of Enan. Thus were the journeyings of the children of Israel, according to their armies, when they set out.
- And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite (Moses’ father-in-law), We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said: I will give it to you. Come with us, and we will do you good, for the Lord has spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I will not go, but I will depart to my own land and to my kindred. And he said, Leave us not, I pray you, forasmuch as you know how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and you may be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if you go with us, yea, it shall be that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto you.
- And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day when they went out of the camp. And it came to pass when the ark set out that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let them that hate you flee before you. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.
- And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord. And the Lord heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed them that were in the outermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses, and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
- And the mixed multitude that was among them fell to craving, and the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away. There is nothing at all besides this manna before our eyes.
- And the manna was as coriander seed, and the color thereof as the color of bdellium. And the people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
- Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly. Moses also was displeased. And Moses said unto the Lord, Why have you afflicted your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people upon me? Have I conceived all this people? Have I begotten them, that you should say unto me, Carry them in your bosom as a nursing father bears the sucking child, unto the land which you swear unto their fathers? From where should I have flesh to give unto all this people? For they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone because it is too heavy for me. And if you deal thus with me, kill me, I ask you, immediately — if I have found favor in your sight — and let me not see my wretchedness.
- And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them, and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take of the spirit which is upon you, and will put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you bear it not yourself alone.
- And say unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh. For you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore, the Lord will give you flesh, and you shall eat. You shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, but even a whole month — until it come out at your nostrils and it is loathsome unto you, because you have despised the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, Why did we come forth out of Egypt?
- And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand foot soldiers; and you have said, I will give them flesh that they may eat a whole month. Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to suffice them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them? And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? You shall see now whether my word shall come to pass unto you or not.
- And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud and spoke unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him and gave it unto the seventy elders. And it came to pass that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease.
- But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad and the name of the other, Medad. And the spirit rested upon them — and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle — and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Do you envy for my sake? Would to God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. And Moses went into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
- And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp — about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp and about two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails — he that gathered least gathered ten homers — and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people; and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-Hattaavah because there they buried the people that craved. And the people journeyed from Kibroth-Hattaavah unto Hazeroth, and stayed at Hazeroth.
- And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has he not spoken also by us?
- And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men who were upon the face of the earth. And the Lord spoke suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out you three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in dark speeches. And the similitude of the Lord shall he behold. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
- And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle. And behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow. And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I implore you, lay not the sin upon us wherein we have done foolishly and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I implore you. And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that, let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days, and the people journeyed not until Miriam was brought in again. And afterward, the people removed from Hazeroth and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
Chapter 7