New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 The Lord spoke 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:
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God spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the first month of the second year after leaving Egypt:
2 Let the Israelites keep the passover at its appointed time.
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"Have the People of Israel celebrate Passover at the set time.
3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its regulations you shall keep it.
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Celebrate it on schedule, on the evening of the fourteenth day of this month, following all the rules and procedures."
4 So Moses told the Israelites that they should keep the passover.
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Moses told the People of Israel to celebrate the Passover
5 They kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai. Just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.
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and they did - in the Wilderness of Sinai at evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. The People of Israel did it all just as God had commanded Moses.
6 Now there were certain people who were unclean through touching a corpse, so that they could not keep the passover on that day. They came before Moses and Aaron on that day,
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But some of them couldn't celebrate the Passover on the assigned day because they were ritually unclean on account of a corpse. So they presented themselves before Moses and Aaron on Passover
7 and said to him, "Although we are unclean through touching a corpse, why must we be kept from presenting the Lord's offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?"
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and told Moses, "We have become ritually unclean because of a corpse, but why should we be barred from bringing God's offering along with other Israelites on the day set for Passover?"
8 Moses spoke to them, "Wait, so that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you."
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Moses said, "Give me some time; I'll find out what God says in your circumstances."
9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
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God spoke to Moses:
10 Speak to the Israelites, saying: Anyone of you or your descendants who is unclean through touching a corpse, or is away on a journey, shall still keep the passover to the Lord.
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"Tell the People of Israel, If one or another of you is ritually unclean because of a corpse, or you happen to be off on a long trip, you may still celebrate God's Passover.
11 In the second month on the fourteenth day, at twilight, they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
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But celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at evening. Eat the lamb together with unraised bread and bitter herbs.
12 They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute for the passover they shall keep it.
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Don't leave any of it until morning. Don't break any of its bones. Follow all the procedures.
13 But anyone who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet refrains from keeping the passover, shall be cut off from the people for not presenting the Lord's offering at its appointed time; such a one shall bear the consequences for the sin.
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"But a man who is ritually clean and is not off on a trip and still fails to celebrate the Passover must be cut off from his people because he did not present God's offering at the set time. That man will pay for his sin.
14 Any alien residing among you who wishes to keep the passover to the Lord shall do so according to the statute of the passover and according to its regulation; you shall have one statute for both the resident alien and the native.
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"Any foreigner living among you who wants to celebrate God's Passover is welcome to do it, but he must follow all the rules and procedures. The same procedures go for both foreigner and native-born." The Cloud
15 On the day the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant; and from evening until morning it was over the tabernacle, having the appearance of fire.
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The day The Dwelling was set up, the Cloud covered The Dwelling of the Tent of Testimony. From sunset until daybreak it was over The Dwelling. It looked like fire.
16 It was always so: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night.
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It was like that all the time, the Cloud over The Dwelling and at night looking like fire.
17 Whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, then the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the Israelites would camp.
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When the Cloud lifted above the Tent, the People of Israel marched out; and when the Cloud descended the people camped.
18 At the command of the Lord the Israelites would set out, and at the command of the Lord they would camp. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they would remain in camp.
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The People of Israel marched at God's command and they camped at his command. As long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, they camped.
19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the Israelites would keep the charge of the Lord, and would not set out.
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Even when the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for many days, they honored God's command and wouldn't march.
20 Sometimes the cloud would remain a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they would remain in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they would set out.
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They stayed in camp, obedient to God's command, as long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, but the moment God issued orders they marched.
21 Sometimes the cloud would remain from evening until morning; and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they would set out.
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If the Cloud stayed only from sunset to daybreak and then lifted at daybreak, they marched. Night or day, it made no difference - when the Cloud lifted, they marched.
22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, resting upon it, the Israelites would remain in camp and would not set out; but when it lifted they would set out.
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It made no difference whether the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for two days or a month or a year, as long as the Cloud was there, they were there. And when the Cloud went up, they got up and marched.
23 At the command of the Lord they would camp, and at the command of the Lord they would set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
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They camped at God's command and they marched at God's command. They lived obediently by God's orders as delivered by Moses.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.