And after that, shall the Levites enter to do the labour of the tent of meeting, - so shalt thou purify them, and offer them as a wave-offering,

For they have been given to me from among the children of Israel; in place of every mother's first son, the first to come to birth in Israel, I have taken them for myself.

For every mother's first son among the children of Israel is mine, the first male birth of man or beast: on the day when I sent death on all the first sons in the land of Egypt, I made them mine.

So I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons among the Israelites.

'And I give the Levites gifts to Aaron and to his sons, from the midst of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the sons of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the sons of Israel, and there is no plague among the sons of Israel in the sons of Israel's drawing nigh unto the sanctuary.'

And Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, did to the Levites according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them.

And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aaron, and before his sons: as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them.

but shall minister unto their brethren in the tabernacle of witness, and there wait, but shall do no more service. And see that thou do after this manner unto the Levites in their waiting times."

So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover.

And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even 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 unclean by reason of the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day:

and those men say unto him, 'We are defiled by the body of a man; why are we withheld so as not to bring near the offering of Jehovah in its appointed season, in the midst of the sons of Israel?'

"Wait while I hear what the LORD has to say about you," Moses replied.

“Say to the Israelites, ‘If any one of you or of your descendants becomes [ceremonially] unclean because of [touching] a dead body or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to the Lord.

But the man who is [ceremonially] clean and is not on a journey, and yet does not observe the Passover, that person shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them] because he did not bring the Lord’s offering at its appointed time; that man will bear [the penalty of] 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: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.

Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected, the cloud [of God’s presence] covered the tabernacle, that is, the tent of the Testimony; and in the evening it was over the tabernacle, appearing like [a pillar of] fire until the morning.

So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

At the Lord’s command the Israelites would journey on, and at His command they would camp. As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle they remained camped.

Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would keep their obligation to the Lord and not set out.

And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.

And so it was, when the cloud abode from even 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.

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.

As soon as they blow therewith, so soon hall all the assembly assemble themselves unto thee, unto the entrance of the tent of meeting.

However, if one is sounded, only the leaders, the heads of Israel’s clans, are to gather before you.

And in your day of rejoicing and in your appointed seasons and in the beginnings of your months, then shall ye blow with the trumpets, over your ascending-sacrifices, and over your peace-offerings, - so shall they be unto you for a memorial before your God. I - Yahweh, am your God.

On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year [since leaving Egypt], the cloud [of the Lord’s presence] was lifted from over the tabernacle of the Testimony,

so the Israelis set out from the Sinai Wilderness until the cloud settled in the Paran Wilderness,

They set out for the first time according to the Lord’s command through Moses.

The military divisions of the camp of Judah with their banner set out first, and Nahshon son of Amminadab was over Judah’s divisions.

Zuar's son Nethanel was in charge of the camp of Issachar.

Helon's son Eliab was in charge of the camp of Zebulun.

Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Reuben, according to their armies, moved out, with Elizur the son of Shedeur [commander] over its army,

Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of Simeon’s tribe,

Deuel's son Eliasaph was in charge of the tribe of Gad.

Then set forward the Kohathites, bearing the sanctuary, - and so the habitation was reared by the time they came in.

Next the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim moved out, according to their armies, with Elishama the son of Ammihud [commander] over its army,

Pedazzur's son Gamaliel was in charge of the tribe of Manasseh.

Gideoni's son Abidan was in charge of the army of the tribe of Benjamin.

Then the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies, which formed the rear guard for all the camps, moved out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai [commander] over its army,

Ochran's son Pagiel was in charge of the tribe of Asher.

Enan's son Ahira was in charge of the tribe of Naphtali.

These were the settings forward of the children of Israel according to their hosts: so did they set forward.

Then Moses said to Hobab, the son of his father-in-law Reuel the Midianite, We are journeying to that place of which the Lord has said, I will give it to you: so come with us, and it will be for your profit: for the Lord has good things in store for Israel.

And he will say to him, I will not go; but to my land, and to my kindred I will go.

Then said he: I beseech thee, do not forsake us, - for, on this account, hast thou come to know of our encamping in the desert, so shalt thou be unto us as eyes;

And it shall be, if thou come with us, that whatever good Jehovah doeth unto us, so will we do to thee.

And so they set out from the mountain of Yahweh a journey of three days, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh setting out ahead of them three days' journey to search out a resting place for them;

And whenever the ark was setting out Moses would say, "Rise up, Yahweh! May your enemies be scattered; may the ones that hate you flee from your presence."

And when it rested he would say, "Return, Yahweh, to the countless thousands of Israel."

The people were complaining in the ears of Yahweh. When Yahweh heard it, his anger was kindled; and Yahweh's fire burnt among them, and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

So that place was named Taberah, because the Lord’s fire had blazed among them.

And the rabble who are in its midst have lusted greatly, and the sons of Israel also turn back and weep, and say, 'Who doth give us flesh?

But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!”

The Manna was as it had been coriander seed, and to see to like bdellium.

So then Moses heard the people weeping by their families, every one at the entrance of his tent, - then kindled the anger of Yahweh fiercely, and in the eyes of Moses, it was grievous.

So Moses asked the Lord, “Why have You brought such trouble on Your servant? Why are You angry with me, and why do You burden me with all these people?

Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, so that we may eat.’

And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and the officers over them. And bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation so that they may stand there with you.

Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not have to bear it all alone.

And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye 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 ye shall eat.

for a month of days until it cometh forth out of your nostrils, so shall it become to you a loathsome thing, - because ye have refused Yahweh who is in your midst, and have wept before him, saying, Wherefore now came we forth out of Egypt?

But Moses replied, “I’m in the middle of a people with 600,000 foot soldiers, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a 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? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

So Moses went out and spoke to the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered seventy men from among the elders of the people and stationed them around the Tent (tabernacle).

And Jehovah came down in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

But two men were left in the camp; the name of one [was] Eldad, and the name of the second [was] Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those who were written [down], but they did not go out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp.

So a boy ran and told Moses and said, "Eldad and Medad [are] prophesying in the camp."

In response, Nun's son Joshua, Moses' attendant and one of his choice men, exclaimed, "My master Moses! Stop them!"

And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!

And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

And so the people {worked} all day and all night and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the least of the ones collecting gathered ten homers).

While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the Lord’s anger burned against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very severe plague.

So they named that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved the meat.

and they say, 'Only by Moses hath Jehovah spoken? also by us hath he not spoken?' and Jehovah heareth.

Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.

and Yahweh said suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Go out, you three, to the tent of assembly." So the three of them when out.

Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. So both of them went forward.

He said:

“Listen to what I say:
If there is a prophet among you from the Lord,
I make Myself known to him in a vision;
I speak with him in a dream.

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

I speak with him directly,
openly, and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.

So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

The Lord’s anger burned against them, and He left.

As the cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam’s skin suddenly became diseased, as white as snow. When Aaron turned toward her, he saw that she was diseased

So Aaron said to Moses, "Please, my lord, please do not put on us [this] sin [in] which we were foolish and [in] which we have sinned.

Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.

So Moses prayed to the LORD: "O LORD, please heal her."

And Jehovah will say to Moses, And her father spitting, spit in her face, shall she not be ashamed seven days? She shall be shut seven days without the camp, and afterward she shall be taken back.

So Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought in again [and declared ceremonially clean from her leprosy].

"Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I'm about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor's tribes, every one of them a distinguished leader among them."

So Moses sent spies from the Wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the Israelites.

These were their names: From Reuben's tribe, Zaccur's son Shammua;

From Simeon's tribe, Hori's son Shaphat;

From Judah's tribe, Jephunneh's son Caleb;

from Issachar's tribe, Joseph's son Igal;

From Ephraim's tribe, Nun's son Hoshea;

From Benjamin's tribe, Raphu's son Palti;

from Zebulun's tribe, Sodi's son Gaddiel;