Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tent of assembly, on [the] first of the month, in the second year {after they came out} of the land of Egypt, saying,

These [are] the ones summoned from the community, the leaders of their ancestors' tribes; they [are] the heads of Israel's clans.

and they summoned the entire community on [the] first day of the second month. And they registered themselves among their clans according to {their families}, according to [the] number of names from {those twenty years old} and above individually,

You will {appoint} them over the tabernacle of the testimony, over all its vessels, and over all that belongs to it. They will carry the tabernacle and all its vessels, and they will care for it; and they will camp around the tabernacle.

And the {Israelites} did thus; they did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses.

"The {Israelites} will encamp each with his standard, with a banner according to {their families}; they will encamp around the tent of assembly.

All those counted from the camp of Judah [are] one hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred. They will set out first according to their divisions.

All {those counted} from the camp of Reuben [are] one hundred and fifty-one thousand four hundred and fifty. They will set out second according to their divisions.

"The tent of assembly the camp of the Levites will set out in the midst of the camps; they will set out just as they encamped, {each according to their standards}.

All {those counted} from the camp of Ephraim [are] one hundred and eighty thousand one hundred. They will set out third according to their divisions.

All the {ones counted} from the camp of Dan [are] one hundred and fifty-seven thousand six hundred. They will set out {last} according to their divisions."

And the {Israelites} did everything that Yahweh commanded Moses. They encamped according to their standards, and they set out each one according to their clans among {their families}.

Nadab and Abihu died {before Yahweh} when they presented a strange fire {before Yahweh} in the desert of Sinai, and {they had no children}. Eleazar and Ithamar served as priest during the presence of Aaron their father.

"Bring near the tribe of Levi, and {set the tribe} {before Aaron} the priest, and they will minister to him.

They shall observe his duties and the duties of the entire community before the tent of assembly, to do the work of the tabernacle.

And they will keep all the vessels of the tent of assembly and the responsibilities of the {Israelites}, to do the work of the tabernacle.

You will give the Levites to Aaron and to his descendants; they [are] surely assigned to him from among the {Israelites}.

But you will count Aaron and his descendants; they will keep their priesthood, and the stranger who approaches will be put to death."

because all [the] firstborn [are] mine; on the day of my killing all [the] firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for myself all [the] firstborn in Israel, {both humankind and animal}; they will be mine. I am Yahweh."

Their responsibility [was] the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altar, and the vessels of the sanctuary, with which they ministered, and the curtain, and all of its use.

[The] leader of {the family} according to the clans of Merari [is] Zuriel son of Abihail; they will encamp of the side of the tabernacle to the north.

Those encamped before the tabernacle to the east--before the tent of assembly to the east--[were] Moses and Aaron and his sons; they will keep the responsibility of the sanctuary {for the Israelites}; and the stranger who approaches will be put to death.

They will put on it a covering of {fine leather}, and they will spread a cloth of perfect blue over it, and they will place its poles.

And over the table of the presence they will spread [out] a blue cloth and put on it the plates, dishes, and libation bowls, and the pitchers of the libation; and the bread of continuity will be on it.

They will spread over it a scarlet cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of {fine leather}, and they will place its poles.

They will take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light source, its lamps, a pair of its tongs, its small pans, and all the vessels of its oil with which they attend to it.

They will put it and all its vessels inside a covering of {fine leather} and put it on the carrying frame.

Over the altar of gold they will spread a blue cloth, and they will cover it with a covering of {fine leather} and place its poles.

They will take all the vessels of the cultic service with which they serve in the sanctuary and put [them] on a blue cloth, and they will cover them with a covering of {fine leather}; and they will put [them] on the carrying frame.

They will remove the fat-soaked ashes from the altar and spread a purple cloth over it;

they will put on it all the vessels with which they serve, the fire pans, forks, shovels, and bowls--all the vessels of the altar. They will spread on it a covering of {fine leather}; and they will place its poles.

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the vessels of the sanctuary when the camp sets out, the descendants of Kohath will come after to carry [these], but they must not touch the sanctuary, or they will die. These [are] the load of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of assembly.

Do this to them and they will live and not die when they come near the most holy things. Aaron and his sons will go and appoint them, each one to his task and burden.

But they must not go and look {for a moment} at the holy objects."

They will carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of assembly [and] its covering and the covering of {fine leather}, which {is on top of it}, and the curtain of the doorway of the tent of assembly,

and the curtains of the courtyard, and the covering for the doorway of the gate of the courtyard, which [is] all around on the tabernacle and altar, and their cords and all the vessels of their work; and all that is done to them they will do.

And all the work of the descendants of the Gershonites will be at {the command} of Aaron and his sons, for all they [are to] carry and for all their work, and you will appoint to them responsibility for all they [are to] carry.

and the pillars of the courtyard all around, and their bases, pegs, and cords, with all their vessels and for all their work. You will appoint by name the vessels that they [are] responsible to carry.

According to {the command} of Yahweh by the hand of Moses {they were mustered}, each man according to his service and according to their service and according to their burden; and so they were counted by him just as Yahweh commanded Moses.

"Command the {Israelites}: they must send everyone from the camp who is afflicted with a rash, everyone with a fluid discharge, and everyone unclean through [contact with] a corpse.

You will send away {both male and female}; you will send them {outside the camp}. They must not make unclean their camps where I [am] dwelling in their midst."

So the {Israelites} did so. They sent them away {outside the camp}; just as Yahweh spoke to Moses, so did the {Israelites}.

they will confess their sin that they did and will make restitution [for] their guilt by adding a fifth {to it} and giving [it] {to whomever was wronged}.

And every contribution of all the holy objects of the {Israelites} that they bring to the priest for him will be his.

The priest will wave them [as] a wave offering {before the presence of} Yahweh; they are a holy object to the priest, in addition to the breast section of the wave offering, and in addition to the upper thigh of the contribution; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.

And they will put my name on the {Israelites}, and I will bless them."

the leaders of Israel, the heads of {the families}, presented an offering; they [were] the leaders of the tribes and [were] the ones in charge of the counting.

They brought their offering before the presence of Yahweh, six covered utility carts and twelve cattle, a utility cart for two of the leaders, and a bull for each; and they presented them {before} the tabernacle.

"{Take them}, and they will be [used] to do the work of the tent of the assembly; and you will give them to the Levites, each {according to his required service}."

But to the descendants of Kohath he did not give [anything] because the work of the sanctuary they carried upon them on their shoulders.

So you will do to them, to purify them: sprinkle on them waters of purification, and {they will shave their whole body} and wash their garments.

And they will take a {young bull} and its grain offering of finely milled flour mixed with oil, and you will take a second {young bull} as a sin offering.

and {Aaron will offer} the Levites [as] a wave offering {before Yahweh} from the {Israelites}, and they will do the work of Yahweh.

For they [are] given to me exclusively from the midst of the {Israelites}. I have taken them for myself in place of [the] firstborn of every womb, every firstborn from the {Israelites}.

And I have given the Levites; they are given to Aaron and his sons from the midst of the {Israelites} to do the work of the {Israelites} in the tent of the assembly and to make atonement for the {Israelites}, so a plague will not be among the {Israelites} when the {Israelites} come near the sanctuary."

And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their garments, and {Aaron offered them} [as] a wave offering {before Yahweh}; and Aaron made atonement for them to purify them.

After this the Levites came to do their work in the tent of assembly before Aaron and his sons. Just as Yahweh commanded Moses concerning the Levities, so they did to them.

They can attend their brothers in the tent of assembly to keep [their] responsibilities, but they will not do work. This is what you will do concerning the Levities and their responsibilities."

Yahweh spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the second year after they came out from the land of Egypt, in the first month, saying,

And they observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month {at twilight} in the desert of Sinai. According to all that Yahweh commanded Moses, thus the {Israelites} did.

And it happened, men who were unclean {by a dead person} were not able to perform the Passover on that day. And they came {before} Moses and Aaron on that day.

On the second month on the fourteenth day {at twilight} they will observe it; they will eat it with unleavened bread and bitter plants.

They will leave none of it until morning, and they will not break a bone in it; they will observe it according to every decree of the Passover.

On the {command of Yahweh} the {Israelites} would set out, and on the {command of Yahweh} they encamped; all the days that the cloud dwelled on the tabernacle they encamped.

When the cloud {remained} a number of days on the tabernacle, on the {command of Yahweh} they encamped; and on the {command of Yahweh} they set out.

When the cloud {remained} from evening until morning, and the cloud lifted up in the morning, they would set out, or [if it remained] in the daytime and [at] night, [when] the cloud lifted up they set out.

When [it was] two days, a month, {or a year} that the cloud prolonged to dwell on the tabernacle, the {Israelites} encamped, and they did not set out; when it lifted up they set out.

On the {command of Yahweh} they encamped, and on the {command of Yahweh} they set out. They kept the requirement of Yahweh, on the {command of Yahweh} in the hand of Moses.

But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you.

[when] you blow a second blast, the camps that are camping on the south will set out; they will blow a blast for their journeys.

"And on the day of your joy and in your appointed times, at the beginning of your months, you will blow on the trumpets in addition to your burnt offerings and in addition to the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. And they will be as a memorial for you {before} your God; I [am] Yahweh your God."

They set out {for the first time} on the command of Yahweh in the hand of Moses.

The Kohathites, the bearers of the sanctuary, set out, and they set up the tabernacle before they arrived.

These [were] the departures of the {Israelites} according to their divisions; and so they set out.

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 the cloud of Yahweh [was] over them by day when they set out from the camp.

The riff-raff that [were] in their midst {had a strong desire}; and the {Israelites} turned back and also wept, and they said, "Who will feed us meat?

The people went about and gathered [it], and they ground [it] with mills or crushed [it] with mortar. Then they boiled [it] in a pot and made it [into] bread-cakes; and it tasted like olive oil cakes.

From where do I have meat to give all these people? They weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat and let us eat!'

I am not able to carry all these people along alone; they are too heavy for me.

And Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know [are] elders of the people and their officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you.

I will come down and speak with you there; I will take away from the spirit that [is] on you, and I will place [it] on them; and they will bear the burdens of the people with you; you will not bear it alone.

But Moses said, "[There are] six hundred thousand on foot, among whom I [am] in the midst, and you yourself said, 'I will give meat to them, and they will eat for a whole month.'

Then Yahweh went down in the cloud and spoke to him, and he took away the spirit that [was] on him, and he {put it} on the seventy elders. And as soon as the spirit was resting on them they prophesied, but they did not do it again.

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.

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).

And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah because they buried the people that {were greedy}.

From Kibroth Hattaavah the people set out [to] Hazeroth; and they stayed in Hazeroth.

and they said, "Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?" And Yahweh heard it.

And afterward the people set out from Hazeroth, and they encamped in the desert of Paran.

and you will see what the land is [like] and if the people who inhabit it [are] strong or weak, or whether they are few or many,

and whether the land that they [are] inhabiting [is] good or bad, and whether the cities they [are] inhabiting are camps or fortifications,

So they went up and explored the land from the desert of Zin until Rehob, at Lebo Hamath.

They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai the descendants of the Anakites [were]. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan [in] Egypt.)

And they came up to the valley of Eshcol, and they cut off a vine branch and one cluster of grapes from there; they carried it on pole between two [men], [with] pomegranates and figs.

They returned from exploring the land at the end of forty days.

And they came to Moses and Aaron and to the entire community of the {Israelites} in the desert of Paran at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and [to] all the community, and they showed them the fruit of the land.

And they told him, "We came to the land that you sent us, and it [is] flowing of milk and honey; this [is] its fruit.

And the men who went up with him said, "We are not able to go up to the people because they [are] stronger than us."

And they presented the report of the land that they explored to the {Israelites}, saying, "The land that we went through to explore [is] a land that eats its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in its midst [are] {men of great size}.