8 Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to Aaron and tell him, ‘When you light up the lamps, the seven lamps should shine on the area in front of the lampstand.’”+ 3 So Aaron did this: He lit up its lamps for the area in front of the lampstand,+ just as Jehovah had commanded Moses. 4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was hammered work of gold; from its stem to its blossoms, it was hammered work.+ The lampstand was made according to the vision+ that Jehovah had shown Moses.
5 Jehovah spoke again to Moses, saying: 6 “Take the Levites from among the Israelites, and cleanse them.+ 7 This is how you should cleanse them: Sprinkle sin-cleansing water on them, and they must shave their whole body with a razor, wash their garments, and cleanse themselves.+ 8 Then they will take a young bull+ and its grain offering+ of fine flour mixed with oil, and you will take another young bull for a sin offering.+ 9 And you are to present the Levites before the tent of meeting and gather all the assembly of the Israelites.+ 10 When you present the Levites before Jehovah, the Israelites are to lay their hands on the Levites.+ 11 And Aaron must offer* the Levites before Jehovah as a wave offering+ from the Israelites, and they will carry out the service of Jehovah.+
12 “Then the Levites will lay their hands on the heads of the bulls.+ After that, offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to Jehovah to make atonement+ for the Levites. 13 And you will have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons and offer* them as a wave offering to Jehovah. 14 You must separate the Levites from among the Israelites, and the Levites will become mine.+ 15 Afterward, the Levites will come in to serve at the tent of meeting. This is how you should cleanse them and offer* them as a wave offering. 16 For they are given ones, given to me from among the Israelites. In place of all those who are firstborn* of the Israelites,+ I will take them for myself. 17 For every firstborn among the Israelites is mine, both man and animal.+ I sanctified them to myself on the day I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt.+ 18 I will take the Levites in place of all the firstborn among the Israelites. 19 I will give the Levites as given ones to Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, to carry out the service in behalf of the Israelites at the tent of meeting+ and to make atonement for the Israelites, so that no plague may occur among the Israelites+ because the people of Israel come near the holy place.”
20 Moses and Aaron and all the assembly of the Israelites did this with the Levites. In accord with all that Jehovah had commanded Moses regarding the Levites, that is what the Israelites did with them. 21 So the Levites purified themselves and washed their garments,+ after which Aaron offered* them as a wave offering before Jehovah.+ Then Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them.+ 22 Thereafter, the Levites went in to carry out their service at the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons. Just as Jehovah had commanded Moses respecting the Levites, so they did with them.
23 Jehovah now spoke to Moses, saying: 24 “This applies to the Levites: From 25 years old and up, a man will join the company of those in the service of the tent of meeting. 25 But after the age of 50 years, he will retire from the service company and not serve any longer. 26 He may minister to his brothers who are taking care of the responsibilities at the tent of meeting, but he must not perform the service there. This is what you are to do regarding the Levites and their responsibilities.”+
9 Jehovah spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Siʹnai in the first month+ of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2 “The Israelites should prepare the Passover sacrifice+ at its appointed time.+ 3 On the 14th day of this month at twilight,* you should prepare it at its appointed time. According to all its statutes and all its set procedures, you should prepare it.”+
4 So Moses told the Israelites to prepare the Passover sacrifice. 5 Then they prepared the Passover sacrifice in the first month, on the 14th day of the month at twilight,* in the wilderness of Siʹnai. According to all that Jehovah had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did.
6 Now there were men who had become unclean by touching a dead body,*+ so that they were not able to prepare the Passover sacrifice on that day. So those men presented themselves before Moses and Aaron on that day+ 7 and said to him: “We are unclean because of touching a dead body.* Why should we be kept from presenting the offering to Jehovah at its appointed time among the Israelites?”+ 8 At this Moses said to them: “Wait there, and let me hear what Jehovah may command regarding you.”+
9 Then Jehovah said to Moses: 10 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Although any man among you or of your future generations should become unclean by touching a dead body*+ or should be off on a distant journey, he must still prepare the Passover sacrifice to Jehovah. 11 They should prepare it in the second month,+ on the 14th day at twilight.* They should eat it together with unleavened bread and bitter greens.+ 12 They must not let any of it remain until morning,+ and they should not break any bone in it.+ They should prepare it according to every statute regarding the Passover. 13 But if a man was clean or was not off on a journey and neglected to prepare the Passover sacrifice, that person* must then be cut off* from his people,+ because he did not present the offering of Jehovah at its appointed time. That man will answer for his sin.
14 “‘And if a foreign resident is residing with you, he should also prepare the Passover sacrifice to Jehovah.+ He should do so according to the statute of the Passover and its set procedure.+ There should exist one statute for you, both for the foreign resident and for the native of the land.’”+
15 Now on the day the tabernacle was set up,+ the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the Testimony, but in the evening what appeared to be fire remained over the tabernacle until morning.+ 16 That is what continued to take place: The cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.+ 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from the tent, the Israelites would promptly depart,+ and in the place where the cloud would remain, there is where the Israelites would encamp.+ 18 At the order of Jehovah the Israelites would depart, and at the order of Jehovah they would encamp.+ As long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle, they would remain encamped. 19 When the cloud would stay over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would obey Jehovah and not depart.+ 20 Sometimes the cloud would remain for a few days over the tabernacle. At the order of Jehovah they would remain encamped, and at the order of Jehovah they would depart. 21 Sometimes the cloud would remain only from evening until morning, and when the cloud lifted in the morning, they would depart. Whether it was day or night when the cloud lifted, they would depart.+ 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or longer, as long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, the Israelites remained encamped and would not depart. But when it lifted, they would depart. 23 At the order of Jehovah they would encamp, and at the order of Jehovah they would depart. They kept their obligation to Jehovah at the order of Jehovah through Moses.
10 Jehovah then said to Moses: 2 “Make two trumpets+ for yourself; make them of hammered silver, and use them to summon the assembly and to break up the camps. 3 When both of them are blown, the whole assembly must be summoned to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting.+ 4 If just one is blown, only the chieftains, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will be summoned to you.+
5 “When you sound a fluctuating trumpet blast, the camps of those to the east+ should depart. 6 When you sound a fluctuating trumpet blast a second time, the camps of those to the south+ should depart. They should sound the trumpet blasts in this way each time one of them departs.
7 “Now when calling the congregation together, you should blow the trumpets,+ but not with fluctuating blasts. 8 Aaron’s sons, the priests, should blow the trumpets,+ and the use of them will serve as a lasting statute for you throughout your generations.
9 “If you should go to war in your land against an oppressor who is harassing you, you should sound a war call on the trumpets,+ and you will be remembered by Jehovah your God and be saved from your enemies.
10 “Also, on your joyous occasions+—your festivals+ and at the beginning of your months—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings+ and your communion sacrifices;+ they will serve as a reminder for you before your God. I am Jehovah your God.”+
11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the 20th day of the month,+ the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle+ of the Testimony. 12 So the Israelites began to pull away from the wilderness of Siʹnai in the order established for their departure,+ and the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paʹran.+ 13 This was the first time they departed following the order of Jehovah through Moses.+
14 So the three-tribe division of the camp of the sons of Judah departed first by their companies,* and Nahʹshon+ the son of Am·minʹa·dab was over its company. 15 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Isʹsa·char was Ne·thanʹel+ the son of Zuʹar. 16 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Zebʹu·lun was E·liʹab+ the son of Heʹlon.
17 When the tabernacle was taken down,+ the sons of Gerʹshon+ and the sons of Me·rarʹi,+ who carried the tabernacle, departed.
18 Then the three-tribe division of the camp of Reuʹben departed by their companies,* and E·liʹzur+ the son of Shedʹe·ur was over its company. 19 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Simʹe·on was She·luʹmi·el+ the son of Zu·ri·shadʹdai. 20 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Gad was E·liʹa·saph+ the son of Deuʹel.
21 Then the Koʹhath·ites, who carried the sanctuary items,+ departed. The tabernacle was to be set up by the time they arrived.
22 Then the three-tribe division of the camp of the sons of Eʹphra·im departed by their companies,* and E·lishʹa·ma+ the son of Am·miʹhud was over its company. 23 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Ma·nasʹseh was Ga·maʹli·el+ the son of Pe·dahʹzur. 24 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin was Abʹi·dan+ the son of Gid·e·oʹni.
25 Then the three-tribe division of the camp of the sons of Dan departed by their companies,* forming the rear guard for all the camps, and A·hi·eʹzer+ the son of Am·mi·shadʹdai was over its company. 26 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Ashʹer was Paʹgi·el+ the son of Ochʹran. 27 Over the company of the tribe of the sons of Naphʹta·li was A·hiʹra+ the son of Eʹnan. 28 This was the order of departure that the Israelites and their companies* followed when they would depart.+
29 Then Moses said to Hoʹbab the son of Reuʹel*+ the Midʹi·an·ite, the father-in-law of Moses: “We are setting out for the place about which Jehovah said, ‘I will give it to you.’+ Do come with us,+ and we will treat you well, because Jehovah has promised good things for Israel.”+ 30 But he said to him: “I will not go. I will return to my own country and to my relatives.” 31 At this he said: “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can serve as our guide.* 32 And if you do come with us,+ whatever goodness Jehovah shows to us, we will surely show to you.”
33 So they began marching from the mountain of Jehovah+ for a journey of three days, and the ark+ of Jehovah’s covenant traveled before them for the three-day journey to search out a resting-place for them.+ 34 And Jehovah’s cloud+ was over them by day when they set out from the encampment.
35 Whenever the Ark was moved, Moses would say: “Rise up, O Jehovah,+ and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee from before you.” 36 And when it would rest, he would say: “Do return, O Jehovah, to the countless* thousands of Israel.”+