The LORD spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in ^athe first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “The sons of Israel are to keep the Passover at ^aits appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month ¹at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and ordinances you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the Israelites to observe the Passover. 5 ^aThey observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight in the Wilderness of Sinai; ^bin accordance with all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the Israelites did. 6 But there were certain men who were ceremonially ^aunclean because of touching the dead body of a man, so they could not observe the Passover on that day; so ^bthey came before Moses and Aaron that same day. 7 Those men said to Moses, “We are ceremonially unclean because of touching a dead body. Why are we being restrained from presenting the LORD’S offering at its appointed time among the Israelites?” 8 Therefore, Moses said to them, “^aWait, and I will listen to what the LORD will command concerning you.”

9 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “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. 11 On the ^afourteenth day of the second month thirty days later at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall ^beat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They ^ashall leave none of it until morning ^bnor break any of its bones; in accordance with all the statutes of the Passover they shall observe it. John 19:36 13 ^aBut 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 ^bwill bear the penalty of his sin. 14 ^aIf a stranger lives among you as a resident alien and observes the Passover to the LORD, in accordance with its statutes and its ordinances, so shall he do; you shall have ^bone statute, both for the resident alien and for the native of the land.’”

15 Now on ^athe day that the tabernacle was erected, ^bthe cloud of God’s presence covered the tabernacle, that is, the ^ctent of the Testimony; and ^din the evening it was over the tabernacle, appearing like a pillar of fire until the morning. Ex 13:21 16 So it was continuously; ^athe cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 ^aWhenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent (tabernacle) , afterward the Israelites would set out; and in the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites would camp. 18 At the LORD’S command the Israelites would journey on, and at His command they would camp. ^aAs long as the cloud remained over the tabernacle they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, the Israelites would keep their obligation to the LORD and not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud remained only a few days over the tabernacle, and ^ain accordance with the command of the LORD they remained camped. Then at His command they set out. 21 If sometimes the cloud remained over the tabernacle from evening only until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning, they would journey on; whether in the daytime or at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud of the LORD’S presence lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the Israelites remained camped and did not set out; but ^awhen it was lifted, they set out. 23 ^aAt the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they journeyed on; they kept their obligation to the LORD, in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.