Study Desk

But some of the people could not celebrate Passover that day. They were unclean because they had touched a dead body. So they went to Moses and Aaron that day

They must celebrate Passover just before dark on the 14th day of the second month. At that time they must eat the lamb, the bread made without yeast, and the bitter herbs.

They must not leave any of that food until the next morning. And they must not break any of the bones of the lamb. They must follow all the rules about Passover.

But anyone who is able must celebrate Passover at the right time. If they are clean and they are not away on a trip, there is no excuse for them not to do it. If they don't celebrate Passover at the right time, they must be separated from their people. They are guilty and must be punished, because they did not give the Lord his gift at the right time.

Sometimes the cloud stayed only during the night—the next morning the cloud moved. So the people gathered their things and followed it. If the cloud moved, during the day or during the night, they followed it.

If the cloud stayed over the Holy Tent for two days, a month, or a year, the people stayed at that place. They did not leave until the cloud moved. When the cloud rose from its place and moved, they also moved.

So the people obeyed the Lord 's commands. They camped when the Lord told them to, and they moved when he told them to. They watched carefully and obeyed the Lord 's commands to Moses.

So the Israelites began their journey. They left the desert of Sinai and traveled until the cloud stopped in the desert of Paran.

Then came the Kohath family. They carried the holy things from inside the Holy Tent. These people came at this time so that the other people could set up the Holy Tent and make it ready at the new camp before these people arrived.

So they began traveling from the mountain of the Lord . The priests took the Box of the Lord 's Agreement and walked in front of the people. They carried the Holy Box for three days, looking for a place to camp.

The Lord 's cloud was over them every day. And when they left their camp every morning, the cloud was there to lead them.

The people gathered the manna. Then they used rocks to crush it and cooked it in a pot. Or they ground it into flour and made thin cakes with it. The cakes tasted like sweet cakes cooked with olive oil.

I don't have enough meat for all these people! And they continue complaining to me. They say, ‘Give us meat to eat!'

Then I will come down and speak with you there. The Spirit is on you now. But I will also give some of that Spirit to them. Then they will help you take care of the people. In this way you will not have to be responsible for these people alone.

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. He put on the 70 elders some of the same Spirit that was on Moses. After the Spirit came down on them, they began to prophesy. But that was the only time they ever did this.

Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, did not go out to the Tent. Their names were on the list of elders, but they stayed in camp. But the Spirit also came on them, and they began prophesying in camp.

Then the Lord made a powerful wind to blow in from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. There were so many birds that the ground was covered. They were about three feet deep on the ground. There were quail in every direction as far as a man can walk in one day.

They went out and gathered quail all that day and all that night. And they gathered quail all the next day too! The smallest amount anyone gathered was 60 bushels. Then the people spread the quail meat all around the camp to dry in the sun.

Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses. They criticized him because he married an Ethiopian woman.

The Lord came down in the tall cloud and stood at the entrance to the Tent. He called out, "Aaron and Miriam!" They went to him.