4. So Moses told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover,
5. and they celebrated it on the fourteenth day of the first month at dusk while they were in the Desert of Sinai. The Israelites did everything as the Lord had commanded Moses.
6. But there were some men who had become unclean from touching a dead body, and they couldn’t celebrate the Passover that day. They came to Moses and Aaron
7. and said, “We are unclean because we touched a dead body. Why won’t you let us bring our offerings to the Lord at the same time the rest of the Israelites bring their offerings?”
8. Moses answered them, “Wait here until I find out what the Lord commands you to do.”
9. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites:
10. Suppose you or any of your descendants is unclean from touching a dead body or is away on a long trip. You may still celebrate the Passover.
11. You will celebrate it on the fourteenth day of the second month at dusk. You must eat the Passover animal along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
12. You must never leave any of the meat until morning or break any of the animal’s bones. You must follow all the rules for the Passover when you celebrate it.
13. But if you are clean and not on a trip and yet don’t bother to celebrate the Passover, you must be excluded from the people. You didn’t bring your offering to the Lord at the right time. You must suffer the consequences for your sin.
14. “Foreigners living with you may want to celebrate the Lord’s Passover. They must follow these same rules and regulations. The same rules will apply to foreigners and native-born Israelites.”
15. On the day the tent of the words of God’s promise was set up, the ⌊column of⌋ smoke covered it. From evening until morning, the smoke over the tent glowed like fire.
16. The smoke always glowed this way. At night the smoke covering the tent glowed like fire.
17. Whenever the smoke moved from the tent, the Israelites would break camp, and wherever it stopped, the Israelites would set up camp.
18. At the Lord’s command the Israelites would break camp, and at his command they would set up camp. As long as the ⌊column of⌋ smoke stayed over the tent, they would stay in the same place.