Regler for påskehøjtiden
1De følgende forskrifter gav Herren til Moses i årets første måned,9,1 Årets første måned svarer til marts-april. året efter, at israelitterne havde forladt Egypten. På det tidspunkt opholdt de sig endnu i Sinaiørkenen. Herren sagde:
2-3„For fremtiden skal Israels folk hvert år fejre påske. På den 14. dag i årets første måned, når solen er gået ned, skal I holde højtid—og I må sørge for nøje at overholde alle mine befalinger for denne fest.”
4Så bekendtgjorde Moses for folket, at Herren havde befalet, at de nu skulle fejre påskefesten. 5Og festen blev fejret om aftenen på den 14. dag i den første måned efter alle de forskrifter, Herren havde givet. 6Men den dag festen skulle begynde, var der nogle mænd, som var blevet urene efter at have rørt ved et lig. Derfor kunne de ikke komme med deres påskelam, som jo skulle slagtes ved alteret udenfor helligdommen før solnedgang. Disse mænd kom så til Moses og Aron 7og sagde: „Vi er blevet urene ved et lig, så vi ikke kan træde frem for Herren. Hvorfor skal det hindre os i at bringe vores offergave til Herren på det fastsatte tidspunkt sammen med de andre israelitter?”
8Moses svarede: „Vent til jeg hører, hvad Herren har at sige om det.” 9Herrens svar til Moses lød:
10-11„Sig til israelitterne: Hvis nogen af jer eller jeres efterkommere er urene, når påskedagen kommer, fordi I har været i berøring med lig, kan I fejre påske den følgende måned, dvs. ved aftenstid den 14. dag i årets anden måned. Det samme gælder, hvis I er ude på en lang rejse i den første måned. Den aften kan I så spise påskelammet sammen med det usyrnede brød og de bitre urter, 12og I må ikke levne noget til næste morgen eller brække nogen af dyrets knogler. I skal på alle områder følge de normale regler for påskefesten.
13Men hvis nogen ikke er på rejse og heller ikke er uren, men alligevel nægter at bringe et påskeoffer til Herren på det fastsatte tidspunkt, så skal den person udryddes. Han må bære straffen for sin ulydighed. 14Hvis en af de fremmede, der bor iblandt jer, ønsker at fejre påske for Herren, skal han følge samme retningslinier som alle andre, for loven om påsken gælder både for indfødte israelitter og de fremmede iblandt jer.”
Skyen over helligdommen
15Den dag, boligen blev rejst, sænkede en sky sig over teltet med pagtens ark, så det hele blev overdækket af skyen. Om aftenen forvandledes skyen til noget, der lignede ild, og den blev stående over boligen hele natten.
16Sådan fortsatte det dag for dag: Om dagen lignede det en almindelig sky, og om natten lignede det en ildsky. 17Når skyen flyttede sig, fulgte folket efter. Når den standsede, slog de lejr dér. 18-20På den måde var det Herren, som bestemte, hvornår det var tid til opbrud, og hvornår det var tid til at slå lejr. Så længe skyen blev stående, brød folket ikke op—uanset om det var nogle få dage, eller det var i længere tid, for sådan ønskede Herren det. 21Somme tider blev skyen kun stående en enkelt nat, og så snart det blev morgen, løftede den sig. Til andre tider blev den stående hele den næste dag og natten med, 22eller den blev stående i to hele dage, en måned eller i længere tid. Uanset tidsrummet blev Israels folk boende i lejren så længe skyen forblev over boligen, og de brød op, når skyen løftede sig. 23Herren bestemte, hvornår det var tid at slå lejr, og hvornår det var tid at bryde op—og folket fulgte alle de befalinger, Herren havde givet Moses.
1And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.9.3 at even: Heb. between the two evenings 4And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.
6¶ And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: 7And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel? 8And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.
9¶ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 10Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. 11The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it. 13But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD; according to the ordinance of the passover, and according to the manner thereof, so shall he do: ye shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger, and for him that was born in the land.
15¶ And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. 16So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents. 18At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. 19And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.9.19 tarried…: Heb. prolonged 20And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 21And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.9.21 abode: Heb. was 22Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed. 23At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.