Numbers 10
The Silver Trumpets
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for asummoning the congregation and for breaking camp. 3 And when aboth are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 But if they blow only one, then athe chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. 5 When you blow an alarm, athe camps that are on the east side shall set out. 6 And when you blow an alarm the second time, athe camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. 7 But when the assembly is to be gathered together, ayou shall blow a long blast, but you shall not bsound an alarm. 8 aAnd the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 9 And awhen you go to war in your land against the adversary who boppresses you, then you shall csound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be dremembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. 10 aOn the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and bat the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be ca reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.”
Israel Leaves Sinai
11 In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, athe cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, 12 and the people of Israel aset out by stages from the bwilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the cwilderness of Paran. 13 They set out for the first time aat the command of the Lord by Moses. 14 The standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out afirst by their companies, and over their company was bNahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was Nethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was Eliab the son of Helon.
17 And when athe tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, bwho carried the tabernacle, set out. 18 And athe standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was bElizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was aShelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was aEliasaph the son of bDeuel.
21 Then the Kohathites set out, acarrying the holy things, and bthe tabernacle was set up before their arrival. 22 And athe standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was bElishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was aGamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was aAbidan the son of Gideoni.
25 Then athe standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the brear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was cAhiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was aPagiel the son of Ochran. 27 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was aAhira the son of Enan. 28 aThis was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.
29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of aReuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, b‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for cthe Lord has promised good to Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve aas eyes for us. 32 And if you do go with us, awhatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”
33 So they set out from athe mount of the Lord three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out ba resting place for them. 34 aAnd the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.
35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, a“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” 36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.