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The Lord spoke further to Moses, saying,
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"Make yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work you shall make them; and you shall use them for asummoning the congregation and for having the camps set out.
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"aWhen both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
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"Yet if only one is blown, then the aleaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall assemble before you.
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"But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched aon the east side shall set out.
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"When you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on athe south side shall set out; an alarm is to be blown for them to set out.
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"When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without asounding an alarm.
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"aThe priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout your generations.
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"When you go to war in your land against the adversary who aattacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be bremembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies.
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"Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on the first days of your months, ayou shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God."
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Now in athe second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony;
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and the sons of Israel set out on atheir journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the bwilderness of Paran.
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aSo they moved out for the first time according to the commandment of the Lord through Moses.
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The standard of the camp of the sons of Judah, according to their armies, aset out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army,
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and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar;
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and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.
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aThen the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out.
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Next athe standard of the camp of Reuben, according to their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army,
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and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon,
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and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.
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aThen the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and bthe tabernacle was set up before their arrival.
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aNext the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, according to their armies, was set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army,
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and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh;
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and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.
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aThen the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, according to their armies, which formed the brear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army,
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and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher;
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and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali.
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This was the order of march of the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.
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Then Moses said to aHobab the son of bReuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, 'cI will give it to you'; dcome with us and we will do you good, for the Lord ehas promised good concerning Israel."
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But he said to him, "aI will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives."
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Then he said, "Please do not leave us, inasmuch as you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you awill be as eyes for us.
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"So it will be, if you go with us, that awhatever good the Lord does for us, bwe will do for you."
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aThus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days' journey, with bthe ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in front of them for the three days, to seek out ca resting place for them.
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aThe cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
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Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said,