modern fertlity rictual

 

When Struck by Night Luther Hughes

 

When Struck by Night

Luther Hughes

For our new apartment, which my mother may never see since slugging into that old person’s disease—I won’t bring myself to say it in writing—I bought a cactus and it’s beautiful, its soldier-green skin and feline-whiskered dress howls beneath the den light which encourages me to keep my big-boy jeans on. I know I look for answers everywhere. Everywhere there you are with your eyes a war-less country, a privilege we sometimes share. But tonight, there isn’t a country. Just a sky fussing. Anxious music. The classic duty of breath as we binge another episode of What Should I Do When You Want to Die. Sometimes, you fail to love me, I think I say, the math ain’t mathing—but what could you do? You’ve researched plants, I know, to find which could live without much gusto from its human. You pour yourself another glass of vodka, a shot of tequila for me. Who am I to think I’m too good for your anger—you were right… Come, let’s sour our swords together. Come, let morning waltz into our bedroom all cocky-like like it landlords the place. Come, let’s plunge forward, drunkenly in love, grab hold the darkness we become.

Copyright © 2021 by Luther Hughes. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 27, 2021, by the Academy of American Poets.

Numbers 8:1–12:16

  Numbers 8:1–12:16

Numbers 8-12

New American Standard Bible

The Seven Lamps

8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you [a]mount the lamps, the seven lamps will provide light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3 Therefore Aaron did so; he [b]mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 4 Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flower ornamentation it was hammered work; according to the [c]pattern which the Lord had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Cleansing the Levites

5 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 6 “Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7 This is what you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle [d]purifying water on them, and have them [e]use a razor over their whole [f]body, and they shall wash their clothes and cleanse themselves. 8 Then have them take a [g]bull with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and you shall take a second [h]bull as a sin offering. 9 So you shall present the Levites in front of the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10 and present the Levites before the Lord; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11 Aaron then shall [i]present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, so that they may [j]qualify to perform the service of the Lord. 12 Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then you are to offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to the Lord, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the Lord.

14 “So you shall single out the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering; 16 for they are exclusively given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of the firstborn of every womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17 For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the people and among the animals; on the day that I fatally struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified them for Myself. 18 But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as [k]a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no affliction among the sons of Israel due to [l]their approaching the sanctuary.”

20 So this is what Moses, Aaron, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel did to the Levites; according to everything that the Lord had commanded Moses regarding the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 21 The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and his sons; just as the Lord had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Retirement for the Levites

23 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “This is what applies to the Levites: from twenty-five years old and upward [m]they shall enter to perform service in the work of the tent of meeting. 25 But at the age of fifty years they shall [n]retire from service in the work and not work anymore. 26 They may, however, [o]assist their brothers in the tent of meeting, to fulfill an obligation, but they themselves shall do no work. In this way you shall deal with the Levites in their obligations.”

The Passover

9 Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Now the sons of Israel are to [p]celebrate the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, [q]at twilight, you shall celebrate it at its appointed time; you shall celebrate it in accordance with all its statutes and all its ordinances.” 4 So Moses [r]told the sons of Israel to celebrate the Passover. 5 And they celebrated the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did. 6 But there were some men who were unclean because of contact with a [s]dead person, so that they could not celebrate Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of a [t]dead person, why are we kept from presenting the offering of the Lord at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?” 8 Moses then said to them, “[u]Wait, and I will listen to what the Lord will command concerning you.”

9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead [v]person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, celebrate the Passover to the Lord. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall celebrate it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall not leave any of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; they shall celebrate it in accordance with the whole statute of the Passover. 13 But the person who is clean and is not on a journey, yet refrains from celebrating the Passover, that [w]person shall then be cut off from his people, because he did not present the offering of the Lord at its appointed time. That person will bear the responsibility for his sin. 14 And if a stranger resides among you and [x]celebrates the Passover to the Lord, according to the statute of the Passover and its ordinance, so he shall celebrate it; you shall have [y]the same statute, both for the stranger and for the native of the land.’”

The Cloud on the Tabernacle

15 Now on the day that the tabernacle was erected, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, and in the evening it was like the appearance of fire over the tabernacle until morning. 16 That is how it was continuously; the cloud would cover it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. 17 Whenever the cloud was lifted from over the tent, afterward the sons of Israel would set out; and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the sons of Israel would camp. 18 At the [z]command of the Lord the sons of Israel would set out, and at the [aa]command of the Lord they would camp; as long as the cloud settled over the tabernacle, they remained camped. 19 Even when the cloud lingered over the tabernacle for many days, [ab]the sons of Israel would comply with the Lord’s ordinance and not set out. 20 If [ac]sometimes the cloud remained a few days over the tabernacle, in accordance with the [ad]command of the Lord they remained camped. Then in accordance with the [ae]command of the Lord they set out. 21 If [af]sometimes the cloud [ag]remained from evening until morning, when the cloud was lifted in the morning they would set out; or if it remained in the daytime and at night, whenever the cloud was lifted, they would set out. 22 Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out. 23 At the [ah]command of the Lord they camped, and at the [ai]command of the Lord they set out; they did what the Lord required, in accordance with the [aj]command of the Lord through Moses.

The Silver Trumpets

10 The Lord spoke further to Moses, saying, 2 “Make yourself two trumpets of silver, you shall make them of hammered work; and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and breaking camp. 3 Now when both are blown, all the congregation shall meet you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 But if only one is blown, then the leaders, the heads of the [ak]divisions of Israel, shall meet you. 5 And when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out. 6 Then when you sound an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on the south side shall set out; an alarm is to be sounded for them to break camp. 7 When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow the trumpets without sounding an alarm. 8 The sons of Aaron, moreover, the priests, shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be a permanent statute for you throughout your generations. 9 And when you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, so that you will be thought of by the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies. 10 Also on the day of your joy and at your appointed [al]feasts, and on the first days of your months, you 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.”

The Tribes Leave Sinai

11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from above the [am]tabernacle of the testimony; 12 and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran. 13 So they moved on for the first time in accordance with the [an]command of the Lord through Moses. 14 The [ao]flag of the camp of the sons of Judah, by their armies, set out first, with Nahshon the son of Amminadab, over its army, 15 and Nethanel the son of Zuar, over the tribal army of the sons of Issachar; 16 and Eliab the son of Helon over the tribal army of the sons of Zebulun.

17 Then the tabernacle was taken down; and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. 18 Next the flag of the camp of Reuben, by their armies, set out with Elizur the son of Shedeur, over its army, 19 and Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai over the tribal army of the sons of Simeon, 20 and Eliasaph the son of Deuel was over the tribal army of the sons of Gad.

21 Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. 22 Next the flag of the camp of the sons of Ephraim, by their armies, set out, with Elishama the son of Ammihud over its army, 23 and Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur over the tribal army of the sons of Manasseh; 24 and Abidan the son of Gideoni over the tribal army of the sons of Benjamin.

25 Then the flag of the camp of the sons of Dan, by their armies, which formed the rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army, 26 and Pagiel the son of Ochran over the tribal army of the sons of Asher; 27 and Ahira the son of Enan over the tribal army of the sons of Naphtali. 28 [ap]This was the order of marching for the sons of Israel by their armies as they set out.

29 Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will do you good, for the Lord has [aq]promised good concerning Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not come, but rather will go to my own land and relatives.” 31 Then he said, “Please do not leave us, since you know [ar]where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will be as eyes for us. 32 So it will be, if you go with us, that [as]whatever good the Lord [at]does for us, we will [au]do for you.”

33 So they moved on from the mountain of the Lord three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord going on in front of them for the [av]three days, to seek out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.

35 Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said,

“Rise up, Lord!
And may Your enemies be scattered,
And those who hate You flee from Your presence.”

36 And when it came to rest, he said,

“Return, Lord,
To the myriad thousands of Israel.”

The People Complain

11 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord heard them and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp. 2 The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire [aw]died out. 3 So that place was named [ax]Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 Now the rabble who were among them [ay]had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “Who will give us [az]meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our [ba]appetite is gone. There is nothing at all [bb]to look at except this manna!”

7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of [bc]bdellium. 8 The people would roam about and gather it and grind it [bd]between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of [be]cake baked with oil. 9 When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down [bf]with it.

The Complaint of Moses

10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the Lord became very hot, and [bg]Moses was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You [bh]been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them [bi]in your arms, as a [bj]nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too [bk]burdensome for me. 15 So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”

Seventy Elders to Assist Moses

16 The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself. 18 And you shall say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, “[bl]Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 [bm]but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and [bn]makes you nauseated; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am included, are six hundred thousand on foot! Yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 Are flocks and herds to be slaughtered for them, so that it will be sufficient for them? Or are all the fish of the sea to be [bo]caught for them, so that it will be sufficient for them?” 23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s [bp]power too little? Now you shall see whether My word will [bq]come true for you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He also gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and positioned them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.

26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the [br]other, Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. 27 So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses [bs]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31 Now a wind burst forth from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and dropped them beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side all around the camp, and about [bt]two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 32 And the people [bu]spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered [bv]ten homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. 34 So that place was named [bw]Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they [bx]remained at Hazeroth.

The Murmuring of Miriam and Aaron

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman); 2 and they said, “Is it a fact that the Lord has spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And the Lord heard this. 3 (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any person who was on the face of the earth.) 4 And the Lord suddenly said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “You three go out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent; and He called Aaron and Miriam. When they had both come forward, 6 He said,

“Now hear My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, will make Myself known to him in a vision.
I will speak with him in a dream.
7 It is not this way for My servant Moses;
He is faithful in all My household;
8 With him I speak mouth to mouth,
That is, openly, and not [by]using [bz]mysterious language,
And he beholds the form of the Lord.
So why were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

9 And the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. 10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from above the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11 Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not [ca]hold us responsible for this sin by which we have turned out to be foolish, and by which we have sinned. 12 Oh, do not let her be like a dead person, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb!” 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “God, heal her, please!” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had only spit in her face, would she not be put to shame for seven days? Have her shut outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she may be received again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was received again.

16 Afterward, however, the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.