Font Size
Exodus 23:14-25:40
Contemporary English Version
Exodus 23:14-25:40
Contemporary English Version
Three Annual Festivals
(Exodus 34.18-26; Deuteronomy 16.1-17)
The Lord said:
14 Celebrate three festivals each year in my honor.
15 (A) Celebrate the Festival of Thin Bread by eating bread made without yeast, just as I have commanded.[a] Do this at the proper time during the month of Abib,[b] because it is the month when you left Egypt. And make certain that everyone brings the proper offerings.
16 (B) Celebrate the Harvest Festival[c] each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters[d] each autumn when you pick your fruit.
17 Your men must come to these three festivals each year to worship me.
18 Do not offer bread made with yeast when you sacrifice an animal to me. And make sure that the fat of the animal is burned that same day.
19 (C) Each year bring the best part of your first harvest to the place of worship.
Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
A Promise and a Warning
The Lord said:
20 I am sending an angel to protect you and to lead you into the land I have ready for you. 21 Carefully obey everything the angel says, because I am giving him complete authority, and he won't tolerate rebellion. 22 If you faithfully obey him, I will be a fierce enemy of your enemies. 23 My angel will lead you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. 24 Don't worship their gods or follow their customs. Instead, destroy their idols and shatter their stone images.
25 Worship only me, the Lord your God! I will bless you with plenty of food and water and keep you strong. 26 Your women will give birth to healthy children, and everyone will live a long life.
27 I will terrify those nations and make your enemies so confused that they will run from you. 28 I will make the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites panic as you approach. 29 But I won't do all this in the first year, because the land would become poor, and wild animals would be everywhere. 30 Instead, I will force out your enemies little by little and give your nation time to grow strong enough to take over the land.
31 I will see that your borders reach from the Red Sea[e] to the Euphrates River and from the Mediterranean Sea to the desert. I will let you defeat the people who live there, and you will force them out of the land. 32 But you must not make any agreements with them or with their gods. 33 Don't let them stay in your land. They will trap you into sinning against me and worshiping their gods.
The People Agree To Obey God
24 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on this mountain. Bring along Aaron, as well as his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of Israel's leaders. They must worship me at a distance, 2 but you are to come near. Don't let anyone else come up.”
3 Moses gave the Lord's instructions to the people, and they all promised, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded!” 4 Then Moses wrote down what the Lord had said.
The next morning Moses got up early. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up a large stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He also sent some young men to burn offerings and to sacrifice bulls as special offerings[f] to the Lord. 6 Moses put half of the blood from the animals into bowls and sprinkled the rest on the altar. 7 Then he read aloud the Lord's commands and promises, and the people shouted, “We will obey the Lord and do everything he has commanded!”
8 (D) Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them, “With this blood the Lord makes his agreement with you.”
9 Moses and Aaron, together with Nadab and Abihu and the 70 leaders, went up the mountain 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something that looked like a pavement made out of sapphire,[g] and it was as bright as the sky.
11 Even though these leaders of Israel saw God, he did not punish them. So they ate and drank.
Moses on Mount Sinai
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up on the mountain and stay here for a while. I will give you the two flat stones on which I have written the laws that my people must obey.” 13 Moses and Joshua his assistant got ready, then Moses started up the mountain to meet with God.
14 Moses had told the leaders, “Wait here until we come back. Aaron and Hur will be with you, and they can settle any arguments while we are away.”
15 When Moses went up on Mount Sinai, a cloud covered it, 16 and the bright glory of the Lord came down and stayed there. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the Lord told Moses to come into the cloud. 17-18 (E) Moses did so and stayed there 40 days and nights. To the people, the Lord's glory looked like a blazing fire on top of the mountain.
The Sacred Tent
(Exodus 35.4-9)
25 The Lord said to Moses:
2 Tell everyone in Israel who wants to give gifts that they must bring them to you. 3 Here is a list of what you are to collect: Gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and red wool; fine linen; goat hair; 5 tanned ram skins; fine leather; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the lamp; sweet-smelling spices to mix with the incense and with the oil for dedicating the tent and ordaining the priests; 7 and onyx[h] stones and other gems for the sacred vest and the breastpiece. 8 I also want them to build a special place where I can live among my people. 9 Make it and its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
The Sacred Chest
(Exodus 37.1-9)
The Lord said to Moses:
10 Tell the people to build a chest of acacia wood 110 centimeters long, 66 centimeters wide, and 66 centimeters high. 11 Cover it inside and out with pure gold and put a gold edging around the lid. 12 Make four gold rings and attach one of them to each of the four legs of the chest. 13 Make two poles of acacia wood. Cover them with gold 14 and put them through the rings, so the chest can be carried by the poles. 15 Don't ever remove the poles from the rings. 16 When I give you the Ten Commandments written on two flat stones, put them inside the chest.
17 (F) Make the lid of the chest out of pure gold. 18-19 Then hammer out two winged creatures of pure gold and fasten them to the lid at the ends of the chest. 20 The creatures must face each other with their wings spread over the chest. 21 Inside it place the two flat stones with the Ten Commandments on them and put the gold lid on top of the chest. 22 I will meet you there[i] between the two creatures and tell you what my people must do and what they must not do.
The Table for the Sacred Bread
(Exodus 37.10-16)
The Lord said:
23 Make a table of acacia wood 88 centimeters long, 44 centimeters wide, and 66 centimeters high. 24-25 Cover it with pure gold and put a gold edging around it with a border 75 millimeters thick.[j] 26 Make four gold rings and attach one to each of the legs 27-28 near the edging. The poles for carrying the table are to be placed through these rings and are to be made of acacia wood covered with gold. 29-30 (G) The table is to be kept in the holy place, and the sacred loaves of bread must always be on it. All bowls, plates, jars, and cups for wine offerings are to be made of pure gold and set on this table.
The Lampstand
(Exodus 37.17-24)
The Lord said:
31 Make a lampstand of pure gold. The whole lampstand, including its decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered gold 32 with three branches on each of its two sides. 33 There are to be three decorative almond blossoms on each branch 34 and four on the stem. 35 There must also be a blossom where each pair of branches comes out from the stem. 36 The lampstand, including its branches and decorative flowers, must be made from a single piece of hammered pure gold. 37 The lamp on the top and those at the end of each of its six branches must be made so as to shine toward the front of the lampstand. 38 The tongs and trays for taking care of the lamps are to be made of pure gold. 39 The lampstand and its equipment will require 35 kilograms of pure gold, 40 (H) and they must be made according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain.
Footnotes
- 23.15 as I have commanded: See 12.14-20.
- 23.15 Abib: See the note at 12.2.
- 23.16 Harvest Festival: Traditionally called the “Festival of Weeks” and known in New Testament times as “Pentecost.”
- 23.16 Festival of Shelters: The Hebrew text has “Festival of Ingathering” (so also in 34.22), which was the final harvesting of crops and fruits before the autumn rains began. But the usual name was “Festival of Shelters.”
- 23.31 Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, here referring to the Gulf of Aqaba, since the term is extended to include the northeastern arm of the Red Sea (see also the note at 13.18).
- 24.5 special offerings: Often translated “peace offerings,” which were to make peace between God and his people, who ate certain parts of the sacrificed animal.
- 24.10 sapphire: A precious stone, blue in color.
- 25.7 onyx: A precious stone with bands of different colors.
- 25.22 I will meet you there: It was believed that God had his earthly throne on the lid of the sacred chest.
- 25.24,25 a gold edging … thick: Or “a gold edging around it 75 millimeters thick.”
Exodus 23:14-25:40
New International Version
Exodus 23:14-25:40
New International Version
The Three Annual Festivals
14 “Three times(A) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.
15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(B) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(C) for in that month you came out of Egypt.
“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(D)
16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(E) with the firstfruits(F) of the crops you sow in your field.
“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(G) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(H)
17 “Three times(I) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.
18 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.(J)
“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.(K)
19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(L) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.
“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.(M)
God’s Angel to Prepare the Way
20 “See, I am sending an angel(N) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.(O) 21 Pay attention to him and listen(P) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive(Q) your rebellion,(R) since my Name(S) is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do(T) all that I say, I will be an enemy(U) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,(V) and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship(W) them or follow their practices.(X) You must demolish(Y) them and break their sacred stones(Z) to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God,(AA) and his blessing(AB) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness(AC) from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren(AD) in your land. I will give you a full life span.(AE)
27 “I will send my terror(AF) ahead of you and throw into confusion(AG) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.(AH) 28 I will send the hornet(AI) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites(AJ) out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals(AK) too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession(AL) of the land.
31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[a] to the Mediterranean Sea,[b] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(AM) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(AN) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(AO) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(AP) to you.”
The Covenant Confirmed
24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,(AQ) Nadab and Abihu,(AR) and seventy of the elders(AS) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, 2 but Moses alone is to approach(AT) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”
3 When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,(AU) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”(AV) 4 Moses then wrote(AW) down everything the Lord had said.
He got up early the next morning and built an altar(AX) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars(AY) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings(AZ) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings(BA) to the Lord. 6 Moses(BB) took half of the blood(BC) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed(BD) against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant(BE) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”(BF)
8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people(BG) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant(BH) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders(BI) of Israel went up 10 and saw(BJ) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,(BK) as bright blue as the sky.(BL) 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw(BM) God, and they ate and drank.(BN)
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone(BO) with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
13 Then Moses set out with Joshua(BP) his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain(BQ) of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur(BR) are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute(BS) can go to them.”
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud(BT) covered it, 16 and the glory(BU) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.(BV) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.(BW) 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire(BX) on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty(BY) days and forty nights.(BZ)
Offerings for the Tabernacle(CA)
25 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts(CB) them to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn(CC) and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[c];(CD) acacia wood;(CE) 6 olive oil(CF) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;(CG) 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod(CH) and breastpiece.(CI)
8 “Then have them make a sanctuary(CJ) for me, and I will dwell(CK) among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern(CL) I will show you.
The Ark(CM)
10 “Have them make an ark[d](CN) of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[e] 11 Overlay(CO) it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings(CP) on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(CQ) 14 Insert the poles(CR) into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.(CS) 16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law,(CT) which I will give you.
17 “Make an atonement cover(CU) of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim(CV) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim(CW) are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing(CX) the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark(CY) and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law(CZ) that I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim(DA) that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet(DB) with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.(DC)
The Table(DD)
23 “Make a table(DE) of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.[f] 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. 25 Also make around it a rim a handbreadth[g] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 26 Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. 27 The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold(DF) and carry the table with them. 29 And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.(DG) 30 Put the bread of the Presence(DH) on this table to be before me at all times.
The Lampstand(DI)
31 “Make a lampstand(DJ) of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 35 One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.(DK)
37 “Then make its seven lamps(DL) and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. 38 Its wick trimmers and trays(DM) are to be of pure gold. 39 A talent[h] of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. 40 See that you make them according to the pattern(DN) shown you on the mountain.
Footnotes
- Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
- Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines
- Exodus 25:5 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
- Exodus 25:10 That is, a chest
- Exodus 25:10 That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 17
- Exodus 25:23 That is, about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/4 feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters wide and 68 centimeters high
- Exodus 25:25 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters
- Exodus 25:39 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.