Israel Camps at Sinai

19 Exactly three months after the Israelites had left Egypt, ·they [^Lthe sons/^Tchildren of Israel] ·reached [came to] the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai. ² When they left Rephidim, they came to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai and camped in the ·desert [wilderness] in front of the mountain. ³ Then Moses went up on the mountain to God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Say this to the ·family [^Lhouse] of Jacob, and tell the ·people [sons; children] of Israel: ⁴ ‘Every one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried you out of Egypt, as if on eagle’s wings [^CGod protected and guided them; Deut. 32:11]. And I brought you here to me. ⁵ So now if you ·obey me [^Llisten to my voice] and keep my ·agreement [covenant; treaty], you will be my own possession [special treasure], chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine, ⁶ you will be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation [^Cset apart to serve God and bring others to him; Gen. 12:1–3].’ You must tell the ·Israelites [^Lthe sons/^Tchildren of Israel] these words.”

⁷ So Moses went down and called the elders of the people together. He told them all the words the Lord had commanded him to say. ⁸ All the people answered together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” Then Moses took ·their answer [^Lthe words of the people] back to the Lord.

⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a ·thick [dense] cloud and speak to you. The people will hear me speaking with you and will always trust you.” Then Moses told the Lord ·what the people had said [^Lthe words of the people].

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and have them ·spend today and tomorrow preparing themselves [consecrate/sanctify themselves today and tomorrow]. They must wash their clothes ¹¹ and be ready by the ·day after tomorrow [^Lthird day]. On that day I, the Lord, will come down on Mount Sinai, and all the people will see me. ¹² But you must set a ·limit around the mountain that the people are not to cross [^Lboundary around the people]. ·Tell [Warn] them not to go up on the mountain and not to touch the ·foot [edge] of it. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death ¹³ with stones or shot with arrows. No one is allowed to touch him [^Ctouching a dead body rendered a person ritually unclean; Num. 5:2]. Whether it is a person or an animal, he will not live. But the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] will make a long blast, and only then may the people go up on the mountain.”

¹⁴ After Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he made them ·prepare themselves for service to God [consecrate/sanctify themselves], and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ Then Moses said to the people, “Be ready in three days. Do not ·have sexual relations during this time [^Ltouch a woman; ^Can emission of semen rendered a man ritually unclean; Lev. 15:16–18].”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud on the mountain. There was a very loud blast from a ·trumpet [ram’s horn], ·and [or so that] all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Then Moses ·led [brought] the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord came down on it in fire. The smoke rose from the mountain like smoke from a ·furnace [kiln], and the whole mountain ·shook wildly [trembled]. ¹⁹ The ·sound [blast] from the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] became louder. Then Moses spoke, and ·the voice of [or in thunder] God answered him.

²⁰ When the Lord came down on top of Mount Sinai, he ·called [invited] Moses to come up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people that they must not ·force their way [break] through to see me. If they do, many of them will ·die [^Lfall]. ²² Even the priests, who may ·come near [approach] me, must first ·prepare [consecrate; sanctify] themselves. If they don’t, I, the Lord, will ·punish [^Lbreak out against] them.”

²³ Moses told the Lord, “The people cannot come up on Mount Sinai, because you yourself ·told [warned] us, ‘Set a ·limit [boundary] around the mountain, and ·set it apart as holy [consecrate/sanctify it].’”

²⁴ The Lord said to him, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you, but don’t allow the priests or the people to ·force their way [break] through. They must not come up to the Lord, or I will ·punish [^Lbreak out against] them.”

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them these things.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt ·where you were slaves [^Lfrom the house of bondage].

³ “You must not have any other gods ·except [or before] me.

⁴ “You must not make for yourselves an idol that looks like anything in the ·sky [heavens] above or on the earth below or in the water below the ·land [earth]. ⁵ You must not worship or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. ·If you hate me, I will punish your children, and even your grandchildren and great-grandchildren [^LI will visit/punish the guilt of the fathers on the sons/^Tchildren until the third and fourth generations of those who hate me]. ⁶ But I show kindness to ·thousands [or thousands of generations of those] who love me and obey my commands.

⁷ “You must not ·use the name of the Lord your God thoughtlessly [take/lift up the name of the Lord your God in vain]; the Lord will ·punish [^Lnot hold/treat as innocent; not acquit] anyone who ·misuses [takes in vain] his name.

⁸ “Remember to ·keep the Sabbath holy [consecrate/sanctify the Sabbath]. ⁹ Work and get everything done during six days each week, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a ·day of rest to honor [Sabbath to] the Lord your God. On that day no one may do any work: not you, your son or daughter, your male or female slaves, your animals, or the ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] living in your ·cities [^Lgates]. ¹¹ The reason is that in six days the Lord made everything—the ·sky [heavens], the earth, the sea, and everything in them. On the seventh day he rested. So the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and ·made it holy [consecrated/sanctified it].

¹² “Honor your father and your mother so that you will live ·a long time [^Lfor many days] in the land that the Lord your God is going to give you.

¹³ “You must not murder anyone.

¹⁴ “You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery.

¹⁵ “You must not steal.

¹⁶ “You must not ·tell lies about [bear false witness against] your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You must not ·want to take [covet] your neighbor’s house. You must not ·want [covet] his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor [^Cthis commandment internalizes previous commandments].”

¹⁸ When the people heard the thunder and the ·trumpet [ram’s horn], and when they saw the lightning and the smoke rising from the mountain, they ·shook with fear [trembled] and stood far away from the mountain. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”

²⁰ Then Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come to test you. He wants ·you to respect him [^Lto put the fear of him on you] so you will not sin.”

²¹ The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went near the dark cloud where God was. ²² Then the Lord told Moses to say these things to the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel]: “You yourselves have seen that I talked with you from heaven. ²³ You must not use gold or silver to make idols for yourselves; do not worship these gods in addition to me.

²⁴ “Make an altar of dirt for me, and sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings [Lev. 1] and ·fellowship [or peace; Lev. 3] offerings, your sheep and your cattle. Worship me in every place that I choose, and I will come and bless you. ²⁵ If you use stones to make an altar for me, don’t use ·stones that you have shaped with tools [hewn/cut stones]. When you use any ·tools [chisel] on them, you ·make them unsuitable for use in worship [profane them]. ²⁶ And you must not go up to my altar on steps, or ·people will be able to see under your clothes [^Lyour nakedness will be exposed on it; ^Cmeant to avoid a Canaanite-style fertility worship].”

Laws for Living

21 Then God said to Moses, “These are the ·laws for living [regulations] that you will ·give to the Israelites [^Lset before them]:

² “·If [or When] you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years. In the seventh year you are to set him free, ·and he will have to pay nothing [with no debt]. ³ If he ·is not married when he becomes your slave [^Lcame single/alone], he must leave ·without a wife [^Lsingle; alone]. But if he ·is married when he becomes your slave [^Lcomes in with a wife], he may ·take [^Lgo out with] his wife with him. ⁴ If the slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master. ·When the slave is set free, only he may leave [^LHe will go out single/alone].

⁵ “But if the slave says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, and I don’t want to go free,’ ⁶ then the slave’s master must take him to ·God [^Tthe judges; ^CHebrew: Elohim]. The master is to take him to a door or ·doorframe [doorpost] and ·punch a hole through [pierce] the slave’s ear using ·a sharp tool [an awl]. Then the slave will serve that master all his life.

⁷ “·If [or When] a man sells his daughter as a slave, ·the rules for setting her free are different from the rules for setting the male slaves free [^Lshe will not go out like male slaves go out]. ⁸ If ·the master wanted to marry her but then decided he was not pleased with her [^Lshe does not please her master who designated her for himself], he must let ·one of her close relatives buy her back [^Lher be redeemed]. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly. ⁹ If the man ·who bought her promises to let the woman marry [^Ldesignated her for] his son, he must ·treat her as [give her the rights of] a daughter. ¹⁰ If ·the man who bought her marries another woman [he takes another wife], he must not ·keep his first wife from having [deprive her of] food or clothing or ·sexual relations [marital rights]. ¹¹ If he does not give her these three things, she may go free, ·and she owes him no money [^Lwith no debt; Lev. 25:39–43; Deut. 15:12–18].

Laws About Injuries

¹² “Anyone who ·hits [strikes] a person and kills him must be put to death. ¹³ But if a person kills someone ·accidentally [without premeditation], God allowed that to happen, so ·the person must go to a place I will choose [^LI will appoint for you a place to which the person may flee; Josh. 20:1–9]. ¹⁴ But if someone plans and murders another person on purpose, put him to death, even if he has run to my altar for safety.

¹⁵ “Anyone who ·hits [strikes] his father or his mother must be put to death.

¹⁶ “Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or ·still has him when he is caught [^Lhe is found in his hand] must be put to death.

¹⁷ “Anyone who ·says cruel things to [curses] his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸ “If two men ·argue [quarrel; contend], and one hits ·the other [^Lhis neighbor] with a rock or with his ·fist [or tool], the one who is hurt but not killed might have to stay in bed. ¹⁹ Later if he is able to get up and walk around outside with his ·walking stick [staff], the one who hit him ·is not to be punished [has no liability]. But he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time, and he must support the injured man until he is completely healed.

²⁰ “If a man ·beats [strikes] his male or female slave with a ·stick [rod], and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished. ²¹ But if the slave gets well after a day or two, the owner will not be punished since the slave belongs to him.

²² “Suppose two men are fighting and ·hit [injure] a pregnant woman, causing ·the baby to come out [or a miscarriage; ^Cthe Hebrew is not clear whether dead or alive]. If there is no further ·injury [harm], the man who caused the accident must pay money—whatever amount the woman’s husband says and the court allows. ²³ But if there is further ·injury [harm], then ·the punishment that must be paid is [^Lyou shall give] life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise [^Cto guard against excessive punishment].

²⁶ “If a man ·hits [strikes] his male or female slave in the eye, and ·the eye is blinded [^Ldestroys it], the man is to free the slave to pay for the eye. ²⁷ If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.

²⁸ “If a man’s ·bull [ox] kills a man or woman, you must kill that bull by ·throwing stones at [stoning] it, and you should not eat ·the bull [^Lits meat]. But the owner of the bull is ·not guilty [innocent]. ²⁹ However, suppose the ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] people in the past and the owner, though warned, did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it]. Then if it kills a man or woman, the ·bull [ox] must be stoned to death, and the owner must also be put to death. ³⁰ But if ·the family of the dead person accepts money [^La ransom is imposed on him], the owner of the bull must pay whatever is demanded ·to buy back his life [for his redemption]. ³¹ Use this same ·law [rule] if the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a person’s son or daughter. ³² If the ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] a male or female slave, the owner must pay the master ·the price for a new slave, or twelve ounces [^Lthirty shekels] of silver, and the ·bull [ox] must also be stoned to death.

³³ “If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man’s ox or donkey comes and falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit must ·pay [compensate] the owner of the animal for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the one who pays.

³⁵ “If a man’s ·bull [ox] ·kills [gores] another man’s ·bull [ox] and it dies, they must sell the ·bull [ox] that is alive. Both men will get half of the money and half of the bull that was killed. ³⁶ But if a person’s ·bull [ox] has ·hurt [gored] other animals in the past and the owner did not ·keep it in a pen [restrain/confine it], that owner must pay bull for bull, and the dead animal is his.

Property Laws

22 “If a man steals a ·bull [ox] or a sheep and ·kills [slaughters] or sells it, he must ·pay back [compensate] five ·bulls [oxen] for the one bull he stole and four sheep for the one sheep he stole.

“The robber who is caught must ·pay back what he stole [make restitution]. If he owns nothing, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. If the stolen animal is found alive with the robber, he must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole, whether it was a ·bull [ox], donkey, or sheep.

“If a thief is killed while breaking into a house at night, the one who killed him is not guilty of ·murder [bloodshed]. But if this happens ·during the day [^Lafter the sun is risen], he is guilty of ·murder [bloodshed].

⁵ “If a man lets his farm animal graze in his field or vineyard, and it wanders into another man’s field or vineyard, the owner of the animal must ·pay back the loss [make restitution] from the best of his ·crop [^Lfield and from the best of his vineyard].

⁶ “Suppose a man starts a fire that ·spreads through the thornbushes to his neighbor’s field [^Lcatches in the thorns]. If the fire burns ·his neighbor’s growing [^Lthe standing] grain or grain that has been stacked, or if it burns his whole field, the person who started the fire must pay ·for what was burned [full restitution].

⁷ “Suppose a man gives his neighbor money or other things ·to keep for him [for safekeeping] and those things are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole. ⁸ But if the thief is never ·found [caught], the owner of the house must ·make a promise [^Lbe brought] before ·God [or the judges] that he has not ·stolen [^Lsent out his hand toward] his neighbor’s things.

⁹ “Suppose ·two men disagree about who owns something [^Lthere is a matter/report of transgression]—whether ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or something else that is lost. If each says, ‘This is mine,’ each man must bring his case ·to God [or before the judges]. ·God’s judges [^LGod; ^TThe judges; ^CHebrew: Elohim] will decide who is guilty, and that person must pay the other man twice as much as the object is worth.

¹⁰ “Suppose a man ·asks [^Lgives] his neighbor to ·keep [safeguard] his donkey, ox, sheep, or some other animal for him, and that animal dies, gets ·hurt [injured; ^Lbroken], or is taken away, without anyone seeing what happened. ¹¹ ·That neighbor must promise before the Lord [^LAn oath before God will decide] that he did not ·harm or kill [^Lsend his hand against] the other man’s animal, and the owner of the animal must accept ·his promise made before God [the oath]. The neighbor does not have to ·pay the owner for the animal [make restitution]. ¹² But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, ·he must pay the owner for it [restitutiton must be made to the owner]. ¹³ If wild animals killed it, the neighbor must bring ·the body [^Lit] as proof, and ·he will not have to pay for the animal that was killed [^Lrestitution will not be made for the torn-up remains].

¹⁴ “If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it gets ·hurt [injured; ^Lbroken] or dies while the owner is not there, the one who borrowed it must pay [^Lrestitution to] the owner for the animal. ¹⁵ But if the owner is with the animal, the one who borrowed it does not ·have to pay [make restitution]. If the animal was ·rented [hired], the ·rental [hiring] price covers the loss.

Laws and Relationships

¹⁶ “Suppose a man finds a woman who is not ·pledged [engaged] to be married and ·has never had sexual relations with a man [^Lis a virgin]. If he ·tricks [or seduces] her into having sexual relations with him, he must give ·her family the payment to marry [^Lthe bride-price for] her, and she will become his wife. ¹⁷ But if her father refuses to allow his daughter to marry him, the man must still give the usual ·payment for a bride who has never had sexual relations [bride-price for a virgin].

¹⁸ “·Put to death any woman who does evil magic [^LYou shall not let a female sorceress live].

¹⁹ “Put to death anyone who ·has sexual relations [^Llies] with an animal.

²⁰ “·Destroy completely [Devote to destruction; Put under the ban] any person who makes a sacrifice to any god except the Lord.

²¹ “Do not ·cheat [wrong; maltreat] or ·hurt [oppress] a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien], because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] in the land of Egypt.

²² “Do not ·cheat [abuse; ^Lafflict] a widow or an orphan. ²³ If you ·do [cheat; abuse; ^Lafflict], and they cry out to me for help, I certainly will ·hear [or act on] their cry. ²⁴ And I will be very angry and kill you ·in war [^Lwith the sword]. Then your wives will become widows, and your children will become orphans.

²⁵ “If you lend money to one of my people who is poor, do not treat him as a ·moneylender [creditor] would. ·Charge him nothing for using your money [^LTake no interest; Lev. 25:36–37; Deut. 23:19; Ps. 15:5]. ²⁶ If your neighbor gives you his coat as ·a promise for the money he owes you [collateral], you must give it back to him by sunset, ²⁷ because his coat is the only cover to keep his body warm. He has nothing else to sleep in. If he cries out to me for help, I will ·hear [or act], because I am ·merciful [gracious; compassionate].

²⁸ “You must not ·speak against [revile; trifle with; disrespect] God or curse a leader of your people.

²⁹ “Do not hold back your offering from the first of your harvest and the first wine that you make. Also, you must give me your firstborn sons. ³⁰ You must do the same with your ·bulls [oxen] and your sheep. Let the firstborn males stay with their mothers for seven days, and on the eighth day you must give them to me.

³¹ “You are to be my ·holy [consecrated; sanctified; set-apart] people. You must not eat the meat of any animal that has been ·killed [torn up] by wild animals. Instead, ·give [^Lthrow] it to the dogs.

Laws About Fairness

23 “You must not ·tell lies [^Lgive a false report]. If you are a witness in court, ·don’t help [^Lyou shall not set hands with] a wicked person ·by telling lies [with a false/violent/malicious witness].

² “You must not ·do wrong just because everyone else is doing it [follow the crowd in evil]. ·If you are a witness in court, you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is [^LYou are not to give testimony in an accusation by siding with everyone else in order to distort justice]. ³ ·If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor [^LYou must not be partial to a poor person in his dispute/lawsuit].

⁴ “If you ·see [^Lencounter] your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. ⁵ If you see that ·your enemy’s donkey [^Lthe donkey of one who hates you] has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must ·help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet [set it free; or rearrange its load].

⁶ “You must not ·be unfair to [pervert the justice of] a poor person when he is in court. ⁷ ·You must not lie when you accuse someone in court [^LKeep yourself far from a false charge/report]. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment, because I will not ·treat guilty people as if they were innocent [acquit the guilty].

⁸ “You must not accept ·money from a person who wants you to lie in court [^La bribe], because ·such money will not let you see what is right [^La bribe blinds officials; Prov. 15:27; 17:8; 18:16]. Such money ·makes good people tell lies [undermines the cause of the righteous].

⁹ “You must not ·mistreat [oppress] a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien]. You know how it feels to be a ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien], because you were ·foreigners [sojourners; resident aliens] in Egypt [22:21].

Laws for the Sabbath

¹⁰ “For six years you are to ·plant [sow] and harvest crops on your land. ¹¹ Then during the seventh year, ·do not plow or plant your land [^Lyou will let it lie fallow and untilled]. If any food grows there, allow the poor people to have it, and let the wild animals eat what is left. You should do the same with your vineyards and your orchards of olive trees [Lev. 25:1–7].

¹² “You should work six days a week, but on the seventh day you must ·rest [stop]. This lets your ox and your donkey rest, and it also lets the slave born in your house and the ·foreigner [sojourner; resident alien] be refreshed.

¹³ “Be sure to do all that I have said to you. You must not ·even say [invoke; bring to mind] the names of other gods; those names must not ·come out of [^Lbe heard from] your mouth.

Three Yearly Feasts

¹⁴ “Three times each year you must ·hold a feast to honor me [hold a festival; or make a pilgrimage for me]. ¹⁵ You must celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Unleavened Bread [34:18] in the way I commanded you. For seven days you must eat ·bread that is made without yeast [unleavened bread] at the set time during the month of Abib [13:4], the month when you came out of Egypt. No one is to ·come to worship [appear before] me ·without bringing an offering [empty-handed].

¹⁶ “You must celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Harvest [^Ccalled Feast of Weeks in 34:22; later called Pentecost]. Offer to God the first things you harvest from the crops you planted in your fields.

“You must celebrate the ·Feast [Festival] of Ingathering [^Clater called Feast of Shelters or Booths; Lev. 23:33–36] in the fall, when you gather all the crops from your fields.

¹⁷ “So three times during every year all your males must come ·to worship [^Lbefore] the Lord God.

¹⁸ “You must not offer ·animal blood [^Lblood of a sacrifice] along with anything ·that has yeast in it [leavened].

“You must not save any of the fat from the sacrifice for the next day.

¹⁹ “You must bring the best of the firstfruits of your land to the ·Holy Tent [^LHouse; 25:9] of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk [^Cprobably a pagan ritual; Deut. 14:21].

God Will Help Israel

²⁰ “I am sending an angel ahead of you, who will ·protect [guard] you ·as you travel [^Lon the way/path]. He will ·lead [bring] you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him and ·obey him [^Llisten to his voice]. Do not ·turn [rebel] against him; he will not forgive ·such turning against him [^Lit] because my ·power [^Lname] is in him. ²² If you listen carefully to ·all he says [^Lhis voice] and do everything that I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight all who fight against you. ²³ My angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will ·destroy them [wipe/blot them out].

²⁴ “You must not bow down to their gods or ·worship [serve] them. You must not live the way those people live. You must ·destroy their idols [demolish them], breaking into pieces ·the stone pillars they use in worship [^Ltheir pillars]. ²⁵ If you worship the Lord your God, ·I [^Lhe] will bless your bread and your water. I will take away sickness from you. ²⁶ None of your women will miscarry or be ·unable to have children [barren]. I will ·allow you to live long lives [^Lfill the number of your days].

²⁷ “I will ·make your enemies afraid of me [^Lsend the dread of me before you]. I will confuse any people ·you fight against [^Lagainst whom you come], and I will make all your enemies ·run away from [^Lturn their backs to] you. ²⁸ I will send ·terror [or pestilence; or the hornet] ahead of you that will force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ But I will not ·force all those people out [drive them out] in only one year. If I did, the land would become ·a desert [desolate] and the wild animals would become too many for you. ³⁰ Instead, I will ·force those people [drive them] out ·slowly [little by little], until there are enough of you to ·take over [possess] the land.

³¹ “I will give you the land from the ·Red [or Reed; 10:19] Sea to the ·Mediterranean [^LPhilistine] Sea, and from the ·desert [wilderness] to the ·Euphrates River [^LRiver]. I will give ·you power over [^Linto your hand] the people who now live in the land, and you will ·force [drive] them out ahead of you. ³² You must not ·make an agreement [^Lcut a covenant] with those people or with their gods. ³³ You must not let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me. If you ·worship [serve] their gods, ·you will be caught in a trap [^Lthey will be a trap/snare to you].”

God Makes a Covenant with Israel

24 The Lord told Moses, “You, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel must come up to me and ·worship [bow down to] me from a distance. ² Then Moses alone must come near me; the others must not come near. The rest of the people must not come up the mountain with Moses.”

³ Moses ·told [^Lwent and recounted to] the people all the Lord’s words and ·laws for living [regulations; judgments]. Then all of the people answered out loud together, “We will do all the things the Lord has said.” ⁴ So Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. And he got up early the next morning and built an altar near the bottom of the mountain. He set up twelve ·stones [^Lpillars], one ·stone [pillar] for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then Moses sent ·young Israelite men [^Lyouth of the sons/^Tchildren of Israel] to offer whole burnt offerings and to sacrifice young bulls as ·fellowship [or peace; Lev. 3] offerings to the Lord. ⁶ Moses put half of the blood of these animals in ·bowls [basins], and he ·sprinkled [or dashed] the other half of the blood on the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty ^Creferring to the laws found in 20:2–23:19] and read it so the people could hear him. And they said, “We will do everything that the Lord has said; we will obey.”

⁸ Then Moses took ·the blood from the bowls [^Lthe blood] and ·sprinkled [dashed] it on the people, saying, “This is the blood ·that begins [^Lof] the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty], the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty] which the Lord ·has made [^Lcut] with you ·about [or in accord with] all these words.”

⁹ Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up the mountain ¹⁰ and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a ·surface [pavement] that looked as if it were paved with blue sapphire stones, and it was as clear as the ·sky [heavens]! ¹¹ These ·leaders of the Israelites [^Leminent men of the sons/^Tchildren of Israel] saw God, but ·God did not destroy them [^Lhe did not send out his hand]. Then they ate and drank together [^Cmeals often sealed covenant/treaty agreements].

God Promises Moses the Stone Tablets

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me. Wait there, and I will give you two stone tablets [^Cperhaps two copies of the Ten Commandments]. On these are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] and the commands I have written to instruct the people.”

¹³ So Moses and his ·helper [assistant] Joshua ·set out [^Lgot up], and Moses went up to ·Sinai, the mountain of God [^Lthe mountain of God]. ¹⁴ Moses said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone who ·has a disagreement with others [has many words/a dispute; ^Lis a master of words] can take it to them.”

Moses Meets with God

¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud [^Crepresenting God’s presence] covered it. ¹⁶ The glory of the Lord [^Crepresenting his manifest presence] ·came down [^Lsettled] on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. ¹⁷ To the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] the glory of the Lord looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Then Moses went into the cloud and went higher up the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.