Exodus 19:16-25
New Catholic Bible
16 The Great Theophany. On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, lightning, a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of loud trumpets. All the people in the camp were filled with fear.
17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood on foot at the base of the mountain.
18 Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord had descended upon it in fire and the smoke rose up like the smoke of a furnace. The entire mountain trembled. 19 The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God responded with the sound of a trumpet.
20 The Lord thus descended upon Mount Sinai, on the mountain peak, and he called out to Moses upon the mountain peak. Moses went up the mountain.
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to gaze upon the Lord; otherwise many will die.
22 “Let the priests consecrate themselves before they approach the Lord. Otherwise the Lord will burst forth upon them.”
23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot climb up Mount Sinai, for you yourself have warned us saying, ‘Establish a boundary around the mountain and declare it to be holy.’ ”
24 The Lord told him, “Go, descend, then come back up with Aaron. But the priests and the people are not to break through to climb up to the Lord. Otherwise, he will burst forth against them.”
25 Moses went down and spoke to the people.
Read full chapter