³⁰ The next day Moses told the people, “You have ·done [^Lsinned] a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe I can ·do something so your sins will be removed [make atonement for your sin].” ³¹ So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “How terribly these people have sinned! They have made for themselves ·gods [or a god; 32:4] from gold. ³² Now, please forgive them of this sin. If you will not, then ·erase [blot out] my name from the book in which you have written the names of your people.”

³³ But the Lord told Moses, “I will ·erase [blot out] from my book the names of the people who sin against me. ³⁴ So now, go. Lead the people where I have told you, and my ·angel [messenger] will ·lead [^Lgo in front of] you. When the time comes to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ So the Lord ·caused terrible things to happen to [sent a plague on] the people because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must ·leave [^Lgo up from] this place. Go to the land that I promised with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give that land to your ·descendants [^Lseed; Gen. 12:1–3].’ ² I will send an ·angel [or messenger] ·to lead [^Lbefore] you, and I will ·force [drive] these people out of the land: the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ³ Go up to a ·fertile land [^Lland flowing with milk and honey; 3:8]. But I will not go with you, because I might ·destroy [consume] you on the way, since you are such a ·stubborn people [stiff-necked people].”

⁴ When the people heard this bad news, they ·became very sad [mourned], and none of them put on ·jewelry [ornaments; or festive dress]. ⁵ This was because the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel], ‘You are a ·stubborn [^Lstiff-necked] people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I would destroy you. So take off all your ·jewelry [ornaments; or festive dress], and I will decide what to do with you.’” ⁶ So the ·people [^Lsons; children] of Israel ·took [stripped] off their ·jewelry [ormanents; or festive dress] at Mount ·Sinai [^LHoreb; 3:1].

The Meeting Tent

⁷ Moses used to take a tent and ·set it up [pitch it] a long way outside the camp; he called it the “Meeting Tent.” Anyone who wanted to ·ask [seek] the Lord about something would go to the Meeting Tent outside the camp. ⁸ Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances of their tents, watching him until he entered the ·Meeting Tent [^LTent]. ⁹ When Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud [13:21–22] would always come down and stay at the entrance of the Tent while the Lord spoke with Moses. ¹⁰ Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud at the entrance of the Tent, they stood and worshiped, each person at the entrance of his own tent.

¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks with his friend [Num. 12:6–8]. Then Moses would return to the camp, but Moses’ young ·helper [assistant], Joshua son of Nun, did not leave the Tent.

¹² Moses said to the Lord, “You have told me to ·lead [^Lbring up] these people, but you did not say whom you would send with me. You have said to me, ‘I know you ·very well [^Lby name], and ·I am pleased with you [^Lyou have found favor in my eyes].’ ¹³ If I have ·truly pleased you [^Lfound favor in your eyes], show me your ·plans [path; way] so that I may know you and continue to ·please you [^Lfind favor/grace in your eyes]. ·Remember [Consider] that this nation is your people.”

¹⁴ The Lord answered, “·I myself [^LMy presence] will go with you, and I will give you ·victory [or rest].”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If ·you yourself don’t [^Lyour presence does not] go with us, then don’t send us ·away [up] from this place. ¹⁶ ·If you don’t go with us, no one will know [^LHow else will it be known…?] that ·you are pleased with me [^LI have found favor in your eyes] and with your people. These people and I will be no different from any other people on earth.”

¹⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will do what you ask, because I know you ·very well [^Lby name], and ·I am pleased with you [^Lyou have found favor/grace in my eyes].”

Moses Sees God’s Glory

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now, please show me your glory [^Chis manifest presence].”

¹⁹ The Lord answered, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will announce my name, the Lord, so you can hear it. I will show ·kindness [favor] to anyone to whom I want to show ·kindness [favor], and I will show ·mercy [compassion] to anyone to whom I want to show ·mercy [compassion]. ²⁰ But you cannot see my face, because no one can see me and live.

²¹ “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. ²² When my glory passes that place, I will put you in a large ·crack [fissure; ^Tcleft] in the rock and ·cover [screen] you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will ·take away [remove] my hand, and you will see my back. But my face must not be seen.”