The People Afraid of God’s Presence

¹⁸ Now ^(A)all the people ^(B)witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain ^(C)smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, ^(D)“You speak with us, and we will hear; but ^(E)let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

²⁰ And Moses said to the people, ^(F)“Do not fear; ^(G)for God has come to test you, and ^(H)that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” ²¹ So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near ^(I)the thick darkness where God was.

The Law of the Altar

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you ^(J)from heaven. ²³ You shall not make anything to be ^(K)with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. ²⁴ An altar of ^(L)earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, ^(M)your sheep and your oxen. In every ^(N)place where I ^[a]record My name I will come to you, and I will ^(O)bless you. ²⁵ And ^(P)if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you ^(Q)use your tool on it, you have profaned it. ²⁶ Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your ^(R)nakedness may not be exposed on it.’

²⁵ Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; ^(A)if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die.

¹⁶ according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb ^(A)in the day of the assembly, saying, ^(B)‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die.’