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Exodus 33
New Catholic Bible
Exodus 33
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 33
The Israelites Are Ordered To Depart. 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Get up and leave this place, you and the people whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, to go to the land that I have promised with an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up in your midst, lest I destroy you along the way, for you are an obstinate people.”
4 The people heard this sad news and they mourned. No one put on his ornaments.
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Say this to the children of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people. If I were to go up with you for a single moment, I would surely destroy you. Now, take off your ornaments so that I may know what to do with you.’ ”
6 The children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
A Provisional Tent for the Colloquy between God and Moses. 7 Moses took the tent and pitched it quite a distance outside of the camp, calling it the meeting tent. Anyone who sought the Lord would go to the meeting tent that was outside the camp.[a] 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose up and each one stood in the door to his tent. They watched Moses pass by until he entered the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, a column of cloud descended and remained at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord spoke with Moses. 10 The whole people saw the column of cloud that stood at the entrance to the tent, and they all got up and worshiped at the doors to their tents. 11 Thus the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He then returned to the camp while his servant Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.[b]
12 The Prayer of Moses. Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, you commanded me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you did not tell me whom you would send with me. You even said, ‘I know you by name,[c] and you have found favor with me.’ 13 Now, therefore, I beseech you, if I have found favor with you, show me your ways, so that I may know you and stay in your favor. Keep in mind that this people is your people.”
14 The Lord answered, “I will walk with you and give you rest.” 15 Moses replied, “If you will not go with us, then do not make us go up from here, 16 for how will it then be known if I have found favor with you, I and your people? Is it not in your journeying with us, with me and your people, that we are marked out as being distinct from all the other peoples who are upon the face of the earth?”
17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this very thing that you have said, for you have found favor with me and I know you by name.”
18 So Moses said to him, “Show me your glory!”
19 He answered, “I will make all my splendor pass in front of you and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, before you. I will show favor to those to whom I show favor and I will have mercy on those on whom I have mercy.” 20 He continued, “But you cannot see my face, for no one can see my face and live.” 21 And the Lord continued, “There is a place near me. You will stand upon the rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will place you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I will have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand and you will see my back, but you cannot see my face.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 33:7 Moses took a large tent and erected it outside the camp as a provisional place of meeting with the Lord and as a tribunal, while the definitive tent was being erected, that is, the tabernacle or tent of meeting (see Ex 40:2), which was to stand in the midst of the camp (Num 2:2).
- Exodus 33:11 Moses meets the Lord face to face: this account is from a different source than the one in verse 20, which says that it is impossible for even Moses to see the face of God. The sacred writer is not concerned to harmonize the two divergent traditions.
- Exodus 33:12 The phrase, know you by name, signifies special love and protection.
Exodus 33
New International Version
Exodus 33
New International Version
33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath(A) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’(B) 2 I will send an angel(C) before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(D) 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.(E) But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked(F) people and I might destroy(G) you on the way.”
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn(H) and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people.(I) If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy(J) you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.(K)
The Tent of Meeting
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.”(L) Anyone inquiring(M) of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. 8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents,(N) watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud(O) would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke(P) with Moses. 10 Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent.(Q) 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,(R) as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua(S) son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Moses and the Glory of the Lord
12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’(T) but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name(U) and you have found favor(V) with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways(W) so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”(X)
14 The Lord replied, “My Presence(Y) will go with you, and I will give you rest.”(Z)
15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence(AA) does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?(AB) What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”(AC)
17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked,(AD) because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”(AE)
18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”(AF)
19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass(AG) in front of you, and I will proclaim my name,(AH) the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.(AI) 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see(AJ) me and live.”
21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock(AK) and cover you with my hand(AL) until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
New International Version (NIV) 
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