¹² But you shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘^[a]Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; ^(A)whoever touches the mountain shall certainly be put to death.

^16 (A)So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were ^[a]thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the ^[b]foot of the mountain.

The Lord Visits Sinai

^18 (B)Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it ^(C)in fire; and its smoke ascended like ^(D)the smoke of a furnace, and ^(E)the entire mountain ^[c]quaked violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and ^(F)God answered him with ^[d]thunder. ²⁰ Then ^(G)the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down, ^[e]warn the people, so that ^(H)they do not break through to the Lord to stare, and many of them ^[f]perish. ²² Also have the ^(I)priests who approach the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You ^[g]warned us, saying, ‘^(J)Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “^[h]Go down and come up again, ^(K)you and Aaron with you; but do not let the ^(L)priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

¹⁸ And ^(A)all the people were watching and hearing the ^[a]thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance.

¹¹ You came forward and stood at the foot of the mountain, ^(A)and the mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud, and thick gloom.

Moses Interceded

²² “These words the Lord spoke to your whole assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, from the cloud, and from the thick darkness, with a great voice, and He added nothing more. ^(A)He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.