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. ^19 (B)Then they said to Moses, “Speak ^[b]to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak ^[c]to us, or we will die!”

²³ And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. ²⁴ You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with mankind, yet he lives. ^25 (A)Now then, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die! ²⁶ For ^(B)who is there of ^[a]humanity who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? ^27 [b]Go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God says; then speak to us everything that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will listen and do it.’