Israel at Mount Sinai

19 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, ^(A)they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. ² For they had departed from ^(B)Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before ^(C)the mountain.

³ And ^(D)Moses went up to God, and the Lord ^(E)called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ^4 (F)‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how ^(G)I ^[a]bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now ^(H)therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and ^(I)keep My covenant, then ^(J)you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is ^(K)Mine. ⁶ And you shall be to Me a ^(L)kingdom of priests and a ^(M)holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

⁷ So Moses came and called for the ^(N)elders of the people, and ^[b]laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. ⁸ Then ^(O)all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.

Israel Affirms the Covenant

24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, ^(A)Nadab and Abihu, ^(B)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. ² And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

³ So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ^[a]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ^(C)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” ⁴ And Moses ^(D)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve ^(E)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered ^(F)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. ⁶ And Moses ^(G)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he ^(H)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.”

Concern for Their Faithfulness

11 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little ^(A)folly—and indeed you do bear with me. ² For I am ^(B)jealous for you with godly jealousy. For ^(C)I have betrothed you to one husband, ^(D)that I may present you ^(E)as a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear, lest somehow, as ^(F)the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds ^(G)may be corrupted from the ^[a]simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a ^(H)different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul and False Apostles

⁵ For I consider that ^(I)I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. ⁶ Even though ^(J)I am untrained in speech, yet I am not ^(K)in knowledge. But ^(L)we have ^[b]been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

Bearing Others’ Burdens

15 We ^(A)then who are strong ought to bear with the ^[a]scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. ^2 (B)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to ^[b]edification. ^3 (C)For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, ^(D)“The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” ⁴ For ^(E)whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the ^[c]patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. ^5 (F)Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, ⁶ that you may ^(G)with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glorify God Together

⁷ Therefore ^(H)receive one another, just ^(I)as Christ also received ^[d]us, to the glory of God.

²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I ^[a]cannot tell. ^23 [b]For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a ^(A)desire to depart and be with Christ, which is ^(B)far better. ²⁴ Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. ²⁵ And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith, ²⁶ that ^(C)your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.

Striving and Suffering for Christ

²⁷ Only ^(D)let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, ^(E)with one mind ^(F)striving together for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but ^[c]to you of salvation, and that from God. ²⁹ For to you ^(G)it has been granted on behalf of Christ, ^(H)not only to believe in Him, but also to ^(I)suffer for His sake, ^30 (J)having the same conflict ^(K)which you saw in me and now hear is in me.