Exodus 19:1-34:31

Names of God Bible

Israel at Mount Sinai

19 Two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they came to the desert of Sinai. ² Israel had moved from Rephidim and had come into the desert of Sinai. They had set up camp there in front of the mountain.

³ Then Moses went up the mountain to Elohim, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, “This is what you must say to the descendants of Jacob. Tell the Israelites, ⁴ ‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to my mountain. ⁵ If you carefully obey me and are faithful to the terms of my promise,^[a] then out of all the nations you will be my own special possession, even though the whole world is mine. ⁶ You will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.’ These are the words you must speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses went down and called for the leaders of the people. He repeated to them all the words that Yahweh had commanded him. ⁸ All the people answered together, “We will do everything Yahweh has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to Yahweh.

⁹ Yahweh said to Moses, “I am coming to you in a storm cloud so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always believe you.” Moses told Yahweh what the people had said.

¹⁰ So Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and tell them they have two days to get ready. They must set themselves apart as holy. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹ and be ready by the day after tomorrow. On that day Yahweh will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch. ¹² Mark off a boundary around the mountain for the people, and tell them not to go up the mountain or even touch it. Those who touch the mountain must be put to death. ¹³ No one should touch them. They must be stoned or shot with arrows. No matter whether it’s an animal or a person, it must not live. The people may go up the mountain only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast.”

¹⁴ After Moses went down the mountain to the people, he had them get ready, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ Then Moses said to the people, “Be ready two days from now. Don’t disqualify yourselves by having sexual intercourse.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the second day, there was thunder and lightning with a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud blast from a ram’s horn was heard. All the people in the camp shook with fear. ¹⁷ Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with Elohim, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because Yahweh had come down on it in fire. Smoke rose from the mountain like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. ¹⁹ As the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, Moses was speaking, and the voice of Elohim answered him.

²⁰ Yahweh came down on top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up. ²¹ Yahweh said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to force their way through the boundary to see Yahweh, or many of them will die. ²² Even the priests who are allowed to come near Yahweh must set themselves apart as holy, or Yahweh will violently kill them.”

²³ Moses said to Yahweh, “The people can’t come up Mount Sinai, because you warned us yourself to mark off a boundary around the mountain and consider it holy.”

²⁴ Yahweh said to him, “Go down, and bring Aaron back with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through the boundary to come up to Yahweh, or he will violently kill them.”

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments^(A)

20 Then Elohim spoke all these words:

² “I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

³ “Never have any other god. ⁴ Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. ⁵ Never worship them or serve them, because I, Yahweh your Elohim, am El Kanna. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. ⁶ But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.

⁷ “Never use the name of Yahweh your Elohim carelessly. Yahweh will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.

⁸ “Remember the day of worship by observing it as a holy day. ⁹ You have six days to do all your work. ¹⁰ The seventh day is the day of worship dedicated to Yahweh your Elohim. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your cattle, and the foreigners living in your city must never do any work on that day. ¹¹ In six days Yahweh made heaven, earth, and the sea, along with everything in them. He didn’t work on the seventh day. That’s why Yahweh blessed the day he stopped his work and set this day apart as holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live for a long time in the land Yahweh your Elohim is giving you.

¹³ “Never murder.

¹⁴ “Never commit adultery.

¹⁵ “Never steal.

¹⁶ “Never lie when you testify about your neighbor.

¹⁷ “Never desire to take your neighbor’s household away from him.

“Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”

The People’s Reaction

¹⁸ All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let Elohim speak to us, or we’ll die!”

²⁰ Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid! Elohim has come only to test you, so that you will be in awe of him and won’t sin.”

²¹ The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where Elohim was.

General Rules for Worship

²² Yahweh said to Moses, “This is what you must say to the Israelites: You’ve seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. ²³ Never make any gods of silver or gold for yourselves. Never worship them.

²⁴ “You must build an altar for me made out of dirt. Sacrifice your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep, goats, and cattle on it. Wherever I choose to have my name remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ If you build an altar for me made out of stones, never make it with cut stone blocks. If you use a chisel on it, you will make it unacceptable to me. ²⁶ Never use stairs to go up to my altar. Otherwise, people will be able to see under your clothes.”

Laws Concerning the Treatment of Slaves

21 The Lord continued, “Here are the legal decisions to be used by the Israelites:

² “Whenever you buy a Hebrew slave, he will be your slave for six years. In the seventh year he may leave as a free man, without paying for his freedom. ³ If he comes to you by himself, he must leave by himself. If he comes as a married man, his wife may leave with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to the master, and the slave must leave by himself. ⁵ But if he makes this statement: ‘I hereby declare my love for my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to leave as a free man,’ ⁶ then his master must bring him to Elohim. The master must bring him to the door or the doorframe and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his slave for life.

⁷ “Whenever a man sells his daughter into slavery, she will not go free the way male slaves do. ⁸ If she doesn’t please the master who has chosen her as a wife,^[b] he must let her be bought back by one of her close relatives. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has treated her unfairly. ⁹ But if he has chosen her for his son, he must treat her like a daughter. ¹⁰ If that son marries another woman, he must not deprive the first wife of food, clothes, or sex.

¹¹ If he doesn’t give her these three things, she can go free, without paying any money for her freedom.

Laws Concerning Injury to People

¹² “Whoever strikes someone and kills him must be put to death. ¹³ If it wasn’t done intentionally, but Elohim let it happen, the killer should flee to a place I will set aside for you. ¹⁴ But whenever someone becomes so angry that he plans to kill his neighbor, you must take him away from my altar and put him to death.

¹⁵ “Whoever hits his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁶ “Whoever kidnaps another person must be put to death, whether he has sold the kidnapped person or still has him.

¹⁷ “Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸ “This is what you must do whenever men quarrel and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist and injures him so that he has to stay in bed. ¹⁹ If the injured man can get up again and walk around outside with a cane, the one who hit him must not be punished. He must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and for all his medical expenses.

²⁰ “Whenever an owner hits his male or female slave with a stick so that the slave dies from the beating, the owner must be punished. ²¹ But if the slave gets up in a day or two, the owner must not be punished. The slave is his property.

²² “This is what you must do whenever men fight and injure a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely. If there are no other injuries, the offender must pay whatever fine the court allows the woman’s husband to demand. ²³ If anyone is injured, the offender must pay a life for a life, ²⁴ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, ²⁵ a burn for a burn, a bruise for a bruise, a wound for a wound.

²⁶ “Whenever an owner hits his male or female slave in the eye and the slave is blinded, he must let the slave go free to make up for the loss of the eye. ²⁷ If the owner knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to make up for the loss of the tooth.

²⁸ “Whenever a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat may not be eaten. The bull’s owner is free from any liability. ²⁹ But if the bull has had the habit of goring, and the owner has been warned but has not kept it confined, and it kills a man or a woman, then the bull must be stoned and its owner must be put to death, too. ³⁰ However, if only a cash settlement is demanded from the owner, the bull’s owner may save his life by paying whatever price is demanded of him. ³¹ If the bull gores someone’s son or daughter, this same ruling applies. ³² If the bull gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay 12 ounces of silver to the slave’s master, and the bull must be stoned.

Laws Concerning Property

³³ “Whenever someone opens up a cistern or digs a new one and doesn’t cover it and a bull or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the cistern must make up for the loss. He must pay money to the animal’s owner, and then the dead animal will be his.

³⁵ “Whenever one person’s bull kills another person’s bull, they must sell the live bull and divide the money between them. They must divide the dead bull, too. ³⁶ However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, and its owner didn’t keep it confined, the owner must make up for the loss—bull for bull—and then the dead bull will be his.”

22 ^[c]The Lord continued, “Whenever someone steals a bull or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must make up for the loss with five head of cattle to replace the bull or four sheep to replace the sheep.

² “If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder. ³ But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder.

“A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. ⁴ But if the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it’s a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount.

⁵ “Whenever someone lets his livestock graze in a field or a vineyard, and they stray and graze in another person’s field, he must make up for what the damaged field was expected to produce. But if he lets them ruin the whole field with their grazing,^[d] he must make up from his own field for the loss with the best from his field and vineyard.

⁶ “Whenever a fire starts and spreads into the underbrush so that it burns up stacked or standing grain or ruins a field, the person who started the fire must make up for the loss.

⁷ “This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor silver or other valuables to keep for him, and they are stolen from that person’s house: If the thief is caught, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. ⁸ If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to Elohim to find out whether or not he took his neighbor’s valuables. ⁹ If there is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, or any other lost property which two people claim as their own, both people must bring their case to Elohim. The one whom Elohim declares guilty must make up for his neighbor’s loss with double the amount.

¹⁰ “This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor a donkey, a bull, a sheep, or any other kind of animal to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is captured in war, and there are no witnesses. ¹¹ The case between them must be settled by swearing an oath to Yahweh that the neighbor did not take the other person’s animal. The owner must accept the oath. The neighbor doesn’t have to make up for the loss. ¹² But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make up for the owner’s loss. ¹³ If it was killed by a wild animal, he must bring in the dead body as evidence. He doesn’t have to make up for an animal that has been killed.

¹⁴ “Whenever someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, the borrower must make up for the loss. ¹⁵ If the owner is with the animal, the borrower doesn’t have to make up for the loss. If it is rented, the rental fee covers the loss.

Laws for Living as God’s Holy People

¹⁶ “Whenever a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sexual intercourse with her, he must pay the bride-price and marry her. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount of money equal to the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁸ “Never let a witch live.

¹⁹ “Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰ “Whoever sacrifices to any god except Yahweh must be condemned and destroyed.

²¹ “Never mistreat or oppress foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt.

²² “Never take advantage of any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure that I will hear their cry. ²⁴ I will become angry and have you killed in combat. Then your wives and children will become widows and orphans.

²⁵ “If you lend money to my people—to any poor person among you—never act like a moneylender. Charge no interest. ²⁶ If you take any of your neighbor’s clothes as collateral, give it back to him by sunset. ²⁷ It may be the only clothes he has to cover his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will listen because I am compassionate.

²⁸ “Never show disrespect for Elohim or curse a leader of your people.

²⁹ “Never withhold your best wine^[e] from me.

“You must give me your firstborn son. ³⁰ You must do the same with your cattle and your sheep. They will stay with their mothers seven days, but on the eighth day you must give them to me.

³¹ “You must be my holy people. Never eat the meat of an animal that has been killed by wild animals out in the countryside. Throw it to the dogs.”

23 The Lord continued, “Never spread false rumors. Don’t join forces with wicked people by giving false testimony. ² Never follow a crowd in doing wrong. When you testify in court, don’t side with the majority to pervert justice. ³ Never give special favors to poor people in court.

⁴ “Whenever you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering loose, be sure to take it back to him. ⁵ Whenever you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, don’t leave it there. Be sure to help him with his animal.

⁶ “Never deny justice to poor people in court. ⁷ Avoid telling lies. Don’t kill innocent or honest people, because I will never declare guilty people innocent. ⁸ Never take a bribe, because bribes blind those who can see and deny justice to those who are in the right.

⁹ “Never oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be foreigners because you were foreigners living in Egypt.

¹⁰ “For six years you may plant crops in your fields and harvest them, ¹¹ but in the seventh year you must leave the land unplowed and unused. In that way the poor among your people will have food to eat, and wild animals may eat what the poor people leave. You must do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.

¹² “For six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must not work. Then your ox and donkey can rest. The slaves born in your household and foreigners will also be refreshed.

¹³ “Be careful to do everything I told you.

“Never mention the names of other gods or let them be heard on your lips.

Laws for Three Festivals

¹⁴ “Three times a year you must celebrate a pilgrimage festival in my honor.

¹⁵ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread: For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because that was when you left Egypt. No one may come into my presence without an offering.

¹⁶ “Celebrate the Festival of the Harvest with the first produce harvested from whatever you plant in your fields.

“Celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the year when you harvest your crops from the fields.

¹⁷ “These are the three times each year that all your men must come into the presence of Adonay, Yahweh.

¹⁸ “Never offer the blood of a sacrifice to me at the same time you offer anything containing yeast. The fat sacrificed at my festivals should never be left over in the morning.

¹⁹ “You must bring the best of the first produce harvested from your soil to the house of Yahweh your Elohim.

“Never cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Laws about God’s Messenger, Who Will Bring Israel to the Promised Land

²⁰ “I’m going to send a Messenger in front of you to protect you on your trip and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him, and listen to him. Don’t defy him, because he will not forgive your disobedience. He is acting on my authority. ²² But if you will listen to him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an opponent to your opponents.

²³ “My Messenger will go ahead of you and will bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites. I will wipe them out. ²⁴ Never worship or serve their gods or follow their practices. Instead, you must destroy their gods and crush their sacred stones. ²⁵ You must serve Yahweh your Elohim, and he will bless your food and water. I will take away all sickness from among you. ²⁶ No woman in your land will miscarry or be unable to have children. I will let you live a normal life span.

²⁷ “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw any nation you meet into a panic. I will make all your enemies flee from you. ²⁸ I will spread panic ahead of you to force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ I will not force them out of your way in one year. Otherwise, the land would be deserted, and wild animals would take over. ³⁰ Little by little I will force them out of your way until you have increased enough in number to take possession of the land.

³¹ “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Sinai Desert to the Euphrates River. I will put the people living in the land under your control, and you will force them out of your way. ³² Never make a treaty with them and their gods. ³³ Never let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me and trap you into serving their gods.”

The Promise Sealed with Blood

24 Yahweh said to Moses, “You and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s leaders come up the mountain to me and worship at a distance. ² Moses may come near Yahweh, but the others may not. The people must not come along with Moses.”

³ Moses went and told the people all Yahweh’s words and legal decisions. Then all the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything Yahweh has told us to do.” ⁴ So Moses wrote down all Yahweh’s words.

Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up 12 sacred stones for the 12 tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young Israelite men, and they sacrificed bulls as burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to Yahweh. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it into bowls, and he threw the other half against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Lord’s Promise^[f] and read it while the people listened. They said, “We will obey and do everything Yahweh has said.”

⁸ Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Here is the blood which seals the promise that Yahweh has made to you based on everything you have just heard.”

⁹ Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s leaders. ¹⁰ They saw the Elohim of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made out of sapphire as clear and blue as the sky itself. ¹¹ Elohim didn’t harm these leaders of the Israelites. So they saw Elohim, and then they ate and drank.

Moses Goes up the Mountain to Receive God’s Words Written on Stone

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and the commandments I have written for the people’s instruction.”

¹³ Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up on the mountain of Elohim. ¹⁴ He said to the leaders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Take all your disagreements to them.”

¹⁵ So Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered it. ¹⁶ The glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day Yahweh called to Moses from inside the cloud. ¹⁷ To the Israelites, the glory of Yahweh looked like a raging fire on top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.

Gifts for Use in the Tent of Meeting^(B)

25 Yahweh said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to choose something to give me as a special contribution. You must accept whatever contribution each person freely gives. ³ This is the kind of contribution you will accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ⁴ violet, purple, and bright red yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, fine leather,^[g] acacia wood, ⁶ olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense, ⁷ onyx stones, and other precious stones to be set in the chief priest’s ephod^[h] and his breastplate.

⁸ “Then have them make a holy place for me, and I will live among them. ⁹ Make the tent and all its furnishings exactly like the plans I am showing you.

The Ark^(C)

¹⁰ “Make an ark of acacia wood 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. ¹¹ Cover it with pure gold inside and out, and put a gold molding around it. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it, and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³ Make poles of acacia wood, and cover them with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark in order to carry it. ¹⁵ The poles must stay in the rings of the ark. Never remove them. ¹⁶ Then you will put into the ark the words of my promise which I will give you.

¹⁷ “Make a throne of mercy to cover the ark out of pure gold 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. ¹⁸ Make two angels^[i] out of hammered gold for the two ends of the throne of mercy, ¹⁹ one on each end. Form the angels and the throne of mercy out of one piece of gold. ²⁰ The angels should have their wings spread above the throne of mercy, overshadowing it. They should face each other, looking at the throne of mercy. ²¹ After you put into the ark the words of my promise which I will give you, place the throne of mercy on top. ²² I will be above the throne of mercy between the angels whenever I meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The Table^(D)

²³ “Make a table of acacia wood 36 inches long, 18 inches wide, and 27 inches high. ²⁴ Cover it with pure gold, and put a gold molding around it. ²⁵ Make a rim three inches wide around it, and put a gold molding around the rim. ²⁶ Make four gold rings for it, and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. ²⁷ The rings are to be close to the rim. They are to hold the poles for carrying the table. ²⁸ Make the poles out of acacia wood, cover them with gold, and use them to carry the table. ²⁹ Make plates and dishes for the table out of pure gold, as well as pitchers and bowls to be used for pouring wine offerings. ³⁰ Put the bread of the presence on this table so that it will be in front of me all the time.

The Lamp Stand^(E)

³¹ “Make a lamp stand out of pure gold. The lamp stand, its base, and its shaft, as well as the flower cups, buds, and petals must be hammered out of one piece of gold. ³² Six branches are to come out of the sides, three branches on one side and three on the other. ³³ Each of the six branches coming out of the lamp stand is to have three flower cups shaped like almond blossoms, with buds and petals. ³⁴ The lamp stand itself is to have four flower cups shaped like almond blossoms, with buds and petals. ³⁵ There should be a bud under each of the three pairs of branches coming out of the lamp stand. ³⁶ The buds and branches should also be hammered out of the same piece of pure gold as the lamp stand.

³⁷ “Make seven lamps, and set them on the lamp stand so that they light up the area in front of it. ³⁸ The tongs and incense burners must be made of pure gold. ³⁹ Use 75 pounds of pure gold to make the lamp stand and all the utensils. ⁴⁰ Be sure to make them according to the plans you were shown on the mountain.”

The Tent^(F)

26 The Lord continued, “Make the inner tent with ten sheets made from fine linen yarn. Take violet, purple, and bright red yarn, and creatively work an angel^[j] design into the fabric. ² Each sheet will be 42 feet long and 6 feet wide—all the same size. ³ Five of the sheets must be sewn together, and the other five must also be sewn together. ⁴ Make 50 violet loops along the edge of the end sheet in each set, ⁵ placing the loops opposite each other. ⁶ Make 50 gold fasteners. Use them to link the two sets of sheets together so that the tent is a single unit.

⁷ “Make 11 sheets of goats’ hair to form an outer tent over the inner tent. ⁸ Each of the 11 sheets will be 45 feet long and 6 feet wide. ⁹ Sew five of the sheets together into one set and the remaining six into another set. Fold the sixth sheet in half to hang in front of the tent. ¹⁰ Make 50 loops along the edge of the end sheet in each set. ¹¹ Make 50 bronze fasteners, and put them through the loops to link the inner tent together as a single unit. ¹² The remaining half-sheet should hang over the back of the inner tent. ¹³ There will be 18 inches left over on each side because of the length of the outer tent’s sheets. That part should hang over each side in order to cover the inner tent. ¹⁴ Make a cover of rams’ skins that have been dyed red for the outer tent. Over that put a cover made of fine leather.^[k]

¹⁵ “Make a framework out of acacia wood for the inner tent. ¹⁶ Each frame is to be 15 feet long and 27 inches wide, ¹⁷ with two identical pegs. Make all the frames for the inner tent the same way. ¹⁸ Make 20 frames for the south side of the inner tent. ¹⁹ Then make 40 silver sockets at the bottom of the 20 frames, two sockets at the bottom of each frame for the two pegs. ²⁰ For the north side of the inner tent make 20 frames ²¹ and 40 silver sockets, two at the bottom of each frame. ²² Make six frames for the far end, the west side. ²³ Make two frames for each of the corners at the far end of the inner tent. ²⁴ These will be held together at the bottom and held tightly at the top by a single ring.^[l] Both corner frames will be made this way. ²⁵ There will be eight frames with 16 silver sockets, two at the bottom of each frame.

²⁶ “Make crossbars out of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the inner tent, ²⁷ five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the far end of the inner tent, the west side. ²⁸ The middle crossbar will run from one end to the other, halfway up the frames. ²⁹ Cover the frames with gold, make gold rings to hold the crossbars, and cover the crossbars with gold.

³⁰ “Set up the inner tent according to the plans you were shown on the mountain.

³¹ “Make a canopy of violet, purple, and bright red yarn. Creatively work an angel design into fine linen yarn. ³² Use gold hooks to hang it on four posts of acacia wood covered with gold, standing in four silver sockets. ³³ Hang the canopy from the fasteners in the ceiling, and put the ark containing the words of my promise under it. The canopy will mark off the most holy place from the holy place. ³⁴ Put the throne of mercy that is on the ark in the most holy place.

³⁵ “Place the table outside the canopy on the north side of the inner tent, and put the lamp stand opposite the table on the south side.

³⁶ “For the entrance of the outer tent, make a screen out of fine linen yarn, embroidered with violet, purple, and bright red yarn. ³⁷ Make five posts of acacia wood for the screen and cover them with gold. Make gold hooks for this screen. Cast five bronze bases for the posts.”

The Altar^(G)

27 The Lord continued, “Make an altar out of acacia wood. It should be 7½ feet square, and 4½ feet high. ² Make a horn at each of its four corners. The four horns and the altar must be made out of one piece of wood covered with bronze.

³ “Make all the utensils for it out of bronze: pots for taking away the altar’s ashes, also shovels, bowls, forks, and incense burners.

⁴ “Make a grate for it out of bronze mesh, and make a bronze ring for each of the four corners of the grate. ⁵ Put the grate under the ledge of the altar so that it comes halfway up the altar.

⁶ “Make poles out of acacia wood for the altar, and cover them with bronze. ⁷ The poles should be put through the rings on both sides of the altar to carry it.

⁸ “Make the altar out of boards so that it’s hollow inside. It must be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

The Courtyard^(H)

⁹ “Make a courtyard for the tent. The south side of the courtyard should be 150 feet long and have curtains made out of fine linen yarn, ¹⁰ hung on 20 posts set in 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts should be made of silver. ¹¹ The north side should be the same: 150 feet long, with curtains on 20 posts set in 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts should be made of silver.

¹² “The courtyard on the west end should be 75 feet wide and have curtains hung on ten posts set in ten bases. ¹³ On the east end, facing the rising sun, the courtyard should also be 75 feet wide.

^14–15 Each side of the entrance will be 22½ feet wide with curtains hung on three posts set in three bases.

¹⁶ “The entrance to the courtyard must have a 30-foot screen made from fine linen yarn, embroidered with violet, purple, and bright red yarn, hung on four posts set in four bases. ¹⁷ All the posts around the courtyard should have silver bands, silver hooks, and bronze bases. ¹⁸ The courtyard should be 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 7½ feet high, with curtains made of fine linen yarn and with bronze bases.

¹⁹ “All the things for the tent, no matter how they’re used, including all the pegs for the tent and the courtyard, must be made of bronze.

Lamps in the Tent^(I)

²⁰ “For the lighting, you must command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil so that the lamps won’t go out. ²¹ In the tent of meeting outside the canopy where the words of my promise are, Aaron and his descendants must keep the lamps lit in Yahweh’s presence from evening until morning. This is a permanent law among the Israelites for generations to come.”

The Holy Clothes^(J)

28 The Lord continued, “Out of all the Israelites, bring your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar to you. They will serve me as priests. ² Make holy clothes for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.

³ “Tell all those who have the skill—those to whom I have given this ability—to make Aaron’s clothes. These clothes will set him apart as holy when he serves me as priest. ⁴ These are the clothes they will make: a breastplate, an ephod and the robe that is worn with it, another specially woven linen robe, the chief priest’s turban, and a cloth belt. They will make these holy clothes for your brother Aaron and his sons so that they can serve me as priests. ⁵ They must use gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn, and fine linen.

The Ephod^(K)

⁶ “Make the ephod out of fine linen yarn. Creatively work gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn into the fabric. ⁷ It will have two shoulder straps attached at the top corners so that it can be fastened. ⁸ Make the belt that is attached to the ephod out of the same fabric. ⁹ Take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel ¹⁰ in birth order—six of their names on one stone and the remaining six on the other. ¹¹ Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the same way a jeweler engraves a signet ring. Mount them in gold settings, ¹² and fasten them on the shoulder straps of the ephod as reminders of who the Israelites are. In this way Aaron will carry their names on his shoulders as a reminder in Yahweh’s presence. ¹³ Make gold settings ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, twisted like ropes, and fasten these chains to the settings.

The Breastplate^(L)

¹⁵ “Make the breastplate for decision-making as creatively as you make the ephod. Make it out of gold, violet, purple, and bright red yarn and out of fine linen yarn. ¹⁶ Fold it in half so that it’s 9 inches square. ¹⁷ Fasten four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row put red quartz, topaz, and emerald. ¹⁸ In the second row put turquoise, sapphire, and crystal. ¹⁹ In the third row put jacinth, agate, and amethyst. ²⁰ In the fourth row put beryl, onyx, and gray quartz. Mount them in gold settings. ²¹ The stones correspond to the 12 sons of Israel, by name, each stone engraved (like a signet ring) with the name of one of the 12 tribes.

²² “For the breastplate make chains out of pure gold, twisted like ropes. ²³ Make two gold rings for the breastplate. Attach them to the two top corners of the breastplate. ²⁴ Then fasten the two gold ropes to the rings at the top corners of the breastplate. ²⁵ Fasten the other ends of the ropes to the two settings on the shoulder straps of the ephod so that the breastplate hangs in front of it. ²⁶ Make two gold rings, and fasten them to the other two corners of the breastplate on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁷ Make two more gold rings, and fasten them to the bottom of the shoulder straps on the front of the ephod. This will be close to the seam just above the belt of the ephod. ²⁸ Then the breastplate should be fastened by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a violet cord. This will attach it just above the belt of the ephod and will hold the breastplate in place.

²⁹ “Whenever Aaron goes into the holy place, he will be carrying the names of the sons of Israel over his heart as a constant reminder in Yahweh’s presence. He must do this by wearing the breastplate for decision-making. ³⁰ Put the Urim and Thummim^[m] into the breastplate for decision-making. They, too, will be over Aaron’s heart when he comes into Yahweh’s presence. In this way whenever he’s in Yahweh’s presence, Aaron will always be carrying over his heart the means for determining the Lord’s decisions for the Israelites.

Other Clothes for Aaron and His Sons^(M)

³¹ “Make the robe that is worn with the ephod entirely of violet material. ³² Make an opening for the head in the center with a reinforced edge (like a leather collar^[n]) all around it to keep it from tearing. ³³ All around the hem of the robe make pomegranates of violet, purple, and bright red yarn with gold bells in between— ³⁴ a gold bell alternating with a pomegranate all around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron must wear it when he serves as priest. The sound of the bells must be heard when he comes into and goes out of Yahweh’s presence in the holy place so that he won’t die.

³⁶ “Make a flower-shaped medallion out of pure gold, and engrave on it (as on a signet ring): Holy to Yahweh. ³⁷ Fasten a violet cord to it, and tie it so that it’s on the front of the turban. ³⁸ It will be on Aaron’s forehead. He’s the one to be blamed for anything done wrong when the Israelites bring their holy offerings—whatever their gifts may be. The medallion must always be on Aaron’s forehead so that Yahweh will accept their offerings.

³⁹ “Make the specially woven inner robe of fine linen. Make the turban of fine linen, but the belt should be embroidered with colored yarn.

⁴⁰ “Also make linen robes, belts, and turbans for Aaron’s sons. These clothes will give them dignity and honor. ⁴¹ Put these clothes on your brother Aaron and his sons, anoint them, ordain them, and set them apart to serve me as priests.

⁴² “Make linen undergarments to cover them down to their thighs. ⁴³ Aaron and his sons must wear them when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to serve as priests in the holy place. Then they will be blameless and won’t die.

“This is a permanent law for him and his descendants.”

Make Aaron and His Sons Priests^(N)

29 The Lord continued, “Now, this is what you must do in order to set Aaron and his sons apart to serve me as priests:

“Take a young bull that has no defects and two rams that have no defects. ² Use the finest wheat flour, but no yeast, and bake some loaves of bread, some rings of bread made with olive oil, and some wafers brushed with olive oil. ³ Put the bread in a basket, and bring the basket along with the young bull and the two rams.

⁴ “Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them. ⁵ Take the clothes, and put them on Aaron—the linen robe, the ephod and the robe that is worn with it, and the breastplate. Use the belt to tie it on him tightly. ⁶ Put his turban on him, and fasten the holy crown to it. ⁷ Take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him.

⁸ “Have his sons come forward. Dress them in their linen robes, ⁹ and put turbans on them. Tie belts around the waists of Aaron and his sons. They alone are to be priests; this is a permanent law. In this way you will ordain Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰ “Then bring the young bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons will place their hands on its head. ¹¹ Slaughter the bull in Yahweh’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹² Take some of the bull’s blood, and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger. Pour the rest of it out at the bottom of the altar.

¹³ “Then take all the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. ¹⁴ But burn the bull’s meat, skin, and excrement outside the camp. It is an offering for sin.

¹⁵ “Take one of the rams. Then Aaron and his sons will place their hands on its head. ¹⁶ Slaughter it, take the blood, and throw it against the altar on all sides. ¹⁷ Cut the ram into pieces, wash the internal organs and legs, and put them with the other pieces and the head. ¹⁸ Then burn the whole ram on the altar. It’s a burnt offering, a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

¹⁹ “Take the other ram. Then Aaron and his sons will place their hands on its head. ²⁰ Slaughter it, take some of the blood, and put it on the right ear lobes of Aaron and his sons, on their right thumbs, and on the big toes of their right feet. Throw the rest of the blood against the altar on all sides. ²¹ Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. In this way Aaron, his sons, and their clothes will be holy.

²² “From this same ram take the fat, the fat from the tail, the fat that covers the internal organs, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. (This is the ram for the ordination.) ²³ From the basket of unleavened bread which is in Yahweh’s presence, take a round loaf of bread, a ring of bread made with olive oil, and a wafer. ²⁴ Put all of these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, who will offer them to Yahweh. ²⁵ Then take them from their hands, and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. It’s a soothing aroma in Yahweh’s presence, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

²⁶ “Take the breast from the ram used for Aaron’s ordination, and present it to Yahweh. This will be your share. ²⁷ Set apart as holy the breast that is offered to the Lord and the thigh that is the contribution. Both will come from the ram used for the ordination. They both belong to Aaron and his sons. ²⁸ It is a permanent law that the Israelites give this portion to Aaron and his sons as a contribution. This will also be their contribution to Yahweh from the fellowship offerings.

²⁹ “Aaron’s holy clothes will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. ³⁰ The son who succeeds him as priest—the one who goes into the tent of meeting to serve in the holy place—will wear them for seven days.

³¹ “Take the ram used for the ordination, and boil its meat in a holy place. ³² At the entrance to the tent of meeting, Aaron and his sons will eat the meat of the ram and the bread left in the basket. ³³ They will eat those offerings through which they made peace with the Lord at their ordination and installation. No one else may eat them because the offerings are holy. ³⁴ If any meat or bread from the ordination is left over until morning, burn it up. It must not be eaten because it is holy.

³⁵ “Do this with Aaron and his sons exactly as I have commanded you. Take seven days to ordain them. ³⁶ Each day sacrifice a young bull as an offering to make peace with the Lord. Sacrifice this offering for sin on the altar in order to pay for its sins. Then anoint it with olive oil in order to dedicate it. ³⁷ For seven days at the altar make peace with the Lord and set the altar apart for its holy purpose. Then the altar will be most holy. Anything that touches the altar will become holy.

³⁸ “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly every day: two one-year-old lambs. ³⁹ Offer one in the morning and the other at dusk. ⁴⁰ With the first lamb make an offering of eight cups of flour mixed with one quart of virgin olive oil. Make a wine offering of one quart of wine. ⁴¹ Offer the other lamb at dusk, and with it make the same grain offering and wine offering as in the morning. This is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to Yahweh.

⁴² “For generations to come this will be the daily burnt offering made in Yahweh’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. There I will meet with you to speak to you. ⁴³ I will also meet with the Israelites there, and my glory will make this place holy. ⁴⁴ I will dedicate the tent of meeting and the altar for their holy purposes. I will set Aaron and his sons apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.

⁴⁵ “Then I will live among the Israelites and be their Elohim. ⁴⁶ They will know that I am Yahweh their Elohim. I brought them out of Egypt so that I might live among them. I am Yahweh their Elohim.”

The Altar for Incense^(O)

30 The Lord continued, “Build an altar out of acacia wood for burning incense. ² Make it 18 inches square and 36 inches high. The horns and altar must be made out of one piece of wood. ³ Cover all of it with pure gold—the top, the sides, and the horns. Put a gold molding around it. ⁴ Make two gold rings, and put them below the molding on opposite sides to hold the poles for carrying it. ⁵ Make the poles out of acacia wood, and cover them with gold. ⁶ Put the altar in front of the canopy which hangs over the ark containing the words of my promise. I will meet with you there in front of the throne of mercy that is on the ark.

⁷ “Aaron must burn sweet-smelling incense on this altar every morning when he takes care of the lamps. ⁸ Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he must burn incense. For generations to come an incense offering must burn constantly in Yahweh’s presence.

⁹ “Never burn any unauthorized incense on this altar or any burnt offerings or grain offerings. Never pour a wine offering on it. ¹⁰ Once a year Aaron must make peace with the Lord by putting blood on its horns. Once a year—for generations to come—blood from the offering must be placed on the altar to make peace with the Lord. It is most holy to Yahweh.”

Counting the Israelites

¹¹ Then Yahweh said to Moses, ¹² “When you take a census of the Israelites, each person must pay Yahweh a ransom for his life when he is counted. Then no plague will happen to them when they are counted. ¹³ As each person is counted, he must give one-fifth of an ounce of silver using the standard weight of the holy place.^[o] This one-fifth of an ounce of silver is a contribution to Yahweh. ¹⁴ Everyone counted who is at least 20 years old must give this contribution to Yahweh. ¹⁵ The rich must not give more than one-fifth of an ounce of silver, and the poor must not give less. This contribution is given to make peace with the Lord and make your lives acceptable to Yahweh. ¹⁶ Take the money the Israelites give to make peace with the Lord, and use it to pay the expenses of the tent of meeting. It will be a reminder for the Israelites in Yahweh’s presence that the sins in their lives are removed.”

The Bronze Basin^(P)

¹⁷ Yahweh said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. ²⁰ Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to Yahweh, ²¹ they will wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This will be a permanent law for him and his descendants for generations to come.”

The Oil for Anointing

²² Yahweh said to Moses, ²³ “Take the finest spices: 12½ pounds of powdered^[p] myrrh; half as much, that is, 6¼ pounds of fragrant cinnamon; 6¼ pounds of fragrant cane; ²⁴ 12½ pounds of cassia—all weighed using the standard weight of the holy place—and 4 quarts of olive oil. ²⁵ Have a perfumer make these into a holy oil, a fragrant mixture, used only for anointing. This will be the holy oil used for anointing.

²⁶ “Use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise, ²⁷ the table and all the dishes, the lamp stand and all the utensils, the altar for incense, ²⁸ the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, and the basin with its stand. ²⁹ In this way you will dedicate them for their holy purpose. Then they will be most holy, and anything that touches them will become holy. ³⁰ Anoint Aaron and his sons as well. In this way you will set them apart for their holy duties of serving me as priests.

³¹ “Say to the Israelites, ‘For generations to come, this will be my holy oil used only for anointing. ³² It must never be poured on the bodies of other people. Never make any perfumed oil using this formula. It is holy, and you must treat it as holy. ³³ Whoever prepares a perfume like this or puts it on anyone who is not a priest must be excluded from the people.’”

The Incense for Use in the Tent

³⁴ Yahweh said to Moses, “Take one part fragrant spices (two kinds of gum resin and aromatic mollusk shells), and mix them with one part pure frankincense. ³⁵ Have a perfumer make it into fragrant incense, seasoned with salt, pure and holy. ³⁶ Grind some of it into a fine powder, and put it in front of the ark containing the words of my promise in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. You must treat it as most holy. ³⁷ Never make any incense for yourselves using this formula. Treat it as holy to Yahweh. ³⁸ Whoever prepares anything like it for his own enjoyment must be excluded from his people.”

The Craftsmen for the Tent^(Q)

31 Yahweh said to Moses, ² “I have chosen Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled Bezalel with the Ruach Elohim, making him highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable in all trades. ⁴ He’s a master artist familiar with gold, silver, and bronze. ⁵ He knows how to cut and set stones and how to work with wood. He’s an expert in all trades. ⁶ Also, I have appointed Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, to help him. I have given every craftsman the skill necessary to make everything I have commanded you: ⁷ the tent of meeting, the ark containing the words of my promise with the throne of mercy on it, and all the other furnishings for the tent, ⁸ the table and the dishes, the pure gold lamp stand and all its utensils, the altar for incense, ⁹ the altar for burnt offerings and all its accessories, the basin with its stand, ¹⁰ the special^[q] clothes—the holy clothes for the priest Aaron and the clothes for his sons when they serve as priests, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the sweet-smelling incense for the holy place. They will make all these things as I commanded you.”

The Sign between the Lord and His People

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, ¹³ “Say to the Israelites, ‘Be sure to observe my days of worship. This will be a sign between me and you for generations to come so that you will know that I am Yahweh who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “‘Observe the day of worship because it is holy to you. Whoever treats it like any other day must be put to death. Whoever works on that day must be excluded from the people. ¹⁵ You may work for six days, but the seventh day is a day of worship, a day when you don’t work. It is holy to Yahweh. Whoever works on that day must be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites must observe this day of worship, celebrating it for generations to come as a permanent reminder of my promise.^{[r] 17} It will be a permanent sign between me and the Israelites, because Yahweh made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”

¹⁸ Yahweh finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets with his words on them, stone tablets inscribed by Elohim himself.

The Gold Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. Make gods who will lead us.”

² Aaron said to them, “Have your wives, sons, and daughters take off the gold earrings they are wearing, and bring them to me.”

³ So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron. ⁴ After he had worked on the gold with a tool,^[s] he made it into a statue of a calf.

Then they said, “Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.”

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival in Yahweh’s honor.”

⁶ Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.

⁷ Yahweh said to Moses, “Go back down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined everything. ⁸ They’ve already turned from the way I commanded them to live. They’ve made a statue of a calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it. They’ve said, ‘Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’”

⁹ Yahweh added, “I’ve seen these people, and they are impossible to deal with. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone. I’m so angry with them I am going to destroy them. Then I’ll make you into a great nation.”

¹¹ But Moses pleaded with Yahweh his Elohim. “Yahweh,” he said, “why are you so angry with your people whom you brought out of Egypt using your great power and mighty hand? ¹² Don’t let the Egyptians say, ‘He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That’s why he brought them out of our land.’ Don’t be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people. ¹³ Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You took an oath, swearing on yourself. You told them, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all the land I spoke of. It will be their permanent possession.’”

¹⁴ So Yahweh reconsidered his threat to destroy his people.

¹⁵ Moses turned and went down the mountain carrying the two tablets with God’s words. They were written on both sides, front and back. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of Elohim, and the writing was Elohim’s writing inscribed on the tablets.

¹⁷ Then Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting. He said to Moses, “It’s the sound of war in the camp!”

¹⁸ Moses replied,

¹⁹ When he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. In a burst of anger Moses threw down the tablets and smashed them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ Then he took the calf they had made, burned it, ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹ Moses asked Aaron, “What did these people do to you that you encouraged them to commit such a serious sin?”

²² “Don’t be angry, sir,” Aaron answered. “You know that these people are evil. ²³ They said to me, ‘We don’t know what’s happened to this Moses who brought us out of Egypt. Make gods for us. They will lead us.’ ²⁴ So I told them to take off any gold they were wearing. They gave it to me. I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

²⁵ Aaron had let the people get out of control, and they became an object of ridicule to their enemies. When Moses saw this, ²⁶ he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “If you’re on Yahweh’s side, come over here to me!” Then all the Levites gathered around him.

²⁷ He said to them, “This is what Yahweh Elohim of Israel says: Each of you put on your sword. Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, and kill your relatives, friends, and neighbors.”

²⁸ The Levites did what Moses told them, and that day about 3,000 people died.

²⁹ Moses said, “Today you are ordained as Yahweh’s priests. God gave you a blessing today because each of you fought with your own sons and brothers.”^[u]

Moses Begs the Lord to Spare the People

³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a serious sin. Now I will go up the mountain to Yahweh. Maybe I will be able to make a payment for your sin and make peace with the Lord for your sin.”

³¹ So Moses went back to Yahweh and said, “These people have committed such a serious sin! They made gods out of gold for themselves. ³² But will you forgive their sin? If not, please wipe me out of the book you have written.”

³³ Yahweh answered Moses, “I will wipe out of my book whoever sins against me. ³⁴ Now, go! Lead the people to the place I told you about. My Messenger will go ahead of you. But when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ So Yahweh killed people because they had Aaron make the calf.

The Lord Assures Moses That He Will Have Mercy on Israel

33 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ² I will send a Messenger ahead of you, and I will force out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ³ Go to that land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not be with you, because you are impossible to deal with, and I would destroy you on the way.”

⁴ When the people heard this bad news, they acted as if someone had died. No one wore any jewelry. ⁵ Yahweh had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are impossible to deal with. If I were with you, I might destroy you at any time. Now take off your jewelry, and I’ll decide what to do with you.’” ⁶ After they left Mount Horeb, the Israelites no longer wore their jewelry.

⁷ Now, Moses used to take a tent and set it up far outside the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who was seeking Yahweh’s will used to go outside the camp to the tent of meeting. ⁸ Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances to their tents and watch Moses until he went in. ⁹ As soon as Moses went into the tent, the column of smoke would come down and stay at the entrance to the tent while Yahweh spoke with Moses. ¹⁰ When all the people saw the column of smoke standing at the entrance to the tent, they would all bow with their faces touching the ground at the entrance to their own tents. ¹¹ Yahweh would speak to Moses personally, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would come back to the camp, but his assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, stayed inside the tent.

¹² Moses said to Yahweh, “You’ve been telling me to lead these people, but you haven’t let me know whom you’re sending with me. You’ve also said, ‘I know you by name, and I’m pleased with you.’ ¹³ If you really are pleased with me, show me your ways so that I can know you and so that you will continue to be pleased with me. Remember: This nation is your people.”

¹⁴ Yahweh answered, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you peace.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said to him, “If your presence is not going with us, don’t make us leave this place. ¹⁶ How will anyone ever know you’re pleased with your people and me unless you go with us? Then we will be different from all other people on the face of the earth.”

¹⁷ Yahweh answered Moses, “I will do what you have asked, because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name.”

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Please let me see your glory.”

¹⁹ Yahweh said, “I will let all my goodness pass in front of you, and there I will call out my name ‘Yahweh.’ I will be kind to anyone I want to. I will be merciful to anyone I want to. ²⁰ But you can’t see my face, because no one may see me and live.”

²¹ Then Yahweh said, “Look, there’s a place near me. Stand by this rocky cliff. ²² When my glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice in the cliff and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. ²³ Then I will take my hand away, and you’ll see my back, but my face must not be seen.”

The Lord Meets with Moses on the Mountain

34 Yahweh said to Moses, “Cut two more stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets which you smashed. ² Be ready in the morning. Then come up on Mount Sinai, and stand in my presence on the top of the mountain. ³ No one may come with you or even be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds may not graze in front of this mountain.”

⁴ So Moses cut two more stone tablets like the first ones. Early the next morning he went up on Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, carrying the two stone tablets.

⁵ Yahweh came down in a cloud and stood there with him and called out his name “Yahweh.”

⁶ Then Yahweh passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh, Yahweh, a compassionate and merciful El, patient, always faithful and ready to forgive. ⁷ He continues to show his love to thousands of generations, forgiving wrongdoing, disobedience, and sin. He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children and grandchildren for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation.”

⁸ Immediately, Moses knelt, bowing with his face touching the ground. ⁹ Then he said, “Adonay, please go with us! Even though we are impossible to deal with, forgive our sin and the wrong we have done, and accept us as your own people.”

The Lord Makes His Promise with Israel Again

¹⁰ Yahweh said, “I’m making my promise^[v] again. In front of all your people I will perform miracles that have never been done in any other nation in all the world. All the people around you will see how awesome these miracles are that I will perform for you. ¹¹ Do everything that I command today. Then I will force the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites out of your way. ¹² Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you’re going. This will prove to be a trap to you. ¹³ But tear down their altars, crush their sacred stones, and cut down their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. ¹⁴ (Never worship any other god, because Yahweh is El Kanna. In fact, he is known for not tolerating rivals.) ¹⁵ Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in that land. When they chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes and sacrifice to them, they may invite you to eat the meat from their sacrifices with them. ¹⁶ Then your sons will end up marrying their daughters. When their daughters chase after their gods as though they were prostitutes, they’ll lead your sons to do the same thing.

¹⁷ “Never make an idol.

¹⁸ “You must celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you must eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because in that month you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ “Every first male offspring is mine, even the firstborn males^[w] of all your livestock, whether cattle, sheep, or goats. ²⁰ It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy back the firstborn donkey. If you don’t buy it back, then you must break the donkey’s neck. You must buy back every firstborn of your sons.

“No one may come into my presence without an offering.

²¹ “You may work six days, but on the seventh day you must not work. Even during the time of plowing or harvesting you must not work on this day.

²² “You must celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the first grain from your wheat harvest, and the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the season.

²³ “Three times a year all your men must come into the presence of the Adonay, Yahweh Elohim of Israel. ²⁴ I will force nations out of your way and will expand your country’s borders. No one will want to take away your land while you’re gone three times a year to Yahweh’s festivals.

²⁵ “Never offer the blood of a sacrifice to me at the same time you offer anything containing yeast. No part of the sacrifice at the Passover Festival should be left over in the morning.

²⁶ “You must bring the first and best of the produce harvested from your soil to the house of Yahweh your Elohim.

“Never cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Write down these words, because on the basis of these words I’m making a promise to Israel and to you.”

²⁸ Moses was there with Yahweh 40 days and 40 nights without food or water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the promise, the ten commandments.

Moses Returns to the People

²⁹ Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the two tablets with God’s words on them. His face was shining from speaking with Yahweh, but he didn’t know it.

³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites looked at Moses and saw his face shining, they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him. Then Moses spoke to them.