Exodus 19:1-34:30

New Catholic Bible

The Covenant at Mount Sinai

The Covenant and the Ten Commandments^[a]

Chapter 19

God Proposes His Covenant.^{[b] 1} Three months to the day after the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, they arrived in the Sinai Desert. ² They left the camp at Rephidim and arrived in the Desert of Sinai. There Israel camped in front of the mountain.

³ Moses climbed up to meet God, and the Lord called out to him from the mountain, saying, “You will say this to the house of Jacob and announce it to the children of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I lifted you up on eagles’ wings and brought you here to me. ⁵ Now, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession from among all the peoples, for the entire earth is mine. ⁶ You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me.’ These are the words you will speak to Israel.”^[c]

⁷ Moses went and summoned the elders of the people and told them what the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ All the people answered together and said, “We will do what the Lord has said.” Then Moses returned to the Lord and told him what the people had said.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to approach you in a thick cloud so that the people will hear when I speak to you and always believe in you.”

The Lord Descends on Sinai.

¹⁰ The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes ¹¹ and have them ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai to visit all the people.

¹² “You shall establish a boundary around it, saying, ‘Take heed not to climb up the mountain or even touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death.’

¹³ “No hand must touch that person, however, for he must be stoned or shot with an arrow. Whether it be a human or an animal, he is not to live. They can come up the mountain only when you blow the trumpet.”

¹⁴ Moses went down the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people and had them wash their clothes. ¹⁵ Then he said to the people, “Be ready in three days’ time. Abstain from sexual relations.”

¹⁶ The Great Theophany. On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, lightning, a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of loud trumpets. All the people in the camp were filled with fear.

¹⁷ Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood on foot at the base of the mountain.

¹⁸ Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord had descended upon it in fire and the smoke rose up like the smoke of a furnace. The entire mountain trembled. ¹⁹ The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God responded with the sound of a trumpet.

²⁰ The Lord thus descended upon Mount Sinai, on the mountain peak, and he called out to Moses upon the mountain peak. Moses went up the mountain.

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to gaze upon the Lord; otherwise many will die.

²² “Let the priests consecrate themselves before they approach the Lord. Otherwise the Lord will burst forth upon them.”

²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot climb up Mount Sinai, for you yourself have warned us saying, ‘Establish a boundary around the mountain and declare it to be holy.’ ”

²⁴ The Lord told him, “Go, descend, then come back up with Aaron. But the priests and the people are not to break through to climb up to the Lord. Otherwise, he will burst forth against them.”

²⁵ Moses went down and spoke to the people.

Chapter 20

The Ten Commandments.^{[d] 1} God spoke all these words:

² “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of that place of slavery. ³ You shall not have other gods instead of me. ⁴ You shall not make idols or any image of things that are in the heavens above or that are upon the earth or that are in the waters under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow before them nor shall you serve them. I, the Lord, am your God, a jealous God, who punishes the sins of fathers upon their sons until the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, ⁶ but I will show my favor for a thousand generations of those who love me and observe my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished those who use his name in vain.

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is the Sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male slave, nor your female slave, nor your animals, nor the foreigner who dwells with you. ¹¹ The Lord made the heavens and the earth and the seas and that which is in them in six days, but he rested the seventh day. Thus, the Lord blessed the Sabbath and declared it to be sacred.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be lengthened in the land that the Lord your God, will give you.

¹³ “You shall not kill.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not give false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male slave, nor his female slave, nor his oxen, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ Moses, Intermediary of the Covenant. All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the sound of the trumpet and saw the mountain smoking. They were filled with fear and kept their distance.

¹⁹ They said to Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us or we will die.”

²⁰ Moses spoke to the people saying, “Do not be afraid. God has come to put you to the test so that you may always be filled with fear of him and not sin.”

²¹ The people kept their distance while Moses approached the dark cloud where God was found.

The Book of the Covenant^[e]

Norms for Constructing an Altar to the Lord.²² The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens. ²³ Do not make gods from silver or from gold instead of me. You will not make them for yourselves.

²⁴ “ ‘Make an altar for me in the land and upon it offer your burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices, your sheep and your oxen. In all the places where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

²⁵ “ ‘If you make an altar out of stone for me, do not build it out of cut stone. If you use a chisel upon it, it will be considered to be unclean. ²⁶ Do not go up to the altar by steps, lest your nakedness be seen.’^[f]

Chapter 21

Laws Concerning Slaves. ¹ “These are the decrees that you will set before them.

² “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years and in the seventh year he will go free, without paying anything.^{[g] 3} If he entered into slavery unmarried, he will go out alone. If he is married, then his wife will go with him. ⁴ If his master has given him a wife and she has had sons or daughters, the woman and her children will be the property of the master and he will go out alone.

⁵ “If the slave says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I do not want to go free,’ ⁶ then the master will bring him before God. He will bring him to a door or a doorpost and will bore a hole in his ear with an awl. He will be his slave forever.

⁷ “When a man sells his daughter^[h] as a slave, she will not go free as the male slaves do. ⁸ If she does not please her master who has taken her as a concubine, she will be allowed to be redeemed. But he cannot sell her to foreigners, for he has acted faithlessly to her. ⁹ If he wishes to give her as a concubine to his own son, he will treat her like a daughter. ¹⁰ If he takes another for himself, he will not withhold her food, her clothes, or her marriage rights. ¹¹ If he does not give her these things, then she can go away without having to pay the price of her redemption.

¹² Different Cases of the Penalty of Death.“Whoever strikes a man causing his death will be put to death. ¹³ However, if the man did not lie in wait, but he met him by chance, there will be a place where he can flee for refuge.

¹⁴ “But when a person kills a neighbor with premeditation, he shall be dragged away from my altar to be put to death.

¹⁵ “Whoever strikes a mother or a father will be put to death.

¹⁶ “Whoever kidnaps a man and either sells him or has him still in his possession, shall be put to death.

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

¹⁸ Punishments for Personal Injury.^[i]“When people are fighting and one of them injures the other with a stone or with a fist, and this does not kill the other but causes a serious injury, ¹⁹ and yet the injured party is able to walk around with a staff, then the one who struck the blow shall be held to be innocent. He must, however, pay the victim for the time he lost on account of the injury and he must pay for his medical care.

²⁰ “When a man strikes his male or female slave with a staff and kills that slave, he shall surely be punished. ²¹ But if the slave lives for a day or two, the slave-owner shall not be punished, for the slave is his property.

²² “When some men fight and injure a pregnant woman so that she loses her child, but there is no other damage, they will be fined as much as the husband of the woman decides. They will pay in the presence of a judge. ²³ But if further harm results, they will 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 burning for a burning, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.

²⁶ “When a man strikes the eye of his male slave or his female slave and blinds the slave, he will free the slave because of the eye. ²⁷ If he breaks a tooth of his male slave or his female slave, he will free the slave to compensate for the tooth.

²⁸ Animals: Injuries and Thefts.“If an ox gores a man or a woman and that person dies, the ox is to be stoned and its meat is not to be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be considered to be innocent. ²⁹ However, if the ox had already gored someone before and the owner had been warned, yet failed to keep it penned up, and if the ox gores another man or a woman and that person dies, then the ox is to be stoned and the owner is to be put to death.

³⁰ “If, however, a fine is imposed, he can pay it to redeem his life, as much as has been required. ³¹ This will also be the procedure if a son or a daughter is gored.

³² “If an ox gores a male or female slave, the master of the slave will be paid thirty shekels of silver, and the ox is to be stoned.

³³ “If someone leaves a cistern uncovered or digs a cistern and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the cistern must make restitution and pay the owner of the animal. The dead animal will be his.

³⁵ “If someone’s ox gores another person’s ox and that ox dies, then they will sell the live ox and divide its price between them, and they will also divide the dead ox. ³⁶ But if it is known that the ox had already gored others and its owner had not confined it, then he must pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.

³⁷ “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and then kills it or sells it, he shall pay back five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

Chapter 22

¹ “If a thief is surprised while he is breaking in and is struck and dies, then there is no bloodguilt for the striker. ² But if the sun has already risen on him, there would be bloodguilt for the striker.

“A thief must surely pay restitution. If he has nothing with which he can pay, then he is to be sold to pay for his theft.

³ “If he is found with the animals he robbed and they are still alive, whether they be oxen or donkeys or sheep, he is to repay double.

Offenses Regarding Compensation. ⁴ “If someone uses a field or a vineyard as a pasture and lets his animals graze in someone else’s field, then he must repay that person with the best of his field and the best of his vineyard.

⁵ “If a fire breaks out and it spreads to the thornbushes so that it burns the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself, the person who started the fire must make restitution.^[j]

⁶ “If someone entrusts his neighbor with silver or goods for safekeeping, and there is a robbery in that house and the thief is caught, the thief shall pay back double. ⁷ If the thief is not caught, the master of the house is to be brought before the judges to swear that he has not laid hands on the property of his neighbor.

⁸ “Whatever the transgression, whether it be about an ox or a sheep or clothes or any other lost property about which a person has said, ‘This is mine,’ the case of both parties will be brought before the judges. Whoever the judges find guilty shall pay back double to his neighbor.

⁹ “If someone entrusts his neighbor with a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any other animal, and that animal dies or is injured or stolen with no witnesses, ¹⁰ then an oath to the Lord shall be taken between the two parties declaring that the one entrusted with the animal did not lay hands on his neighbor’s property. The owner of the property shall accept this and there shall be no restitution. ¹¹ But if it was stolen while he was present, then he will make restitution to its owner. ¹² If it was torn to pieces, let him bring the pieces as evidence and he shall not pay restitution.

¹³ “If someone borrows anything from a neighbor and it is hurt or dies when the owner is not there, he shall pay full restitution. ¹⁴ But if the owner is there, he shall not have to pay restitution. If the animal was hired, then its loss is the price of its hire.

¹⁵ Moral and Religious Regulations.“If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall pay a dowry for her and will make her his wife. ¹⁶ If her father refuses to give her to him, he must give him the normal amount of dowry paid for a virgin.^[k]

¹⁷ “You shall not allow a witch to live.

¹⁸ “Whoever lies with an animal must die. ¹⁹ Whoever offers a sacrifice to any other god besides the Lord will be annihilated.

²⁰ “You shall not mistreat or oppress the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

²¹ “You shall not oppress the widow or the orphan. ²² If you mistreat them and they cry out to me for help, I will surely hear their cry, ²³ and my fury will burn and I will put you to death by the sword. Your wives will be widows and your children will be orphans.

²⁴ “If you lend money to any of the poor among my people, you will not act as a creditor toward him nor will you take any interest.

²⁵ “If you take your neighbor’s mantle as a pledge, you shall restore it to him at sunset, ²⁶ for it is his covering. It is the cloak for his body. What else would cover him when he sleeps? Otherwise, when he cries out to me, I will listen to his cry, for I am compassionate.^[l]

²⁷ “You shall not blaspheme God nor curse the leader of your people.

²⁸ “You shall not delay to make offerings from your harvest and your vintage. You shall give your firstborn from among your sons to me. ²⁹ You shall do the same with your oxen and your sheep. Seven days it shall remain with its mother, and on the eighth day you shall give it to me.

³⁰ “You shall be men consecrated to me. So do not eat the flesh of any beast that has been torn to pieces in the countryside; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Chapter 23

A Righteous and Fraternal People. ¹ “You shall not utter a false report. Do not join hands with the guilty to be an unjust witness. ² Neither shall you follow the multitude in doing evil nor shall you testify in a suit in order to agree with the multitude and thus falsify justice.

³ “You shall not even show partiality toward a weak man in a lawsuit.

^4 [m]“When you encounter the lost ox or donkey of your enemy, you shall bring it back to him. ⁵ When you see your enemy’s donkey lying helpless under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him alone. You must help him to release it.

⁶ “You shall not pervert justice for a needy person who turns to you in a dispute.

⁷ “Keep far away from falsehoods. Do not slay the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the wicked.

⁸ “Do not accept gifts, for gifts blind the clear-sighted and pervert the cause of the righteous.

⁹ “Do not oppress those who are sojourners, for you know the life of the sojourner because you yourselves were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ “For six years you shall sow the land and you shall harvest its produce, ¹¹ but in the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow so that the needy of your people may eat of it. Whatever is left, let the beasts of the field eat it. You shall do likewise with your vineyards and your olive groves. ¹² For six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest so that your ox and your donkey may rest, as well as the sons of your female slaves and your sojourners.

¹³ “You shall take heed of all that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let them be heard on your lips.

¹⁴ Feasts and Rites To Be Observed.“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast in my honor.^[n]

¹⁵ “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You must eat unleavened products for seven days, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month I brought you out of the land of Egypt. You will not appear before me empty-handed.

¹⁶ “You shall also observe the Harvest Feast of the firstfruits of that which you have sown in the fields as well as the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year when you gather the fruit of your labor in the fields.

¹⁷ “Three times a year all your men shall appear before the Lord God.

¹⁸ “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread, nor shall you allow the fat of my feast to remain till the morning.

¹⁹ “You shall bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord, your God. You shall not cook a kid goat in its mother’s milk.^[o]

²⁰ Promises and Instructions for Entering into Canaan.^[p]“Behold, I will send an angel before you to protect you on your way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹ Pay heed to him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against him for he will not pardon your transgression since my name is in him. ²² If you listen to his voice and do what I will tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

²³ “When my angel goes before you and leads you to the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, I will destroy them. ²⁴ You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them. You shall not do what they do, but rather you shall demolish and break their sacred pillars to pieces.

²⁵ “You shall serve the Lord, your God. He will bless your bread and water and take away sickness from your midst. ²⁶ There will be no woman in your land who miscarries or who is sterile. I will make you arrive at the full count of your days.

²⁷ “I will send my terror before you and throw into confusion all the peoples among whom you will come. I will make your enemies turn their backs and flee.

²⁸ “I will send hornets ahead of you and they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. ²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in a single year lest the country remain deserted and the wild beasts multiply against you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out before you until you have many sons to occupy the land.

³¹ “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea up to the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river. I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands and I will drive them out from before you. ³² But you must not make a covenant with them or their gods. ³³ They are no longer to live in your land. Otherwise, they would make you sin against me, for you would serve their gods and that would be a trap for you.”

Chapter 24

The People of God Ratify the Covenant.^{[q] 1} He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. ² Moses alone shall approach the Lord, but the others shall not draw near and the people shall not go up with him.”

³ Moses went to tell the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances. All the people answered together and said, “We will keep all the commands that the Lord has given.”

⁴ Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ He sent some of the young men of Israel to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.

⁶ Moses took half of the blood and placed it in bowls and the other half of the blood he poured out on the altar. ⁷ He then took the book of the covenant and read it in the presence of the people. They said, “All that the Lord has commanded, we will do and obey.”

⁸ Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people saying, “Behold, the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel. ¹⁰ They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a pavement that looked as if it were made from sapphires, shining like the very heavens. ¹¹ He did not stretch out his hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; they saw God and yet they continued to eat and drink.

Moses on the Mountain: The Regulation of Worship^[r]

¹² Moses Ascends the Mountain of God. The Lord said to Moses, “Climb up to me on the mountain and remain there. I will give you stone tablets with the laws and commandments that I have written for their instruction.”

¹³ Then Moses went up with Joshua, his assistant, and they climbed the mountain of God. ¹⁴ He told the elders, “Remain here to wait for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has any concern can bring it to them.”

¹⁵ Moses then climbed up the mountain, and clouds covered the mountain.

¹⁶ The glory of the Lord^[s] settled upon Mount Sinai, and clouds covered it for seven days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from out of the cloud.

¹⁷ The glory of the Lord appeared to the children of Israel to be a consuming fire on the mountaintop. ¹⁸ Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and climbed up the mountain. He remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Instruction on the Sanctuary and Its Ministers

Chapter 25

Moses Receives the Command to Establish a Sanctuary. ¹ The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the children of Israel to gather an offering for me. Let each one raise up as an offering what his heart tells him is right. ³ This is what you shall gather from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet cloth, fine linen, goats’ hair, ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, sheep skins, acacia wood, ⁶ oil for the lamps, balsam for anointing oil and for fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and stones for setting in the ephod and the breastplate.

⁸ “They are to build a sanctuary for me and I will live in their midst. ⁹ Build it just as I will show you, following the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture.

¹⁰ The Ark of the Covenant.“They are to make an Ark out of acacia wood. It is to be two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.^{[t] 11} You are to cover it with gold inside and out, and they are to put a gold molding on it. ¹² You are to cast four golden rings for it and attach them to its four legs, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ¹³ You are to make poles out of acacia wood and cover them with gold. ¹⁴ You shall put the poles into the rings on the two sides of the Ark so that you may carry the Ark with them. ¹⁵ The poles must remain in the rings of the Ark; they are not to be taken out of them.

¹⁶ “You will place the Testimony that I will give you in the Ark.

¹⁷ “You shall make a seat^[u] of atonement of pure gold. It shall be two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. ¹⁸ You will make two cherubim^[v] out of gold. Make them as hammered works, placing them on the two sides of the seat of atonement.

¹⁹ “Make one cherubim at one end and the other cherubim at the other end. Make the cherubim all of one piece at the two ends of the seat of atonement. ²⁰ The cherubim shall have two wings spread out covering the seat of atonement. They shall be facing each other, and the faces of the cherubim will be turned toward the seat of atonement.

²¹ “You will place the seat of atonement on top of the Ark and place the Testimony that I will give you inside the Ark.

²² “I will meet you there. I will speak with you from the seat of atonement that is between the two cherubim upon the Ark of Testimony concerning all that I will command the children of Israel.

²³ The Table of the Bread Offered to God.“You are to make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high. ²⁴ Cover it with pure gold and place a molding of gold upon it. ²⁵ Make a frame one handbreath wide and place a molding of gold around it. ²⁶ You shall also make four golden rings for it and place them at the four corners that are on its four legs. ²⁷ Place the rings alongside the borders to hold the poles used in carrying the table.

²⁸ “Make the poles out of acacia wood, cover them in gold, and carry the table with them. ²⁹ Also make dishes and plates and flagons and jars out of pure gold to pour out libations. ³⁰ Set the bread of the Presence on the table before me always.

³¹ The Golden Lampstand.“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out.

“Its base and shaft; its bowls and knobs and flowers shall be of one piece. ³² Six of the branches of the lampstand shall come out of its sides, three from one side of the lampstand and three from the other side of the lampstand. ³³ On one branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, with bud and flower. Also there shall be three cups shaped like almond blossoms, with bud and flower, on the next branch—and similarly for all six branches that rise out of the lampstand.

³⁴ “On the shaft of the lampstand there shall be four cups shaped like almond blossoms with their bud and flower. ³⁵ One bud shall be under the first set of two branches coming out of it, and one bud under the second set of two branches coming out of it, and one bud under the third set of two branches coming out of it, for there are six branches coming out of it. ³⁶ The buds and their respective branches must be one piece with the lampstand, and the whole made from one piece of pure gold that has been beaten into shape.

³⁷ “You shall then make seven lamps for the lampstand and set them on the lampstand to shed light in front of it. ³⁸ Its snuffers and their trays are to be made of pure gold.

³⁹ “Use a talent^[w] of pure gold for making the lampstand and all of its accessories.

⁴⁰ “See that you make them according to the model that I have shown you on the mountain.

Chapter 26

The Tabernacle. ¹ “As for the tabernacle, you shall make it out of ten curtains of fine twisted linen, blue and purple and scarlet, with cherubim sewn on them by skillful craftsmen.^{[x] 2} The curtains shall be twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide, each curtain being the same size. ³ Five curtains shall be joined together, and the other five curtains shall be joined together. ⁴ Make loops of blue cloth on the outside edge of the first set, and likewise loops on the outside edge of the second set. ⁵ Make fifty loops in the first set and make fifty loops in the edge of the second set. The loops should be symmetrical. ⁶ Then make fifty golden clasps and attach the sets of curtains to each other to form the tabernacle.

⁷ “You shall then make curtains of goats hair to build a tent over the tabernacle, eleven curtains in all. ⁸ The curtains shall be thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. Each curtain shall be the same size. ⁹ You shall join five of the curtains on one side and six curtains on the other side. Fold back the sixth curtain to double it over on the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops in the outside edge of the first set, and fifty loops in the edge of the second set. ¹¹ You shall make fifty bronze clasps and put the clasps into the loops to join the tent together and make it a single structure.

¹² “The overlapping part of the curtain, the half curtain that is left over, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ The cubit that is left over on the one side, like the cubit that is left over on the other side, of what is remaining in the length of the curtain of the tent, shall hang over the two sides of the tabernacle to cover one side and the other.

¹⁴ “You shall make a covering for the tent out of rams’ skins dyed red, and over it shall be a covering of sheep skin.

¹⁵ The Linear Structure of the Tabernacle.“You shall make upright frames for the tent of acacia wood. ¹⁶ Each board shall be ten cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. ¹⁷ Each board shall have two joints in it to fit them together. All the boards of the tabernacle are to be made this way. ¹⁸ This is how you shall make all the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards being on the southern side. ¹⁹ You shall also make forty silver bases for the twenty boards, two bases for each of the joints on one board, and two bases for each of the joints on the next board. ²⁰ On the second side of the tabernacle, toward the north, there shall be twenty boards ²¹ as well as their forty silver bases, two bases under one board, and two bases under the next board. ²² For the rear of the tabernacle facing the west you shall make six boards, ²³ and two boards for the corners of the tabernacle in the rear. ²⁴ They shall be doubled together below and likewise joined together above into one ring. The two of them will form two corners. ²⁵ Thus, there shall be eight boards with their silver bases, sixteen bases in all, with two bases under one board and two bases under the next board.

²⁶ “You shall also make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle ²⁷ and five bars for the boards for the other side of the tabernacle and five bars for the boards of the rear, toward the west. ²⁸ The middle bar shall pass half way up the boards, reaching from end to end. ²⁹ Cover the boards with gold, and make their rings gold in which the bars are inserted, and also cover the bars in gold.

³⁰ “You shall build the tabernacle according to the plan that you were shown on the mountain.

³¹ The Inner Veil.“You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen, with cherubim sewn upon it by skillful craftsmen. ³² You shall hang it on four columns of acacia wood covered in gold, with hooks of gold and standing upon four bases of silver. ³³ Hang the veil from the clasps, and place the Ark of Testimony inside the veil. The veil shall serve you as the separation between the Holy and the Holy of Holies. ³⁴ Place the seat of atonement on the Ark of Testimony in the Holy of Holies. ³⁵ Set the table outside of the veil and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. You are to put the table on the north side.

³⁶ The Entry Curtain.“You shall make a curtain for the door to the tent of blue and purple and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen that is covered with embroidery. ³⁷ You shall make five columns of acacia wood covered in gold for the curtain. Their hooks are to be made out of gold and you shall cast five bronze bases.

Chapter 27

Altar of Burnt Offering. ¹ “You shall make an altar out of acacia wood. It is to be five cubits long and five cubits wide. The altar shall be square and be three cubits high. ² Make horns^[y] for its four corners and the horns and altar are one piece. You shall then cover it with bronze. ³ Fashion vessels to take away its ashes, as well as shovels, and basins, and forks, and fire pans. All of its utensils are to be made of bronze. ⁴ Make a grating for it, a network of bronze. Upon the net you shall fashion four rings made of bronze at its four corners. ⁵ Set it under the edge of the altar so that the net will hang halfway down the altar. ⁶ You shall also make poles for the altar. They shall be made of acacia wood covered with bronze. ⁷ The poles are to be placed through the rings, so that they are on either side of the altar for carrying it. ⁸ Make the altar with boards, hollow in the middle. It is to be made just as was shown to you on the mountain.

The Courtyard. ⁹ “You shall make a courtyard^[z] for the tabernacle. On the south side there shall be a drape of fine twisted linen, one hundred cubits long, to form the first side. ¹⁰ There are to be twenty columns with twenty bronze bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings are to be made of silver.

¹¹ “Likewise on the north side, there must be a drape one hundred cubits long, its twenty pillars with their twenty bronze bases. The hooks of the pillars and their rings are to be made of silver. ¹² Along the width of the courtyard on the west side there shall be fifty cubits of drapes with ten columns and ten bases. ¹³ The width of the courtyard on the east side shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ On one side there are to be fifteen cubits of drapes with three columns and three bases, ¹⁵ and on the other side there are to be fifteen cubits of drapes with three columns and three bases.

¹⁶ “For the gate of the courtyard there shall be a curtain twenty cubits long, made of blue and purple and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen with four columns and their four bases. ¹⁷ All the columns around the courtyard are to be filleted with silver. Their hooks shall be made of silver and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard must be one hundred cubits, the width fifty, and the height five cubits, made of fine twisted linen with the bases made of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for whatever use and all the pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.

²⁰ The Oil for the Lampstand.“You shall order the children of Israel to obtain pure oil pressed from olives for the light, so that a lamp may burn continually. ²¹ It shall be in the meeting tent^[aa] outside the veil that is in front of the Testimony. Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning so that it may be before the Lord. This is a statute for the children of Israel throughout all their generations.

Chapter 28

The Priestly Vestments. ¹ “Have Aaron, your brother, and his sons approach you. Take them from among the children of Israel to be your priests: Aaron and Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, his sons. ² You shall make sacred vestments for Aaron, your brother, for glory and beauty. ³ Speak to all the most expert artisans, those to whom I have given a spirit of wisdom, and they shall prepare vestments for Aaron, for his consecration, so that he might exercise his priesthood in my honor.

⁴ “These are the vestments that they shall make: the breastplate and the ephod,^[ab] a robe, a checkered colored coat, a turban, and a sash. They will make sacred vestments for Aaron your brother and for his sons so that they may exercise their priesthood in my honor. ⁵ They must use gold, blue, purple, and scarlet cloth and linen.

The Ephod. ⁶ “They shall make the ephod with gold, blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine linen, the work of skillful craftsmen. ⁷ It will have two shoulder pieces attached to its two ends so that it may be joined together. ⁸ The skillfully woven band to bind it together shall be placed over it and be of the same quality and materials: blue, purple, and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen.

⁹ “Take two pieces of onyx and engrave the names of the children of Israel on them. ¹⁰ Put six of their names on the first stone, and the other six names on the second piece, written in order of their birth. ¹¹ Engrave the names of the children of Israel on the two stones as an engraver engraves a signet ring. Insert them into settings of gold filigree. ¹² Set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the children of Israel. Thus, Aaron shall carry the names upon his shoulders^[ac] before the Lord, as a memorial. ¹³ Also make settings of gold filigree ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold that are twisted like cords. Then attach the chains to the settings.

¹⁵ The Breastplate.“You shall make a breastplate of judgment with skilled craftsmanship, the same as was used on the ephod. Make it of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet cloth and fine twisted linen. ¹⁶ It is to be square and doubled over, a span in length and a span in width. ¹⁷ Then cover it with settings of precious stones arranged in four rows. The first row shall have a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald. ¹⁸ The second row shall have a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond. ¹⁹ The third row shall have a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst. ²⁰ The fourth row shall have a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. ²¹ The stones shall correspond to the names of the children of Israel. There are to be twelve, standing for their names, each with engravings like that of a signet ring, each of them corresponding to a name of one of the twelve tribes.

²² “On the breastplate make chains of pure gold in the shape of twisted cords. ²³ On the breastplate also make two golden rings and place the two rings at the edges of the breastplate.

²⁴ “Attach the two golden chains to the two golden rings on the edges of the breastplate. ²⁵ As for the two other ends of the chains, attach them to two filigree settings and fasten them to the front part of the shoulder pieces of the ephod. ²⁶ Make two golden rings and place them at the two edges of the breastplate, on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁷ Make another two golden rings and place them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at their bottom on the front side, next to the place where it is attached to the skillfully woven band of the ephod. ²⁸ Tie the rings of the breastplate to the rings on the ephod with a cord of blue material so that it may lie upon the skillfully woven band of the ephod and so that the breastplate may not pull away from the ephod.

²⁹ “Thus Aaron shall carry the names of the children of Israel over his heart on the breastplate of judgment whenever he enters the sanctuary. This will serve as a memorial before the Lord forever. ³⁰ Put the Urim and the Thummim inside the breastplate of judgment so that they will be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters into the presence of the Lord.^[ad] Aaron will forever bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart whenever he enters into the presence of the Lord.

³¹ Other Priestly Vestments.“Make the robe for the ephod all in blue ³² with an opening in the middle for the head, with a woven border around the opening, like the opening of a garment, so that it may not be torn. ³³ On its hem you shall design pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet cloth, and fine twisted linen, all around its hem, with bells of gold between them ³⁴ so that there shall be a golden bell^[ae] and a pomegranate alternating all around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron must wear it when he ministers as priest, and one will hear the sound it makes when he enters the sanctuary, into the presence of the Lord, and when he leaves it, lest he die.

³⁶ “You are to make a plate of pure gold and engrave ‘Holy to the Lord’ on it as one engraves a signet ring. ³⁷ Attach it with a blue cord to the front part of the turban. ³⁸ It will be on Aaron’s forehead, so that Aaron may carry the weight of whatever guilt the children of Israel may incur in the holy things, when they consecrate their holy offerings. He will always wear it on his forehead so that they may be pleasing to the Lord.

³⁹ “Weave the checkered tunic of fine linen and make a turban of fine linen and a sash embroidered with needlework. ⁴⁰ Make tunics and sashes for the sons of Aaron as well as caps for them to give them honor and renown. ⁴¹ Put these garments on Aaron, your brother, and his sons. Then anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve as priests in my honor.

⁴² “Make linen undergarments to cover their nakedness. They must reach from their hips to their thighs. ⁴³ Aaron and his sons will put them on whenever they enter into the meeting tent or when they approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary, so that they may not incur guilt and die. This shall be a perpetual statute for him and his offspring forever.

Chapter 29

Consecration of the Priests. ¹ “You shall observe this rite to consecrate them as my priests: Take a bull and two rams without defect, ² and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers with oil spread on them. You shall make them of fine wheat flour. ³ Put them in one basket and bring them and offer them together with the young bull and the two rams.

⁴ “Then have Aaron and his sons approach the entrance to the meeting tent and wash them with water. ⁵ Take the garments and clothe Aaron in the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate. Wrap the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him. ⁶ Place the turban on his head and put the holy crown over the turban. ⁷ Then pour the anointing oil on his head and anoint him.

⁸ “As for his sons, make them draw near and clothe them in their tunics, ⁹ wrap their sashes around them, and tie their caps on them. They will participate in the priesthood by an eternal statute. This is how you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰ The Offering of the Sacrifices.“Then have the young bull brought in front of the meeting tent. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. ¹¹ Kill the bull before the Lord, at the entrance to the meeting tent. ¹² Take part of its blood and with a finger put it on the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood shall be poured out at the base of the altar.

¹³ “Take the fat that surrounds its entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that surrounds them, and burn them as a sacrifice on the altar. ¹⁴ But the meat of the bull, its skin and its dung, you must burn outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

¹⁵ “Then take one of the rams. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. ¹⁶ Kill the ram and gather its blood and pour it around the altar. ¹⁷ Cut the ram into pieces. Wash the entrails and the legs and put them with the pieces and the head. ¹⁸ Then burn the entire ram on the altar. It is a pleasing fragrance^[af] to the Lord, a burnt offering to the Lord.

¹⁹ “Take the second ram. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head, ²⁰ and you shall kill it. Take part of its blood and place it on the right ear lobe of Aaron and the right ear lobes of his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Then pour out the blood around the altar. ²¹ Take some of the blood on the altar and some anointing oil and sprinkle Aaron and his vestments, the sons of Aaron and their vestments. Thus, he shall be consecrated with his vestments together with his sons and their vestments.

²² “Take the fat of the ram: the tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys and their fat, and the right thigh, for it is a ram of consecration. ²³ Also take a round loaf of bread, a cake of bread mixed with oil, and an unleavened wafer from the basket of unleavened breads placed before the altar. ²⁴ Put all of it into the hands of Aaron and the hands of his sons. They shall wave it as an offering before the Lord.^{[ag] 25} Take everything from their hands and burn it on the altar. It shall be a pleasant fragrance to the Lord, a burnt offering to the Lord.

²⁶ “Take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as an offering before the Lord. It shall be your portion. ²⁷ Consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the offering and wave it. It is offered from the ram of the consecration, and it is for Aaron and his sons. ²⁸ It is to belong to Aaron and his sons as the portion reserved to them. This shall be an eternal statute for the children of Israel. It will be the priests’ portion to be offered by the children of Israel from their peace offerings, an offering unto the Lord.

²⁹ The Transmission of the Sacred Vestments.“The sacred vestments of Aaron shall belong to his sons after him. They shall be anointed and consecrated in them. ³⁰ Those descendants of Aaron who succeed him in the priesthood and who enter into the meeting tent to minister in the sanctuary shall wear these vestments for seven days.

³¹ The Sacred Food of the Priests.“Take the ram of consecration and cook its meat in a holy place. ³² At the entrance to the meeting tent, Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram and the bread of the basket. ³³ They shall eat those things with which atonement was obtained. No outsider can eat them, for they are holy things. ³⁴ If any of the meat of consecration or the bread is left over in the morning, you shall burn whatever is left over with fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy. ³⁵ Do to Aaron and to his sons what I have commanded you to do. For seven days you shall consecrate them.

³⁶ The Consecrated Altar and the Daily Sacrifice.“For each of seven days you shall offer a young bull as a sin offering for atonement. You shall also make a sin offering for the atonement for the altar, and shall anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it. It shall thus become a most holy thing, and whatever touches the altar will become holy.^[ah]

³⁸ “Now this is what you shall offer up on the altar every day and forever: two lambs, a year old. ³⁹ You shall offer one of these lambs in the morning and the second lamb in the evening. ⁴⁰ With the first lamb you shall offer a tenth of a measure of fine flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of olive oil and a fourth of a hin of wine as a libation. ⁴¹ Offer the second lamb in the evening with the same offering and libation as in the morning. It will be a pleasant fragrance to the Lord, a burnt offering to the Lord.

⁴² “It shall be a perpetual burnt offering throughout all your generations at the entrance to the meeting tent, in the presence of the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you.

⁴³ “I will meet with the children of Israel in this place that will be consecrated to my glory. ⁴⁴ I will consecrate the meeting tent and the altar. I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to be my priests. ⁴⁵ I will live in the midst of the children of Israel and I will be their God. ⁴⁶ They shall know that I am the Lord, their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I, the Lord, their God, might live in their midst.

Chapter 30

The Altar of Incense. ¹ “You shall build an altar upon which to burn incense. Make it of acacia wood, ² one cubit long and one cubit wide. It shall be square, and two cubits high; and its horns shall all be one piece with it. ³ Cover its top, its sides, and its horns with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it. ⁴ You shall also make two golden rings below its molding on its two sides. Place them on opposite sides. They shall be used to insert poles with which to carry it. ⁵ You shall make the poles out of acacia wood and cover them with gold. ⁶ And you shall place the altar in front of the veil that hides the Ark of Testimony, in front of the seat of atonement that is upon it, where I will meet you.

⁷ “Aaron shall burn fragrant incense upon the altar. He shall burn it each morning when he trims the lamps, ⁸ and also in the evening when he refills the lamps. There shall be perpetual incense before the Lord throughout all your generations. ⁹ Do not offer any unholy incense upon it, nor burnt offerings nor sacrifices nor libations. ¹⁰ Once a year Aaron shall perform an atonement ritual upon it, upon its horns. He shall make atonement upon it with the blood of your sin offering once a year throughout all your generations. It is something most holy to the Lord.”

¹¹ The Temple Tax. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ¹² “When you take a census of the number of the children of Israel, each man will offer a ransom for his life to the Lord, when you number them, lest there be a plague among them when you number them. ¹³ Each person counted in the census will give half a shekel according to the measure of the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half shekel will be an offering to the Lord. ¹⁴ Everyone who is counted in the census, from twenty years old and up, will give the Lord’s offering. ¹⁵ The rich will not give more and the poor will not give less than half a shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering, in order to ransom your life. ¹⁶ You shall take the money of this ransom of the children of Israel and designate it for the needs of the meeting tent. It shall be a memorial before the Lord for the children of Israel, for the ransom of your lives.”

¹⁷ The Basin for Washing. The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “You shall make a basin out of bronze, with a base of bronze, for ablutions. Place it between the meeting tent and the altar and fill it with water. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in it.^{[ai] 20} When they enter the meeting tent, they shall perform an ablution with water, lest they die. Thus, whenever they approach the altar to minister, to burn an offering unto the Lord with fire, ²¹ they shall wash their hands and their feet so that they might not die. This shall be a perpetual statute for him and his sons, for all their generations.”

²² The Anointing Oil. The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Take the finest spices: five hundred shekels of flowing myrrh, half that amount of sweet-smelling cinnamon, namely two hundred and fifty shekels of it, two hundred and fifty shekels of aromatic cane, ²⁴ five hundred shekels of cassia, all according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵ Make a holy anointing oil out of them using the craft of the perfumer who blends oils. It shall be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ With it you are to anoint the meeting tent, the Ark of Testimony, ²⁷ the table and all its accessories, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offerings and all of its accessories, and the basin and its base. ²⁹ You shall consecrate these things, and they shall become most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy.

³⁰ “You shall also anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so that they may serve me as priests. ³¹ Say to the children of Israel: ‘This shall be my holy anointing oil for all your generations. ³² You shall not pour it out on anyone’s body, nor shall you make anything else like it. It is holy, and it shall be holy to you.’

³³ “Anyone who makes anything like it, or who pours it on an outsider, shall be cut off from his people.”

³⁴ The Incense. The Lord said to Moses, “Gather sweet spices, gum of stacte, onycha, resin of galbanum, equal measures of sweet spices and pure frankincense, ³⁵ and make an incense using the skill of the perfumer. It is to be salted, pure and holy. ³⁶ Beat some of it very fine and put it before the Testimony in the meeting tent where I shall meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.

³⁷ “You shall not make for yourselves anything like this incense according to its composition. You shall consider it to be holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes anything like it to use for its sweet odor shall be cut off from his people.”

Chapter 31

The Choice of Craftsmen for the Tabernacle. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and said to him, ² “Behold, I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled him with the Spirit of God^[aj] so that he possesses wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and is expert in every kind of craft ⁴ to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ to know how to cut stones for settings and how to carve wood. He is expert in every craft. ⁶ And behold, I have sent Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan to him. I have also given all skillful men their ability, so that they may make all that I have commanded you to make: ⁷ the meeting tent, the Ark of Testimony, the seat of atonement over it, and all the accessories of the tent, ⁸ the table with its accessories, the pure lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offerings with all of its accessories, the basin and its base, ¹⁰ the finely crafted vestments, the sacred vestments for Aaron and the vestments for his sons, for their priestly ministry, ¹¹ the oil of anointing, and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. They shall produce all that I have commanded you.”

¹² The Sabbath.^[ak] The Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You shall observe my Sabbaths, for the Sabbath is a sign between me and you for all your generations, so that you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “ ‘Therefore, you shall observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever works on that day shall be cut off from his people. ¹⁵ Six days you shall work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of sacred rest for you, holy to the Lord. Whoever works on the Sabbath shall be put to death. ¹⁶ The children of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, celebrating the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ This is a perpetual sign between me and the children of Israel, for the Lord made the heavens and the earth in six days, but on the seventh he ceased and rested.’ ”

¹⁸ Moses Receives the Tablets of the Law. When the Lord had finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of Testimony, the stone tablets, written with the finger of God.

The Golden Calf and the Renewal of the Covenant

Chapter 32

The Golden Calf. ¹ When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and told him, “Make a god to walk before us, because we do not know what has happened to Moses, the one who brought us out of the land of Egypt.”

² Aaron answered them, “Take the gold earrings off your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me.” ³ All the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took the gold from their hands and fashioned it with a chisel and made a molten calf.^[al] They said, “Behold your God, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” ⁵ Seeing this, Aaron built an altar before the calf and proclaimed, “Tomorrow shall be a feast in honor of the Lord.” ⁶ The following day they rose early, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings. The people sat down and ate and drank. They then rose to divert themselves.

⁷ The Lord said to Moses, “Leave, go down, because your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have become perverse. ⁸ They have quickly departed from the way that I have commanded them. They have made a molten calf for themselves, and have bowed down before it. They have offered sacrifices and said, ‘Behold your God, Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ”

⁹ The Lord also said to Moses, “I have observed this people, and I have seen that it is a stubborn people. ¹⁰ Now let me be, so that my rage can blaze out against them and destroy them. I will then make you a great nation.”

¹¹ The Prayer of Moses. But Moses entreated the Lord, his God, and said, “Why, O Lord, will you let your rage blaze out against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians be able to say about them, ‘He brought them out for evil purposes, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn back your wrath and change your mind about harming your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and said, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens. All this land, of which I have spoken, I will give to your descendants as their possession forever.’ ” ¹⁴ Then the Lord changed his mind and decided not to harm his people.

¹⁵ Moses Shatters the Tablets of the Law. Moses left and went down the mountain with the two tablets of Testimony in his hands, tablets written on both sides. They were written on one side and the other. ¹⁶ The tablets were made by God, and the writing on them was God’s writing.

¹⁷ Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, and he cried out to Moses, “There are battle sounds coming from the camp!” ¹⁸ But Moses answered, “It is not the shout of victory, nor the sound of defeat. It is the sound of singing that I hear.”

¹⁹ When they drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Moses became very angry. He flung down the tablets, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ He then seized the calf that they had made and burned it with fire. He ground it down until it was a powder and scattered it on water that he made the children of Israel drink.

²¹ The Zeal of the Levites. Moses said to Aaron, “What has this people done to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” ²² But Aaron answered, “Let my lord not be angry, for you know this people and that they are set on evil. ²³ They said to me, ‘Make a god to walk before us, because we do not know what has happened to Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt.’ ²⁴ I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off.’ They gave it to me, and I threw it in the fire, and out came this calf.”

²⁵ Moses saw that the people had lost control of themselves (for Aaron had let them run so wild that their enemies mocked them). ²⁶ So he stood at the gate to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” All the sons of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ He cried out to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Each man strap a sword to his side. Then pass back and forth in the camp from one gate to another and slay your brother, your companion, and your neighbor.”

²⁸ The sons of Levi did as Moses had commanded them. On that day three thousand men from among the people perished. ²⁹ Moses then said, “Today you have consecrated yourself to the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son or his brother, that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

³⁰ Moses Intercedes for His People. The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Today I will climb up to the Lord. Perhaps I will obtain pardon for your sin.”

³¹ Moses returned to the Lord and said, “This people has committed a great sin. They made a god out of gold for themselves.^{[am] 32} But now, if you will, pardon their sin—if not, I pray, blot me out of the book that you have written.”^[an]

³³ The Lord said to Moses, “I will blot out of my book only him who has sinned against me. ³⁴ Now go, lead the people to the place about which I told you. Behold, my angel will go before you. But on the day of reckoning, I will punish them for their sin.”

³⁵ The Lord smote his people because they had made the calf that Aaron had fashioned.

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.^{[ao] 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.^[ap]

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,^[aq] 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.”

Chapter 34

The New Tablets of the Law. ¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, the ones you broke. ² Be ready in the morning. Tomorrow morning you must climb up Mount Sinai and remain on the summit of the mountain with me. ³ No one is to climb up with you. No one should be on the summit of the mountain nor anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and the herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”

⁴ Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. He arose early in the morning and climbed up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, with the two stone tablets in his hands.

The Lord Shows Himself to Moses.

⁵ The Lord came down in a cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶ The Lord passed in front of him proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and fidelity, ⁷ who shows mercy to thousands. He forgives iniquity and transgression and sin, but will by no means forgive the iniquity of the fathers, visiting it upon their sons and their sons’ sons, to the third and fourth generation.”

⁸ Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped. ⁹ He said, “If I have found favor with you, my Lord, let the Lord walk in our midst. Yet, it is an obstinate people. Pardon our iniquity and sin and take us for your own inheritance.”

¹⁰ A New Book of the Law.^[ar] The Lord said, “Behold, I am going to establish a covenant with you. I will perform marvelous deeds before all your people, things that have never been done before anywhere on the earth or among any people. All the people in whose midst you dwell will see the work of the Lord, for it is a wondrous thing that I will do with you.

¹¹ “Observe what I command you today. I will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ¹² Take care not to make any covenants with the inhabitants of the land that you are about to enter, lest it become a snare to you. ¹³ You are to tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred trees.^{[as] 14} You must not worship any other god, for the Lord is called Jealous, for he is a jealous God.

¹⁵ “Do not make a covenant with the people of that land lest, when they commit fornication for their gods and perform sacrifices to their gods, they invite you and you eat of their sacrifice.^{[at] 16} Do not take their daughters as wives for your sons lest, when their daughters commit fornication to their gods, they cause your sons to commit fornication with their gods as well.

¹⁷ “Do not make any molten gods for yourselves.

¹⁸ “Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat unleavened bread at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹ “Every creature that is the firstborn from its mother’s womb belongs to me: every firstborn bull, every firstborn cattle and sheep. ²⁰ The firstborn of a donkey will be redeemed with a lamb. If you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. All of your firstborn sons are to be redeemed.

“None is to appear before me empty-handed.

²¹ “For six days you may work, but on the seventh you must rest. Even during plowing season and the harvest, you must rest.

²² “You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and also the Harvest Feast at the year’s end.

²³ “Three times a year all your men will appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel, ²⁴ for I will cast out your enemies before you and enlarge your borders. Neither will any man desire your land, when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord, your God. ²⁵ You shall not sacrifice the blood of my sacrificial victim with leavened bread, neither shall you let the sacrificial victim of the Passover remain until the morning.

²⁶ “You will bring the best of the firstfruits of the land to the house of the Lord, your God.

“You shall not cook a kid goat in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ The Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with them I have established a covenant with you and with Israel.”

²⁸ Moses remained with the Lord for forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, on the tablets.

²⁹ The Radiant Face of Moses.^[au] When Moses went down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets of Testimony in his hands, while he descended the mountain. He did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant, for he had been speaking with the Lord. ³⁰ But when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and that the skin of his face had become radiant, they were afraid to approach him.