Exodus 19:1-34:30

Lexham English Bible

Preparation for Receiving the Covenant at Mount Sinai

19 In the third month after the Israelites^[a] went out from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the Sinai desert. ² They set out from Rephidim, and they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

³ And Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you will say to the house of Jacob and you will tell the Israelites,^{[b] 4} ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and I brought you to me. ⁵ And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, for all the earth is mine,^{[c] 6} but you, you will belong to me as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”^[d]

⁷ And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. ⁸ And all the people together answered and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh. ⁹ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to come to you in a thick cloud^[e] in order that the people will hear when I speak with you and will also trust in you forever.” And Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh.

¹⁰ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes, ¹¹ and they must be prepared for the third day, because on the third day, Yahweh will go down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people. ¹² And you must set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Guard yourselves against^[f] going up to the mountain and touching its edge. Anyone touching the mountain will certainly be put to death. ¹³ Not a hand will touch it, because he will certainly be stoned or certainly be shot; whether an animal or a man, he will not live.’ At the blowing of the ram’s horn they may go up to the mountain.”

¹⁴ And Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and he consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day.^[g] Do not go near to a woman.”

¹⁶ And^[h] on the third day, when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain and a very loud ram’s horn sound, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out from the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ And Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke because Yahweh went down on it in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a smelting furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. ¹⁹ And the sound of the ram’s horn became louder and louder,^[i] and Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice.

²⁰ And Yahweh went down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to see and many from them fall. ²² And even the priests who come near Yahweh must consecrate themselves, lest Yahweh break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to Yahweh, “The people are not able to go up to Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ And Yahweh said to him, “Go, go down, and come up, you and Aaron with you and the priests, but the people must not break through to go up to Yahweh, lest he break out against them.” ²⁵ And Moses went down to the people, and he told them.^[j]

Ten Commandments

20 And God spoke all these words, saying, ² “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.

³ “There shall be for you no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a divine image with any form that is in the heavens above or that is in the earth below or that is in the water below the earth. ⁵ You will not bow down to them, and you will not serve them, because I am Yahweh your God, a jealous God, punishing the guilt of the parents on the children on the third and on the fourth generations^[k] of those hating me, ⁶ and showing loyal love to thousands of generations^[l] of those loving me and of those keeping my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God,^[m] because Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name.^[n]

⁸ “Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. ⁹ Six days you will work, and you will do all your work. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God; you will not do any work—you or your son or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your animal, or your alien who is in your gates— ¹¹ because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore Yahweh blessed the seventh day and consecrated it.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days can be long on the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not testify against your neighbor with a false witness.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; you will not covet the wife of your neighbor or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

¹⁸ And all the people were seeing the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the ram’s horn and the mountain smoking, and the people saw, and they trembled, and they stood at a distance. ¹⁹ And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” ²⁰ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that his fear will be before you so that you do not sin.” ²¹ And the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the very thick cloud where God was.

Instructions for Building Altars

²² And Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you will say to the Israelites,^[o] ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens. ²³ You will not make alongside me gods of silver, and gods of gold you will not make for yourselves. ²⁴ An altar of earth you will make for me, and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered,^[p] I will come to you, and I will bless you. ²⁵ And if you make an altar of stones for me, you will not build them as hewn stone, because if you use your chisel on it, you have defiled it. ²⁶ You will not go up with steps onto my altar, that your nakedness not be exposed on it.’

Regulations Regarding Hebrew Slaves

21 “And these are the regulations that you will set before them.

² ‘If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years, and in the seventh he will go out as free for nothing.^{[q] 3} If he comes in single, he will go out single. If he is the husband of a wife, his wife will go out with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears for him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the slave will go out single. ⁵ But if the slave explicitly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” ⁶ his master will present him to God^[r] and bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve him forever.

⁷ “‘And if a man sells his daughter as a slave woman, she will not go out as male slaves go out. ⁸ If she does not please her master^[s] who selected her, he will allow her to be redeemed; he has no authority to sell her to foreign people, since he has dealt treacherously with her. ⁹ And if he selects her for his son, he shall do for her according to the regulations for daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes for himself another, he will not reduce her food, her clothing, or her right of cohabitation. ¹¹ And if he does not do for her these three, she shall go out for nothing; there will not be silver^[t] paid for her.

Regulations Regarding Murder, Manslaughter, and Various Injuries

¹² “‘Whoever strikes someone^[u] and he dies will surely be put to death. ¹³ But if he did not lie in wait and it was an accident,^[v] I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. ¹⁴ But if a man schemes against his neighbor to kill him by treachery,^[w] you will take him from my altar to die. ¹⁵ And whoever strikes^[x] his father or his mother will surely be put to death.

¹⁶ “‘And whoever kidnaps someone^[y] and sells him, or he is found in his possession,^[z] he will surely be put to death.

¹⁷ “‘And one who curses his father or his mother will surely be put to death.

¹⁸ “‘And if men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist and he does not die, but he is confined to bed,^{[aa] 19} if he stands and walks about in the outside on his staff, the striker will be unpunished; he will only pay for his inactivity^[ab] toward his full recovery.”^{[ac] 20} And if a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with the rod and he dies under his hand, he will surely be avenged. ²¹ Yet if he survives a day or two days, he will not be avenged, because he is his money.^[ad]

²² “‘And if men fight and they injure a pregnant woman, and her children go out and there is not serious injury, he will surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands concerning him and as the judges determine.^{[ae] 23} And if there is serious injury, you will give life in place of life, ²⁴ eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot, ²⁵ burn in place of burn, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.

²⁶ “‘And if a man strikes the eye of his male slave or the eye of his female slave and destroys it, he shall release him as free in place of his eye. ²⁷ And if he causes the tooth of his male slave or the tooth of his female slave to fall out, he will release him as free in place of his tooth.

²⁸ “‘And if an ox gores a man or a woman and he dies, the ox will surely be stoned, and its meat will not be eaten, and the owner of the ox is innocent. ²⁹ But if it was a goring ox before^[af] and its owner was warned and did not restrain it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox will be stoned, and the owner also will be put to death. ³⁰ If a ransom is set on him, he will pay the redemption money for his life according to all that is set on him. ³¹ If it gores a son or it gores a daughter, according to this regulation it shall be done to him. ³² If the ox gores a male slave or a female slave, he will give thirty shekels of silver to his master, and the ox will be stoned.

³³ “‘If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead animal will be for him.^{[ag] 35} And if a man’s ox injures the ox of his neighbor and it dies, they will sell the living ox and divide the money,^[ah] and they will also divide the dead one. ³⁶ Or if it was known that it was a goring ox before^[ai] and its owner did not restrain it, he will surely make restitution, an ox in place of the ox, and the dead one will be for him.

Regulations Regarding Theft, Borrowing, and Accidental Damage or Loss

22 ^[aj] “‘If a man steals an ox or small livestock and slaughters it or sells it, he will make restitution with five cattle in place of the ox and with four sheep or goats in place of the small livestock. ² “‘If a thief is found in the act of breaking in and he is struck and he dies, there is not bloodguilt for him. ³ (If the sun has risen over him, there is bloodguilt for him. He will make full restitution. If he does not have enough,^[ak] he will be sold for his theft. ⁴ If indeed the stolen item is found in his possession^[al] alive, from ox to donkey to small livestock, he will make double restitution.

⁵ “‘If a man grazes his livestock in a field or a vineyard and he releases his livestock and it grazes in the field of another, he will make restitution from the best of his field and the best of his vineyard.

⁶ “‘If a fire is started and finds thorn bushes and a stack of sheaves or the standing grain or the field is consumed, the one who started the fire will surely make restitution.

⁷ “‘If a man gives to his neighbor money or objects to watch over and it is stolen from the house of the man, if the thief is found, he will make double restitution. ⁸ If the thief is not found, the owner of the house will be brought to the sanctuary^[am] to learn whether or not he reached out his hand to his neighbor’s possession. ⁹ Concerning every account of transgression—concerning an ox, concerning a donkey, concerning small livestock, concerning clothing, concerning all lost property—where someone says, “This belongs to me,” the matter of the two of them will come to God;^[an] whomever God declares guilty will make double restitution to his neighbor.

¹⁰ “‘If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or small livestock or any beast to watch over and it dies or is injured or is captured when there is no one who sees, ¹¹ the oath of Yahweh will be between the two of them concerning whether or not he has reached out his hand to his neighbor’s possession, and its owner will accept this, and he will not make restitution. ¹² But if indeed it was stolen from him, he will make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If indeed it was torn to pieces, he will bring it as evidence—the mangled carcass; he will not make restitution.

¹⁴ “‘If a man borrows from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he will make restitution. ¹⁵ If its owner was with it, he will not make restitution; if it was hired, it came with its hiring fee.

Regulations Regarding Various Offences

¹⁶ “‘If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and he lies with her, he surely will give her bride price to have her as his wife.^{[ao] 17} If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he will weigh out money according to the bride price for the virgin.

¹⁸ “‘You will not let a witch live.

¹⁹ “‘Anyone lying with an animal will surely be put to death.

²⁰ “‘Whoever sacrifices to the gods—not to Yahweh, to him alone—will be destroyed.

Regulations Regarding Foreigners and the Poor

²¹ “‘You will not mistreat an alien, and you will not oppress him, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

²² “‘You will not afflict any widow or orphan. ²³ If you indeed afflict him, yes, if he cries out at all to me, I will certainly hear his cry of distress. ²⁴ And I will become angry,^[ap] and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

²⁵ “‘If you lend money to my people, to the needy with you, you will not be to him as a creditor; you will not charge him interest.^{[aq] 26} If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown, ²⁷ because it is his only garment; it is his cloak for his skin. In what will he sleep? And^[ar] when he cries out to me, I will hear, because I am gracious.

Regulations Regarding Tribute and Holiness

²⁸ “‘You will not curse God,^[as] and you will not curse a leader among your people.

²⁹ “‘You will not delay the fullness of your harvest and the juice from your press; you will give me the firstborn of your sons. ³⁰ You will do likewise for your ox and for your sheep and goats; seven days it will be with its mother; on the eighth, you will give it to me. ³¹ And you will be men of holiness for me; and you will not eat meat from a carcass mangled in the field; you will throw it to the dog.

Regulations Regarding Justice

23 “‘You will not spread^[at] a false report. Do not lift your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. ² You will not follow^[au] a majority^[av] for evil, and you will not testify concerning a legal dispute to turn aside after a majority^[aw] to pervert justice. ³ You will not be partial to a powerless person^[ax] in his legal dispute.

⁴ “‘If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of your enemy lying down under its burden, you will refrain from abandoning him. You will surely arrange^[ay] it with him.

⁶ “‘You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute. ⁷ You will stay far from a false charge,^[az] and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, because I will not declare the wicked righteous.^{[ba] 8} And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes the sighted blind and ruins the words of the righteous. ⁹ And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings^[bb] of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Regulations Regarding Work and Festivals

¹⁰ “‘And six years you will sow your land and gather its yield. ¹¹ But the seventh you will let it rest and leave it fallow, and the poor of your people will eat, and their remainder the animals^[bc] of the field will eat. You will do likewise for your vineyard and for your olive trees.

¹² “‘Six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you will stop so that your ox and your donkey will rest and the son of your slave woman and the alien will be refreshed.

¹³ “‘And you will be attentive to all that I have said to you, and you will not profess^[bd] the name of other gods; it will not be heard in your mouth.

¹⁴ “‘Three times in the year you will hold a festival for me. ¹⁵ You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at the appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and no one will^[be] appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶ And you will keep the Feast of Harvest, with the firstfruits of your work, what you sow in the field. And you will keep the Feast of Harvest Gathering when the year goes out, when you gather your work from the field. ¹⁷ Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁸ “‘You will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice together with food with yeast, and you will not leave the fat of my feast overnight until morning.

¹⁹ “‘The best of the firstfruits of your land you will bring to the house of Yahweh your God.

“‘You will not boil a young goat^[bf] in its mother’s milk.

Reasons for Loyal Obedience

²⁰ “‘Look, I am about to send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹ Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him. ²² But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ²³ When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites^[bg] and the Hittites^[bh] and the Perizzites^[bi] and the Canaanites^[bj] and the Hivites^[bk] and the Jebusites,^[bl] I will wipe them out.

²⁴ “‘You will not bow to their gods, and you will not serve them, and you will not act according to their actions, because you will utterly demolish them, and you will utterly break their stone pillars. ²⁵ And you will serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you. ²⁶ There will be no one suffering miscarriage or infertile in your land. I will make full the number of your days.^[bm]

²⁷ “‘I will release my terror before you, and I will throw into confusion all the people against whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their back to you.^{[bn] 28} And I will send the hornet before you, and it will drive out the Hivites,^[bo] the Canaanites,^[bp] and the Hittites^[bq] from before you. ²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a desolation and the wild animals^[br] multiply against you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you are fruitful and take possession of the land.

³¹ “‘And I will set your boundary from the Red Sea^[bs] and up to the sea of the Philistines and from the desert up to the river,^[bt] because I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out from before you. ³² You will not make a covenant with them and with their gods. ³³ They will not live in your land, lest they cause you to sin against me when you serve their gods, for it will be a snare to you.’”

Confirming the Covenant

24 And to Moses he said, “Go up to Yahweh—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel—and you will worship at a distance. ² And Moses alone^[bu] will come near to Yahweh, and they will not come near, and the people will not go up with him.”

³ And Moses came, and he told the people all the words of Yahweh and all the regulations. And all the people answered with one voice, and they said, “All the words that Yahweh has spoken we will do.”

⁴ And Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh, and he rose early in the morning, and he built an altar at the base of the mountain and set up twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men from the Israelites,^[bv] and they offered burnt offerings, and they sacrificed sacrifices as fellowship offerings to Yahweh using bulls. ⁶ And Moses took half of the blood, and he put it in bowls, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ And he took the scroll of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will listen.”^{[bw] 8} And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and he said, “Look, the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ And Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel went up. ¹⁰ And they saw the God of Israel, and what was under his feet was like sapphire tile work and like the very heavens for clearness. ¹¹ And toward the leaders of the Israelites^[bx] he did not stretch out his hand, and they beheld God, and they ate, and they drank.

The Start of Forty Days and Nights on Mount Sinai

¹² And Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and be there, and I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and the commandments that I have written to instruct them.” ¹³ And Moses got up, and Joshua, his assistant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.

¹⁴ And to the elders he said, “Wait for us here until we return to you. And look, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute^[by] will bring it to you.”

¹⁵ And Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶ And the glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and he called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain to the eyes of^[bz] the Israelites.^{[ca] 18} And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and he went up the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Instruction to Collect Materials

25 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites,^[cb] and let them bring to me a contribution. You will receive my contribution from every man whose heart prompts him. ³ And this is the contribution that you will receive from them—gold and silver and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen and goat hair, ⁵ and red-dyed ram skins, and fine leather,^[cc] and acacia wood, ⁶ oil for the lamp, balsam oils for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and stones for mountings on the ephod and the breast piece. ⁸ And make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell in the midst of them, ⁹ according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its equipment—and so you will do.

Instructions for Making the Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “And they will make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width and a cubit and a half its height. ¹¹ And you will overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you will overlay it, and you will make on it a gold molding all around. ¹² And you will cast for it four gold rings, and you will put them on its four feet, with two rings on its one side and two rings on its second side. ¹³ And you will make poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ And you will put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ In the rings of the ark will be the poles; they will not be removed from it.^{[cd] 16} And you will put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you.

¹⁷ “And you will make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. ¹⁸ And you will make two cherubim of gold; you will make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. ¹⁹ And make one cherub at one end^[ce] and one cherub at the other end^[cf] of the atonement cover; you will make the cherubim on its two ends. ²⁰ And the cherubim will be with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover and facing each other;^[cg] the faces of the cherubim will be toward the atonement cover. ²¹ And you will put the atonement cover above onto the ark, and into the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you. ²² And I will meet you there, and I will speak with you from over the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim that are to be on the ark of the testimony—all that I will command you to the Israelites.^[ch]

Instructions for Making a Table and a Lampstand

²³ “And you will make a table of acacia wood, two cubits its length and a cubit its width and a cubit and a half its height. ²⁴ And you will overlay it with pure gold, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. ²⁵ And you will make for it a handbreadth rim all around, and you will make a gold molding for its rim all around. ²⁶ And you will make four gold rings for it, and you will put the rings on the four corners where its four legs^[ci] are. ²⁷ The rings will be near the rim as holders^[cj] for poles to carry the table. ²⁸ And you will make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table will be carried with them. ²⁹ And you will make its plates and its ladles^[ck] and its pitchers and its bowls with which libations will be poured; of pure gold you will make them. ³⁰ And you will put on the table the bread of presence to be before me continually.

³¹ “And you will make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand will be made of hammered work—its base and its branch,^[cl] its cups, its buds, and its blossoms will be from it. ³² And six branches will be going out from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its second side. ³³ Three almond-flower cups will be on the one branch with a bud and a blossom, and three almond-flower cups will be on the one branch with a bud and a blossom—likewise for the six branches going out from the lampstand. ³⁴ And on the lampstand will be four almond-flower cups, with its buds and its blossoms. ³⁵ And a bud will be under the two branches that come from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, likewise for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. ³⁶ Their buds and their branches will be from it, all of it one piece of pure gold hammered work. ³⁷ And you will make its seven lamps, and its lamps will be set up, and it will give light in the space in front of it.^{[cm] 38} And its snuffers and its fire pans will be pure gold. ³⁹ It will be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these pieces of equipment. ⁴⁰ And see and make all according to their pattern, which you were shown in the mountain.

Instructions for Making the Tabernacle

26 “And the tabernacle you will make with ten curtains; you will make them of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, with cherubim, the work of a skilled craftsman. ² The length of the one curtain will be twenty-eight cubits, and the width will be four cubits for the one curtain; one measure will be for all the curtains. ³ Five curtains will be joined to one another,^[cn] and five curtains joined to one another.^{[co] 4} And you will make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain, at the end in the set; and you will do so on the edge of the end curtain in the second set. ⁵ You will make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you will make fifty loops on the end of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops are to be opposite^[cp] to one another.^{[cq] 6} And you will make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains to one another^[cr] with the clasps, so that the tabernacle will be one.

⁷ “And you will make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you will make them eleven curtains. ⁸ The length of the one curtain will be thirty cubits, and the width will be four cubits for the one curtain; one measure will be for the eleven curtains. ⁹ And you will join five curtains together and six curtains together, and you will fold double the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ And you will make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain at the end of the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set. ¹¹ And you will make fifty bronze clasps, and you will put the clasps in the loops and join the tent, so that it will be one.

¹² “And the surplus in the curtains of the tent will be an overhang; the surplus half curtain will hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ And a cubit from one side^[cs] and a cubit from the other side^[ct] in the surplus in the length of the curtains of the tent will be hung over the sides of the tabernacle equally^[cu] to cover it.

¹⁴ “And you will make a covering for the tent of red-dyed ram skins and a covering of fine leather to go above.

¹⁵ “And you will make the frames^[cv] for the tabernacle of acacia wood as uprights.^{[cw] 16} The length of the frame^[cx] will be ten cubits, and the width of the one frame^[cy] will be one and a half cubits. ¹⁷ You will make two pegs^[cz] for the one frame^[da] for joining each to another^[db] and likewise for all the frames^[dc] of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ And you will make the frames^[dd] for the tabernacle with twenty frames^[de] for the south^[df] side. ¹⁹ And you will make forty silver bases under the twenty frames,^[dg] with two bases under the one frame^[dh] for its two pegs^[di] and two bases under the next^[dj] frame^[dk] for its two pegs.^{[dl] 20} And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there will be twenty frames^{[dm] 21} and their forty silver bases, with two bases under the one frame^[dn] and two bases under the next^[do] frame.^[dp]

²² “And for the rear of the tabernacle on the west^[dq] you will make six frames.^{[dr] 23} And you will make two frames^[ds] for the tabernacle corners at the rear. ²⁴ They will be double at the bottom, and they will be completely together on its top to the one ring; it will be likewise for the two of them; they will be for the two corners. ²⁵ And there will be eight frames^[dt] and their silver bases, sixteen bases, with two bases under the one frame^[du] and two bases under the next^[dv] frame.^[dw]

²⁶ “You will make five bars of acacia wood for the frames^[dx] on the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the frames^[dy] on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames^[dz] on the side of the tabernacle at the rear on the west.^{[ea] 28} And the bar in the middle, in the midst of the frames^[eb] will run from end to end. ²⁹ And you will overlay the frames^[ec] with gold, and you will make their rings of gold as holders^[ed] for the bars, and you will overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ And you will erect the tabernacle according to its plan, which you have been shown on the mountain.

³¹ “And you will make a curtain of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman; he will make it with cherubim. ³² And you will put it on four acacia pillars overlaid with gold with their gold hooks on four silver bases. ³³ And you will put the curtain under the clasps, and you will bring the ark of the testimony there inside the curtain, and the curtain will separate for you between the holy and the most holy place.^{[ee] 34} And you will put the atonement cover on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.^{[ef] 35} And you will place the table outside the curtain and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and you will put the table on the north side.

³⁶ “And you will make for the entrance of the tent a screen of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷ And you will make for the screen five acacia pillars, and you will overlay them with gold with their gold hooks, and you will cast for them five bronze bases.

Instructions for Making the Bronze Altar

27 “And you will make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar will be square, and its height will be three cubits. ² And you will make its horns on its four corners; its horns will be of one piece with it,^[eg] and you will overlay it with bronze. ³ And you will make its pots for removing its fat-soaked ashes and its shovels and its sprinkling bowls and its forks^[eh] and its fire pans; you will make all its equipment with bronze. ⁴ And you will make for it a grating, a work of bronze network, and you will make on the network four bronze rings on its four ends. ⁵ And you will put it under the ledge of the altar, below, and the network will be up to the middle of the altar. ⁶ And you will make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with bronze. ⁷ And the poles will be put into the rings, and the poles will be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it. ⁸ You will make it hollow with boards. As it was shown you on the mountain, so they will do.

Instructions for Making the Courtyard

⁹ “You will make the courtyard of the tabernacle; for the south^[ei] side will be hangings for the courtyard of finely twisted linen, one hundred cubits long for the one side. ¹⁰ And its twenty pillars and their twenty bases will be bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands will be silver. ¹¹ And likewise for the north side along the length will be hangings one hundred cubits long; and its twenty pillars and their bases will be bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands will be silver. ¹² And the width of the courtyard for the west^[ej] side will be hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars and their ten bases. ¹³ And the width of the courtyard for the east side, toward sunrise, will be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ And hangings for the shoulder^[ek] will be fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁵ And fifteen cubits of hangings will be for the second shoulder^[el] with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁶ And for the gate of the courtyard there will be a screen of twenty cubits of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer; with their four pillars and their four bases.

¹⁷ “All the pillars of the courtyard all around will be banded with silver, and their hooks will be silver, and their bases will be bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard will be one hundred cubits and the width fifty cubits^[em] and the height five cubits, of finely twisted linen, with their bronze bases. ¹⁹ Bronze will be for all the equipment of the tabernacle in all its service and all its pegs^[en] and all the pegs^[eo] of the courtyard.

Instructions for Making Oil for the Lampstand

²⁰ “And you will command the Israelites,^[ep] and they will bring to you pure, beaten olive oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. ²¹ In the tent of assembly outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons will arrange it, from evening until morning, before Yahweh as a lasting statute throughout their generations from the Israelites.^[eq]

Instructions for Making Garments for Priests

28 “And bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from the midst of the Israelites^[er] to serve as priests for me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. ² And you will make holy garments^[es] for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for splendor.^{[et] 3} And you will speak to all the skilled of heart, whom I have given a gift of skill,^[eu] and they will make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him for his serving as my priest. ⁴ And these are the garments that they will make: A breast piece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of specially woven fabric,^[ev] a turban and a sash. And they will make holy garments^[ew] for Aaron your brother, and for his sons to serve as priests for me.

⁵ “And they will take the gold and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the fine linen, ⁶ and they will make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman. ⁷ It will have two joining shoulder pieces at its two edges, so that it can be fastened. ⁸ And the waistband of his ephod, which is on it, will be of like work to it—gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen.

⁹ “And you will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the Israelites,^{[ex] 10} with six of their names on the one stone and the remaining six on the second, according to their genealogies.^{[ey] 11} As the work of a skilled stone craftsman, with seal engravings you will engrave on the two stones the names of the Israelites;^[ez] you will make them mounted in gold filigree settings. ¹² And you will set the two stones on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites,^[fa] and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.

¹³ “And you will make gold filigree settings. ¹⁴ And you will make two braided chains of pure gold ornamental cord work, and you will put the chains of the ornamental cords on the filigree settings. ¹⁵ And you will make a breast piece of judgment, a work of a skilled craftsman; you will make it like the work of the ephod; you will make it of gold, blue and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. ¹⁶ It will be squared, doubled, a span its length and a span its width. ¹⁷ And you will fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone, a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald is the first row; ¹⁸ and the second row is a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; ¹⁹ and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row is a turquoise and an onyx and a jasper. Their settings will be woven with gold. ²¹ The stones will be according to the names of the Israelites,^[fb] twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.

²² “And you will make on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. ²³ And you will make on the breast piece two gold rings, and you will put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. ²⁴ And you will put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. ²⁵ And you will put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and you will put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. ²⁶ And you will make two gold rings, and you will place them on the two ends of the breast piece, on its edge that is on the other side^[fc] of the ephod, to the inside.^{[fd] 27} And you will make two rings and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. ²⁸ And they will tie the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord to be on the waistband of the ephod, and the breast piece will not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ And Aaron will bear the names of the Israelites^[fe] in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. ³⁰ And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breast piece of judgment, and they will be on the heart of Aaron when he comes before Yahweh, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the Israelites^[ff] on his heart before Yahweh continually.

³¹ “And you will make the robe of the ephod totally of blue yarn. ³² And the opening for his head will be in the middle of it; its opening will have an edge all around, the work of a weaver; it will be like the opening of a sturdy garment for it, so that it will not be torn. ³³ And you will make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson yarns on its hem all around and bells of gold in the midst of them all around, ³⁴ a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵ And it will be on Aaron for serving, and its sound will be heard at his coming into the sanctuary before Yahweh and at his going out, so that he will not die.

³⁶ “And you will make a pure gold rosette,^[fg] and you will engrave on it with seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” ³⁷ And you will place it on a blue cord, and it will be on the turban, at the front of the turban it will be. ³⁸ And it will be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the holy objects that the Israelites^[fh] will consecrate for all their holy gifts, and it will be on his forehead continually for acceptance for them before Yahweh.

³⁹ “And you will weave the tunic of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash, the work of an embroiderer. ⁴⁰ And for the sons of Aaron you will make tunics, and you will make for them sashes and headdresses; you will make them for glory and for splendor.^{[fi] 41} And you will clothe them—Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him—and you will anoint them and ordain them^[fj] and consecrate them, and they will serve as priests for me. ⁴² And make for them undergarments of linen to cover naked flesh; they will be from loins to thigh. ⁴³ And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come to the tent of assembly or when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, so that they will not bear guilt and die. It is a lasting statute for him and for his offspring after him.

Instructions for Consecrating Aaron and His Sons

29 “And this is the thing that you will do for them to consecrate them to serve as a priest for me: Take one young bull^[fk] and two rams without defect ² and unleavened bread and unleavened, ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened breads smeared with oil. You will make them with finely milled wheat flour, ³ and you will put them on one basket, and you will bring them on the basket and bring the bull and the two rams. ⁴ And you will bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of assembly, and you will wash them with water. ⁵ And you will take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and you will fasten to him the ephod and the breast piece with the waistband of the ephod. ⁶ And you will set the turban on his head, and you will put the holy diadem on the turban. ⁷ And you will take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. ⁸ And you will bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. ⁹ And you will gird Aaron and his sons with sashes and wrap headdresses on them. And priesthood will be theirs as a lasting rule, and you will ordain Aaron and his sons.^[fl]

¹⁰ “And you will bring the bull before the tent of assembly, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ And you will slaughter the bull before Yahweh at the entrance of the tent of assembly. ¹² And you will take some of the blood of the bull and with your finger put it on the horns of the altar, and you will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ And you will take and turn into smoke on the altar all the fat covering the inner parts and the lobe on the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them. ¹⁴ And the flesh of the bull and its skin and its offal you will burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

¹⁵ “And you will take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁶ And you will slaughter the ram and take its blood and sprinkle it on the altar all around. ¹⁷ And you will cut the ram into pieces and wash its inner parts, and you will put its legs with its pieces and with its head. ¹⁸ And you will turn into smoke on the altar all of the ram; it is a burnt offering for Yahweh; it is a smell of appeasement, an offering by fire for Yahweh.

¹⁹ “And you will take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons will lay their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰ And you will slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe and on the right earlobe of his sons and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe^[fm] of their right foot, and you will sprinkle the blood at the base of the altar all around. ²¹ And you will take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and you will spatter it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him, and he will be sacred, and his garments and his sons and his sons’ garments with him. ²² And you will take from the ram the fat and the fat tail and the fat covering the inner parts and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh, because it is the ram of ordination.

²³ “And one loaf of bread and one ring-shaped bread cake of oiled bread and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that is before Yahweh— ²⁴ you will put them all on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and you will wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh. ²⁵ And you will take them from their hand and turn them to smoke on the altar beside the burnt offering as a fragrance of appeasement before Yahweh; it is an offering made by fire before Yahweh.

²⁶ “And you will take the breast section from the ram of ordination that is for Aaron, and you will wave it as a wave offering before Yahweh. It will be your portion. ²⁷ And you will consecrate the wave offering breast section and the thigh of the contribution that was waved and that was presented^[fn] from the ram of the ordination that is for Aaron and for his sons. ²⁸ And it will be for^[fo] Aaron and for his sons as a lasting rule from the Israelites,^[fp] because it is a contribution, and it will be a contribution from the Israelites^[fq] from their sacrifices of fellowship, their contribution to Yahweh.

²⁹ “And the holy garments that are for Aaron will be for his sons after him in which to anoint them and to ordain them.^{[fr] 30} Seven days the priest who replaces him from among his sons will wear them, who comes to the tent of assembly to serve in the sanctuary. ³¹ And you will take the ram of ordination and boil its meat in a holy place. ³² And Aaron and his sons will eat the meat of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the tent of assembly. ³³ And they will eat them—the things by which atonement was made for them to ordain them to consecrate them—and a stranger will not eat them because they are holy objects. ³⁴ If any remains until morning from the ordination meat or from the bread, you will burn the remainder in fire; it will not be eaten, because it is a holy object. ³⁵ And you will do so for Aaron and for his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; seven days you will ordain them.

Instructions for Regular Offerings at the Tabernacle

³⁶ “And you will offer a bull for a sin offering every day for the atonement; and you will offer a sin offering on the altar^[fs] when you make atonement for it, and you will anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ Seven days you will make atonement for the altar, and you will consecrate it, and the altar will be a most holy thing.^[ft] Anyone who^[fu] touches the altar will be holy.

³⁸ “And this is what you shall offer on the altar: Two one-year-old^[fv] male lambs every day^[fw] continually. ³⁹ The first lamb you will offer in the morning, and the second lamb you will offer at twilight.^{[fx] 40} And a tenth of finely milled flour mixed with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine as a libation with the first lamb. ⁴¹ And the second lamb you will offer at twilight;^[fy] you will offer a grain offering and its libation like that of the morning for a fragrance of appeasement, an offering made by fire for Yahweh. ⁴² It will be a burnt offering of continuity throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of assembly before Yahweh, where I will meet with you to speak to you there.

⁴³ “And I will meet with the Israelites^[fz] there, and it will be consecrated by my glory. ⁴⁴ And I will consecrate the tent of assembly and the altar, and Aaron and his sons I will consecrate to serve as priests for me. ⁴⁵ And I will dwell in the midst of the Israelites,^[ga] and I will be their God. ⁴⁶ And they will know that I am Yahweh, their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt in order to dwell in their midst. I am Yahweh their God.

Instructions for Making the Incense Altar

30 “And you will make an altar for burning incense; you will make it of acacia wood, ² a cubit its length and a cubit its width—it will be square—and two cubits its height, its horns of one piece with it.^{[gb] 3} And you will overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around and its horns, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. ⁴ And you will make two gold rings for it; under its molding on two opposite sides^[gc] you will make them as holders^[gd] for poles to carry it with them. ⁵ You will make the poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. ⁶ And you will put it before the curtain that is upon the ark of the testimony, before the atonement cover, which is on the testimony, there where I will meet with you.

⁷ “And on it Aaron will turn fragrant incense into smoke; each morning^[ge] when he tends the lamps, he will turn it into smoke. ⁸ And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight,^[gf] he will turn it into smoke—incense of continuity—before Yahweh throughout your generations. ⁹ You will not offer on it strange incense or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you will not pour a libation on it. ¹⁰ And Aaron will make atonement on its horns one time in the year from the blood of the sin offering of the atonement; one time in the year he will make atonement on it throughout your generations; it is a most holy thing for Yahweh.”

Instructions for Numbering the People

¹¹ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “When you take a census of^[gg] the Israelites^[gh] to count them, they will each give the ransom of his life for Yahweh when counting them, and a plague will not be among them when counting them. ¹³ This they will give, everyone who is counted,^[gi] the half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs per shekel. The half shekel is a contribution for Yahweh. ¹⁴ Everyone who is counted^[gj] from twenty years old^[gk] and above will give the contribution of Yahweh. ¹⁵ The rich will not give more, and the poor will not give less than the half shekel to give the contribution of Yahweh to make atonement for their lives. ¹⁶ And you will take the atonement money from the Israelites^[gl] and give it to the service of the tent of assembly, and it will be as a memorial for the Israelites^[gm] before Yahweh to make atonement for your lives.”

Instructions for Making the Basin

¹⁷ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁸ “And you will make a basin of bronze and its bronze stand for washing, and you will put it between the tent of assembly and the altar, and you will put water there. ¹⁹ And Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and their feet with it. ²⁰ When they come to the tent of assembly, they will wash with water so that they do not die, or when they approach the altar to serve by turning to smoke an offering made by fire to Yahweh. ²¹ And they will wash their hands and their feet so that they do not die, and it will be a lasting rule for them—to him and to his offspring throughout their generations.

Instructions for Making Anointing Oil and Incense

²² And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²³ “And take for yourself top quality balsam oils, five hundred shekels of flowing myrrh, half as much—two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant reed, ²⁴ and five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵ And you will make it into holy anointing oil, a spice blend of a fragrant ointment the work of a perfumer; it will be holy anointing oil. ²⁶ And you will anoint with it the tent of assembly and the ark of the testimony, ²⁷ and the table and all its equipment and the lampstand and its equipment and the incense altar, ²⁸ and the altar of burnt offering and all its equipment and the basin and its stand. ²⁹ And you will consecrate them, and they will be most holy things; anyone who^[gn] touches them will be holy. ³⁰ And you will anoint Aaron and his sons, and you will consecrate them to serve as priests for me.

³¹ “And you will speak to the Israelites,^[go] saying, ‘This will be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. ³² It will not be poured on human flesh, and with its measurements^[gp] you will not make any like it; it is holy; it will be holy to you. ³³ Anyone who compounds perfume like it and who puts it on a stranger will be cut off from his people.’”

³⁴ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Take for yourself fragrant perfumes—stacte resin and onycha and galbanum—fragrant perfumes and pure frankincense, an equal part of each,^{[gq] 35} and make it into a compound of incense, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, holy. ³⁶ And you will grind part of it to powder, and you will put part of it before the testimony in the tent of assembly where I will meet with you; it will be a most holy thing to you. ³⁷ And the incense that you will make with its measurements^[gr] you will not make for yourselves; it will be holy to you for Yahweh. ³⁸ Anyone who makes any like it to smell it will be cut off from his people.”

Provision of Skilled People

31 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “See, I have called by name^[gs] Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. ³ And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill^[gt] and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, ⁴ to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze, ⁵ and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of craftsmanship. ⁶ And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all the skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you— ⁷ the tent of assembly and the ark of the testimony and the atonement cover that is on it and all the equipment of the tent, ⁸ and the table and all its equipment, and the pure gold lampstand and all its equipment, and the incense altar, ⁹ and the altar of burnt offering and all its equipment, and the basin and its stand, ¹⁰ and the garments of woven material, and the garments of the sanctuary^[gu] for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to serve as priests, ¹¹ and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. According to all that I have commanded you, they will make it.

Provision of Rest from Work

¹² And Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, ¹³ “And you, speak to the Israelites,^[gv] saying, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, in order to know that I am Yahweh, who consecrates you. ¹⁴ And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers^[gw] of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it—that person will be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵ On six days work can be done, and on the seventh is a Sabbath of complete rest,^[gx] a holy day^[gy] for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites^[gz] will pay attention to the Sabbath in order to fulfill the Sabbath^[ha] throughout their generations as a lasting covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign between me and the Israelites^[hb] forever, because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased^[hc] and recovered.”^[hd]

¹⁸ And when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.

The Golden Calf

32 And the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, and the people gathered opposite Aaron, and they said to him, “Come,^[he] make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

² And Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring it to me.” ³ And all the people took off the rings of gold that were on their ears and brought it to Aaron. ⁴ And he took from their hand, and he shaped it with a tool, and he made it a cast-image bull calf, and they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

⁵ And Aaron saw, and he built an altar before it, and Aaron called, and he said, “A feast for Yahweh tomorrow.” ⁶ And they started early the next day, and they offered burnt offerings, and they presented fellowship offerings, and the people sat to eat and drink, and they rose up to revel.

⁷ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, go down because your people behave corruptly, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt. ⁸ They have turned aside quickly from the way that I commanded them; they have made for themselves a cast-image bull calf, and they bowed to it, and they sacrificed to it, and they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

⁹ And Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and, indeed, they are a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ And now leave me alone so that my anger may blaze^[hf] against them, and let me destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation.”

¹¹ And Moses implored Yahweh^[hg] his God, and he said, “Why, Yahweh, should your anger blaze^[hh] against your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say^[hi], ‘With evil intent he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’?^[hj] Turn from your fierce anger^[hk] and relent concerning the disaster for your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself, and you told them, ‘I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I promised I will give to your offspring, and they will inherit it forever.’”

¹⁴ And Yahweh relented concerning the disaster that he had threatened^[hl] to do to his people. ¹⁵ And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets written on their two sides; on the front and on the back^[hm] they were written. ¹⁶ And the tablets, they were the work of God; and the writing, it was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷ And Joshua heard the sound of the people in their shouting, and he said to Moses, “A sound of war is in the camp.”

¹⁸ But he said, “There is not a sound of shouting of victory, and there is not a sound of shouting of defeat. I hear a sound of singing.”

¹⁹ And^[hn] as he came near to the camp, he saw the bull calf and dancing, and Moses became angry,^[ho] and he threw the tablets from his hand, and he broke them under the mountain. ²⁰ And he took the bull calf that they had made, and he burned it with the fire, and he crushed it until it became fine, and he scattered it on the surface of the water, and he made the Israelites^[hp] drink.

²¹ And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you brought on them such a great sin?” ²² And Aaron said, “Let not my lord become angry.^[hq] You yourself know the people, that they are intent on evil.^{[hr] 23} And they said to me, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off.’ And they gave it to me, and I threw it in the fire, and out came this bull calf.”

²⁵ And Moses saw the people, that they were running wild^[hs] because Aaron had allowed them to run wild,^[ht] for a laughingstock among their enemies.^{[hu] 26} And Moses stood at the entrance of the camp, and he said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, to me.” And all the sons of Levi were gathered to him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Put each his sword on his side. Go back and forth^[hv] from gate to gate in the camp, and kill, each his brother and each his friend and each his close relative.’” ²⁸ And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and from the people on that day about three thousand persons fell.^{[hw] 29} And Moses said, “You are ordained^[hx] today for Yahweh, because each has been against his son and against his brother and so bringing on you today a blessing.”

³⁰ And^[hy] the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹ And Moses returned to Yahweh, and he said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin and made for themselves gods of gold. ³² And now if you will forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me from your scroll that you have written.” ³³ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot him from my scroll. ³⁴ And now go, lead the people to where I spoke to you. Look, my angel will go before you, and on the day when I punish I will punish them for their sin.” ³⁵ And Yahweh afflicted the people because they had made the bull calf that Aaron had made.

Command to Resume Travel

33 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land that I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ ² And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites,^[hz] the Amorites,^[ia] and the Hittites^[ib] and the Perizzites,^[ic] the Hivites,^[id] and the Jebusites,^{[ie] 3} Go to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up among you, because you are a stiff-necked people, lest I destroy you on the way.” ⁴ And the people heard this troubling^[if] word, and they mourned, and they each did not put their ornaments on themselves.

⁵ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites,^[ig] ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if one moment I were to go up among you, I would destroy you. And now take down your ornaments from on you, and I will decide^[ih] what I will do to you.” ⁶ And the Israelites^[ii] stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward.

The Tent outside the Camp

⁷ And Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp far from the camp, and he called it the tent of assembly, and^[ij] all seeking Yahweh would go out to the tent of assembly, which was outside the camp. ⁸ And^[ik] at the going out of Moses to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at the opening of his tent, and gaze after Moses until his entering the tent. ⁹ And^[il] at the entering of Moses into the tent the column of cloud would descend and stand at the opening of the tent, and he would speak with Moses. ¹⁰ And all the people would see the column of cloud standing at the opening of the tent, and all the people would rise and bow in worship, each at the opening of his tent. ¹¹ And Yahweh would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his neighbor. And he would return to the camp, and his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the middle of the tent.

Presence and Glory

¹² And Moses said to Yahweh, “See, you are saying to me, ‘Take this people up.’ But you have not let me know whom you will send with me, and you yourself have said, ‘I know you by name, and you also have found favor in my eyes.’ ¹³ And now if I have found favor in your eyes, make known to me, please, your way, and so I may know you so that I can find favor in your eyes. And see that this nation is your people.” ¹⁴ And he said, “My presence will go, and I will give you rest.” ¹⁵ And he said to him, “If your presence is not going, do not bring us up from here. ¹⁶ And by what will it be known then that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us? And so we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the ground.”

¹⁷ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Also I will do this thing that you have spoken, because you have found favor in my eyes and I have known you by name.”

¹⁸ And he said, “Please show me your glory.”

¹⁹ And he said, “I myself will cause all my goodness to pass over before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” ²⁰ But he said, “You are not able to see my face, because a human will not see me and live.” ²¹ And Yahweh said, “There is a place with me, and you will stand on the rock. ²² And^[im] when my glory passes over, I will put you in the rock’s crevice, and I will cover you with my hand until I pass over. ²³ And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be visible.”

Yahweh’s Description of Himself

34 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. ² And be ready for the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself to me there on the top of the mountain. ³ And no one will go up with you, and neither let anyone be seen on all the mountain, nor let the sheep and goats and the cattle graze opposite^[in] that mountain.”

⁴ And Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and he started early in the morning, and he went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two stone tablets. ⁵ And Yahweh descended in the cloud, and he stood with him there, and he proclaimed the name of Yahweh. ⁶ And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, God, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,^[io] and abounding with^[ip] loyal love and faithfulness, ⁷ keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing the guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth generations.”

⁸ And Moses hurried and knelt down to the earth and worshiped. ⁹ And he said, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, Lord, let my Lord, please, go among us—indeed it is a stiff-necked people—and forgive our iniquity and our sin and take us as your possession.”^[iq]

Covenant Stipulations

¹⁰ And he said, “Look, I am about to make a covenant. In front of all your people I will do wonders that have not been created on all the earth and among all the nations, and all the people among whom you are will see Yahweh’s work, because what I am about to do with you will be awesome.

¹¹ “Keep for yourself what I myself have commanded you today. Look, I am about to drive from before you the Amorites and the Canaanites^[ir] and the Hittites^[is] and the Perizzites^[it] and the Hivites^[iu] and the Jebusites.^{[iv] 12} Be careful for yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, lest it be a snare among you. ¹³ Rather, you will tear down their altars, and you will break their stone pillars, and you will cut off their Asherah poles. ¹⁴ For you will not bow in worship to another god, for ‘Yahweh Is Jealous’ is his name, he is a jealous God, ¹⁵ lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they prostitute themselves after their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods, and they invite you, and you eat their sacrifice, ¹⁶ and you take from their daughters for your sons, and their daughters prostitute themselves after their gods, and they cause your sons to prostitute themselves after their gods. ¹⁷ You will not make gods of cast metal for yourself.

¹⁸ “You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt. ¹⁹ Every first offspring of a womb is for me—all of your male livestock, the first offspring of cattle and small livestock. ²⁰ But the first offspring of a donkey you will redeem with small livestock, and if you will not redeem it, you will break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you will redeem, and you will not appear before me empty-handed. ²¹ Six days you will work, and on the seventh day you will rest; in the time of plowing and in the time of harvest you will rest. ²² And you yourself^[iw] will observe the Feast of Weeks—the firstfruits of the wheat harvest—and the Feast of Harvest Gathering at the turn of the year. ²³ Three times in the year all your males will appear before the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel, ²⁴ because I will evict nations before you, and I will enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in the year.

²⁵ “You will not slaughter the blood of my sacrifice on food with yeast, and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover will not stay overnight to the morning. ²⁶ The beginning of the firstfruits of your land you will bring to the house of Yahweh your God. You will not boil a young goat^[ix] in its mother’s milk.”

²⁷ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Write for yourself these words, because according to^[iy] these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

The Shining Face of Moses

²⁸ And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights. He ate no food and drank no water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words. ²⁹ And^[iz] when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony were in the hand of Moses at his coming down from the mountain; and Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with him. ³⁰ And Aaron and all the Israelites^[ja] saw Moses, and, to their amazement,^[jb] the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid of coming near to him.