Exodus 19-24

The Voice

Eternal One: This is what I want you to say to the house of Jacob—to all the people of Israel: ⁴ “You are eyewitnesses of all that I did to the Egyptians. You saw how I snatched you from the bonds of slavery and carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now if you will hear My voice, obey what I say, and keep My covenant, then you—out of all the nations of the world—will be My treasured people. After all, the earth belongs to Me. ⁶ You will be My kingdom of priests, a nation holy and set apart.” Tell the Israelites exactly what I have told to you.

Israelites: ⁸ We will do everything the Eternal has told us to do!

Eternal One (to Moses): ⁹ I will come to you in a thick cloud so that the people will be able to hear My voice when I speak to you. That way they will trust you forever.

Eternal One (to Moses): ^10-11 Go down to the people and get them ready to meet Me today and tomorrow by purifying themselves and washing their garments. By the third day, they need to be ready, for on that day I will descend from Mount Sinai so that everyone can see. ¹² You are to set up boundaries all around the mountain and tell the people, “Be careful that you do not cross the boundaries and go up on the mountain or even touch the edge of it. If anyone so much as touches the mountain, he should be put to death. ¹³ No one is to touch the person or animal who crosses the boundary; stone them or shoot them with arrows but do not touch them. It doesn’t matter whether it is a human or an animal, it must be put to death.” But when they hear the long blast of the ram’s horn, then they are permitted to make their way up on the mountain.

Moses: Be ready for the third day. Do not have sexual relations with your spouse between now and then.

Eternal One (to Moses): ²¹ Go down, and warn the people not to cross the boundaries in order to try to see Me, or else many of them will die. ²² Any of the priests who draw near to Me must first rid themselves of any impurity so that I do not break loose and kill them.

Moses (to the Eternal): ²³ No one can approach Mount Sinai because You warned them when You said, “Set up boundaries around the mountain and keep the area holy and separate.”

Eternal One: ²⁴ Go back down and bring Aaron with you next time. But do not let any of the people (including priests) cross those boundaries to come up and meet Me, unless they want Me to break loose and kill them.

Eternal One: ² I am the Eternal your God. I led you out of Egypt and liberated you from lives of slavery and oppression.

³ You are not to serve any other gods before Me.

⁴ You are not to make any idol or image of other gods. In fact, you are not to make an image of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. ⁵ You are not to bow down and serve any image, for I, the Eternal your God, am a jealous God. As for those who are not loyal to Me, their children will endure the consequences of their sins for three or four generations. ⁶ But for those who love Me and keep My directives, their children will experience My loyal love for a thousand generations.

⁷ You are not to use My name for your own idle purposes, for the Eternal will punish anyone who treats His name as anything less than sacred.

⁸ You and your family are to remember the Sabbath Day; set it apart, and keep it holy. ⁹ You have six days to do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is to be different; it is the Sabbath of the Eternal your God. Keep it holy by not doing any work—not you, your sons, your daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, or any outsiders living among you. ¹¹ For the Eternal made the heavens above, the earth below, the seas, and all the creatures in them in six days. Then, on the seventh day, He rested. That is why He blessed the Sabbath Day and made it sacred.

¹² You are to honor your father and mother. If you do, you and your children will live long and well in the land the Eternal your God has promised to give you.

¹³ You are not to murder.

¹⁴ You are not to commit adultery.

¹⁵ You are not to take what is not yours.

¹⁶ You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷ You are not to covet what your neighbor has or set your heart on getting his house, his wife, his male or female servants, his ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

Israelites (to Moses): ¹⁹ We are afraid to have God speak directly to us; we are certain that we will die. You speak to us instead; we promise to listen.

Moses: ²⁰ Don’t be afraid. These powerful manifestations are God’s way of instilling awe and fear in you so that you will not sin; He is testing you for your own good.

Eternal One (to Moses): ²² This is what I want you to tell the people of Israel: “You yourselves witnessed that I have spoken to you from heaven. ²³ It is essential that you not make any idols to rival Me. Do not make any idols out of silver or gold for yourselves! ²⁴ Take earth and build an altar to Me and sacrifice all of your burnt offerings and peace offerings there. Offer Me the best of your sheep and oxen. Wherever I choose for My name to be remembered, I will come to you and shower blessings upon you. ²⁵ But if you decide to build an altar out of stones for Me, use only natural stones, not hand-cut stones, because any attempt to shape them with your tools will desecrate the altar. ²⁶ Also, do not approach My altar by walking up steps, for you might profane the altar by exposing your nakedness.”

21 Eternal One (to Moses): These are other rules and guiding principles that you must present to the Israelites:

² If you purchase a male Hebrew slave, he will be your servant for six years only. When the seventh year arrives, he will go free without having to pay a price for his freedom.

³ If you acquire a slave who is not married, then he will depart as a single man. But if you acquire a man who is married, then his wife will also leave when he goes free.

⁴ If his master provides a wife for him, and the wife gives him sons and daughters, then both the wife and the children belong to the master, and only the slave will leave the master’s service when the seventh year arrives.

⁵ But if the seventh year arrives and the slave freely renounces his right to freedom, saying, “My heart is full of love for my master, my wife, and my children. I will not leave my master’s service as a free man,” ⁶ then his master will present him to the True God.^[a] Next his master will escort him to the doorway and pierce his ear against the doorpost with an awl. Then everyone will know this slave will serve his master for life.

⁷ Women are to be treated differently. If a man decides to sell his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed as male slaves are when the seventh year arrives. ⁸ If for any reason she does not please her master who handpicked her for a wife, then he is to allow her to be bought by another. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people because he has broken the agreement with her.

⁹ If the master chooses her as a wife for his son, then the master must treat her just as he would his own daughter.

¹⁰ If the master decides he wants to marry an additional wife, then he must not reduce his slave-wife’s food or clothing or any other marital rights. ¹¹ If he does not provide these three things for her, then she is free to leave without owing him any money for her freedom.

¹² If a man attacks another and the victim dies from the attack, then the attacker must be put to death. ¹³ But if God allows a person to die at the hands of another who never intended to kill him in the first place, then I will appoint a place where he can run and take refuge from those who would exact revenge. ¹⁴ But if a man plans an attack and cunningly kills his victim, then he will find no refuge at my altar. Take him from there and put him to death.

¹⁵ Also, anyone who strikes one of his parents must be put to death.

¹⁶ Anyone who kidnaps another—whether he has already sold his victim or still has him when he is caught—must be put to death.

¹⁷ And anyone who curses either of his parents must be put to death.^[b]

¹⁸ If people are engaged in an argument and one hits the other with a rock or his fist, and the victim does not die but is bedridden for a time and unable to work, ¹⁹ then the one who struck him will not be punished as long as the injured party recovers enough to be able to get out of bed and walk around with the help of his staff; however, he must pay his victim for lost time and wages, and make sure he has the care he needs until he recovers. ²⁰ If a person hits his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies because of the blow, then that person must be punished. ²¹ But if the slave survives a couple of days, then there will be no penalty because the slave belongs to the master.

²² If two men are fighting with each other and happen to hit a pregnant woman during the quarrel causing her to give birth prematurely (but no other harm is done), then the one who hit her must pay whatever fine the judges determine based upon the amount demanded by the woman’s husband.

²³ But if any further harm comes, then the standard for the punishment is reciprocal justice: a life for a life, ²⁴ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,^[c] a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, ²⁵ a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.

²⁶ If anyone hits one of his slaves (male or female) in the eye and blinds him in that eye, then the master is to free the slave to compensate for the loss of the eye. ²⁷ If anyone hits one of his slaves (male or female) and knocks out a tooth, then the master is to free the slave to compensate for the loss of the tooth.

²⁸ If a bull gores a man or woman and the injury leads to the victim’s death, then the bull must be put to death by stoning. No one is allowed to eat the bull meat, and the owner of the bull has no further liability. ²⁹ But if a bull has gored people before and its owner is aware of the problem but has not confined it, and if that bull kills a man or woman, then the bull must be stoned and the owner must also be put to death.

³⁰ There is an exception. If the relatives of the dead demand money instead of his life, then the owner of the bull may redeem his life in exchange for whatever is required of him. ³¹ The same rule applies whether the bull gores someone’s son or daughter. ³² If the bull gores a slave (male or female), then the owner of the bull is to give the dead slave’s master 12 ounces of silver, and the bull must be stoned.

³³ If someone uncovers an old pit or digs a new pit and leaves it uncovered, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ then the person who owns the pit will be held responsible and must compensate the owner for the full cost of the animal; but the dead animal at the bottom of the pit belongs to the man who owns it.

³⁵ If a person’s bull injures another’s bull and it dies, then together they must sell the living bull and split the money equally; they must also divide the dead bull equally. ³⁶ Now if the bull already has a reputation for goring and the owner has not confined it, then the owner of the living bull must pay a healthy bull for the dead one, but he may keep the dead bull for himself.

22 Eternal One: If someone steals an ox or a sheep and either kills or sells it for profit, then he must pay five oxen for the one ox he stole or four sheep for the one sheep he stole. ⁴ But if the stolen animal—the ox or donkey or sheep—is still alive and in his possession when he is caught, then the thief must pay the owner double. ^3b A thief must make restitution for what he has taken. If he has no means of doing so, he must be sold to pay for his theft.

² If a person attacks a thief in the act of breaking into his house and the thief is killed during the attack, then the homeowner is innocent of blood guilt. ^3a It is different if the sun has already risen; so any homeowner who kills a thief during the day must be considered guilty of bloodshed.^[d]

Eternal One: ⁵ If someone allows his animals to graze a field or vineyard until it is bare and then lets his animals wander over onto a neighbor’s field, then he must compensate his neighbor from the very best of his field and vineyard.

⁶ If someone starts a fire and the fire spreads and sets the thorn bushes ablaze, and eventually that fire burns up stacks of harvested grain and everything growing in the fields, then the person who started the fire is responsible and must pay reparations for what was lost.

⁷ If someone gives his neighbor money or items to keep for him and it is stolen from his neighbor’s house, then if the thief is captured, he must pay double for what he stole. ⁸ If the thief is not found, then the person who owned the house that was burglarized must go stand before God’s presence so that He can decide whether he is the one who stole the property.

⁹ Whenever there is a breach of trust—regarding an ox, a donkey, a lamb, a piece of clothing, or any lost item—and the contested item is discovered in the possession of a neighbor and claimed by two different parties, then both sides must appear before God. If God finds the neighbor guilty, he must pay double for what he stole.

¹⁰ If someone leaves a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other kind of livestock in his friend’s keeping, and the animal dies or is injured or disappears while no one is watching, ¹¹ then the two are to make an oath in the presence of the Eternal. The neighbor must swear he had nothing to do with the loss of the animal, and the owner of the animal must accept his statement and not demand any compensation for the loss.

¹² But if the animal was stolen while in his neighbor’s care, then the neighbor must compensate the owner. ¹³ If it was torn to pieces by another animal, then the neighbor may use the remains as evidence, and not have to pay any compensation for the torn animal.

¹⁴ If someone borrows an animal from a neighbor and it is harmed or dies while not in the possession of the owner, then the borrower must compensate the owner in full. ¹⁵ But if the owner was there when the animal dies or is harmed, then no compensation is required. If the animal has been rented and not borrowed, then the rental fee paid shall cover the loss of the animal.

¹⁶ If a man entices a virgin who is not promised to another man to have sex with him, then he must pay her father the bride-price and marry her. ¹⁷ If the young woman’s father refuses the marriage offer because he disapproves of the man, then the man still must pay the amount of money that is customary for the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁸ You are not to allow a sorceress to live.

¹⁹ Anyone who has sex with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰ Anyone who dares to sacrifice to any god other than the Eternal must be declared under the ban and destroyed.

²¹ Do not wrong or oppress any outsiders living among you, for there was a time when you lived as outsiders in the land of Egypt.

²² You must not take advantage of any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do oppress them and they cry out to Me, I will certainly hear them, ²⁴ and My wrath will be kindled. I will make sure you are slaughtered by your enemy’s sword, and your own wives and children will become widows and orphans.

²⁵ If you loan money to any of the poor among My people, do not treat them as borrowers and act as their creditors by charging interest. ²⁶ If your neighbor gives his coat to you as collateral, then be sure to give it back before night falls—even if he has not repaid you in full. ²⁷ You see that coat covers his body and may be his only protection against the cold. What do you think he would sleep in? When he calls out for Me, I will hear his cry. I am kind and compassionate as you should be when a fellow Israelite is in need.

²⁸ Do not curse the one True God or any rulers of your people.^[e]

²⁹ You must not hold back or delay your offering from the bounty of your harvest or the juice of your vineyard.^[f] Dedicate every one of your firstborn sons to Me. ³⁰ But dedicate your livestock—your ox and sheep—to Me in sacrifice. The firstborn of your livestock may stay with its mother for the first seven days. When the eighth day arrives, give the firstborn to Me. ³¹ You must be holy before Me. Do not eat any animal that has been torn to pieces by wild beasts in the field. Toss its remains to the dogs.

23 Eternal One: Do not pass along a false report. Do not plot with evil people to give a false witness.

² Even if the majority of people are doing evil, do not follow them. Also when you are called to give testimony in a dispute, do not let the crowd pressure you into perverting justice. ³ In the same way, do not side with the poor in a complaint just because he is poor.

⁴ If you are walking along and come across your enemy’s ox or donkey that has wandered away, then you must return it to its owner. ⁵ If you see the donkey of someone you know who hates you and it has fallen beneath its load, you must not leave it there. You must stop and help the donkey recover the load.

⁶ Do not deny justice to the poor among you in their disputes. ⁷ Stay far away from false accusations, and do not condemn the innocent or righteous to death. Understand this: I will not acquit those who commit such miscarriages of justice.

⁸ Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe can blind those who see and twist the words of those who are in the right. ⁹ Do not oppress an outsider. You know well what it is like to be an outsider living in a foreign land, for you were strangers once in the land of Egypt.

¹⁰ You have six years to plant your fields and harvest your crops. ¹¹ When the seventh year arrives, let your land rest and lie fallow. Let the poor and hungry among you come and harvest the volunteer crops that spring up in your fields. Whatever is left over, the beasts may eat. Do the same thing with your vineyards and your olive groves. ¹² You have six days to work. When the seventh day arrives, stop all work so that your ox and donkey can rest. When you observe the Sabbath Day, your female slave’s son and any outsider serving you have a chance to catch their breath and relax.

¹³ Be careful to do all that I have instructed you. Do not even acknowledge the names of other gods or let their names spill from your lips.

¹⁴ I want you to celebrate a feast in My honor three times a year. ¹⁵ First, celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I instructed you before, you are to eat only bread made without yeast for the seven feast days beginning at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for that is when you fled out of Egypt. During this time, no one is to come before Me without some offering. ¹⁶ Second, celebrate the Feast of Harvest in the spring when you bring to Me the first and best of the wheat crop you planted in the field. Third, celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the harvest season when you gather your crops from the fields, orchards, and groves. ¹⁷ All of your men must come before the Eternal your Lord, these three times a year.

¹⁸ When you make offerings before Me, do not present any bread made with yeast along with an animal sacrifice. Do not let the fat of the sacrifice remain until the next morning. ¹⁹ Bring only the best crops from your first harvest into the house of the Eternal your God. You must not boil a baby goat in its mother’s milk.

²⁰ Look! I am going to send a heavenly messenger before you to protect you during your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. ²¹ Pay attention to all he shows you and obey whatever he tells you. Do not cause him any trouble. He will not forgive you if you rebel against him for he carries My name in him.

²² If you are obedient to his voice and follow all of My instructions, then I will be an enemy to all of those who are against you, and I will oppose all those who oppose you. ²³ When My messenger moves ahead of you and leads you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites—I will annihilate them. ²⁴ Do not bow down to their gods, worship, or serve them in any way. Do not engage in any of their wicked practices. Instead, you must destroy every idol you find and shatter their sacred pillars into tiny pieces.

²⁵ Worship and serve only the Eternal your God, and I will bless you with an ample supply of wholesome food and clean water. I will take away all sickness from you, ²⁶ prevent miscarriages and barrenness, and give you long, productive lives. ²⁷ My fear and My dread will move ahead of you, and wherever you go people will greet you with panic and confusion. I will see to it that all of your enemies turn and run from you. ²⁸ I will unleash hornets ahead of you; and they will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from the land before you. ²⁹ Now I will not do all this in a single year, because the land would become a wasteland, overpopulated with wild animals that would roam unchecked. ³⁰ Rather, I will drive them out a little at a time—a few here, a few there—until your numbers grow and you are strong enough to take over the land and its care. ³¹ I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea west of where the Philistines live and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will give to you all those who inhabit the land, and you will drive them all out. ³² But do not make a covenant-treaty with them or agree to serve their gods. ³³ They must not be allowed to live in your land; otherwise they will cause you to sin against Me, the only True God. If you serve their gods, you will be trapped and be drawn into sin.

24 Eternal One (to Moses): Come up the mountain to Me, Moses, and this time bring with you Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel. These may come, but you must worship from a distance. ² Only Moses is permitted to approach Me; but be careful, for the others must stay at a distance. The rest of the people of Israel must stay below; they are not to come up the mountain with you.

People (answering together): We will do all that the Eternal has asked us to do!

People (responding): We will do all that the Eternal has said! We will obey every word of His command!

Moses (to the people): Look! Here is the blood signifying the covenant that God has established with you according to all He has said and all we have promised.

Eternal One (to Moses): ¹² Come up the mountain to Me and stay here with Me for a while. I will give you stone tablets inscribed with My law and commandments in order to provide instruction and guidance for the people.

Moses (to the elders): ¹⁴ Wait here for our return. Aaron and Hur will stay with you. If anyone has a complaint, then they can speak to them.