Bible in 90 Days
19 The horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his chariots
Tried to follow through the sea;
But the Lord let down the walls of water on them
While the people of Israel walked through on dry land.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine and led the women in dances.
21 And Miriam sang this song:
Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously.
The horse and rider have been drowned in the sea.
22 Then Moses led the people of Israel on from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the wilderness of Shur and were there three days without water. 23 Arriving at Marah, they couldn’t drink the water because it was bitter (that is why the place was called Marah, meaning “bitter”).
24 Then the people turned against Moses. “Must we die of thirst?” they demanded.
25 Moses pleaded with the Lord to help them, and the Lord showed him a tree to throw into the water, and the water became sweet.
It was there at Marah that the Lord laid before them the following conditions, to test their commitment to him: 26 “If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.” 27 And they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; and they camped there beside the springs.
16 Now they left Elim and journeyed on into the Sihn Desert, between Elim and Mount Sinai, arriving there on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving Egypt. 2 There, too, the people spoke bitterly against Moses and Aaron.
3 “Oh, that we were back in Egypt,” they moaned, “and that the Lord had killed us there! For there we had plenty to eat. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to kill us with starvation.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for them. Everyone can go out each day and gather as much food as he needs. And I will test them in this, to see whether they will follow my instructions or not. 5 Tell them to gather twice as much as usual on the sixth day of each week.”
6 Then Moses and Aaron called a meeting of all the people of Israel and told them, “This evening you will realize that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7-9 In the morning you will see more of his glory; for he has heard your complaints against him (for you aren’t really complaining against us—who are we?). The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning. Come now before Jehovah and hear his reply to your complaints.”
10 So Aaron called them together and suddenly, out toward the wilderness, from within the guiding cloud, there appeared the awesome glory of Jehovah.
11-12 And Jehovah said to Moses, “I have heard their complaints. Tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat and in the morning you will be stuffed with bread, and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God.’”
13 That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and covered the camp, and in the morning the desert all around the camp was wet with dew; 14 and when the dew disappeared later in the morning it left thin white flakes that covered the ground like frost. 15 When the people of Israel saw it they asked each other, “What is it?”
And Moses told them, “It is the food Jehovah has given you. 16 Jehovah has said for everyone to gather as much as is needed for his household—about two quarts[a] for each person.”
17 So the people of Israel went out and gathered it—some getting more and some less before it melted on the ground, 18 and there was just enough for everyone. Those who gathered more had nothing left over and those who gathered little had no lack! Each home had just enough.
19 And Moses told them, “Don’t leave it overnight.”
20 But of course some of them wouldn’t listen, and left it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and had a terrible odor; and Moses was very angry with them. 21 So they gathered the food morning by morning, each home according to its need; and when the sun became hot upon the ground, the food melted and disappeared. 22 On the sixth day there was twice as much as usual on the ground—four quarts instead of two; the leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened.
23 And he told them, “Because the Lord has appointed tomorrow as a day of seriousness and rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord when we must refrain from doing our daily tasks. So cook as much as you want to today, and keep what is left for tomorrow.”
24 And the next morning the food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, “This is your food for today, for today is the Sabbath to Jehovah and there will be no food on the ground today. 26 Gather the food for six days, but the seventh is a Sabbath, and there will be none there for you on that day.”
27 But some of the people went out anyway to gather food, even though it was the Sabbath, but there wasn’t any.
28-29 “How long will these people refuse to obey?” the Lord asked Moses. “Don’t they realize that I am giving them twice as much on the sixth day, so that there will be enough for two days? For the Lord has given you the seventh day as a day of Sabbath rest; stay in your tents and don’t go out to pick up food from the ground that day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the food became known as “manna” (meaning “What is it?”); it was white, like coriander seed, and flat, and tasted like honey bread.
32 Then Moses gave them this further instruction from the Lord: they were to take two quarts of it to be kept as a museum specimen forever, so that later generations could see the bread the Lord had fed them in the wilderness, when he brought them from Egypt. 33 Moses told Aaron to get a container and put two quarts of manna in it and to keep it in a sacred place from generation to generation. 34 Aaron did this, just as the Lord had instructed Moses, and eventually it was kept in the Ark in the Tabernacle.
35 So the people of Israel ate the manna forty years until they arrived in the land of Canaan, where there were crops to eat. 36 The omer—the container used to measure the manna—held about two quarts; it is approximately a tenth of a bushel.
17 Now, at God’s command, the people of Israel left the Sihn Desert, going by easy stages to Rephidim. But upon arrival, there was no water!
2 So once more the people growled and complained to Moses. “Give us water!” they wailed.
“Quiet!” Moses commanded. “Are you trying to test God’s patience with you?”
3 But, tormented by thirst, they cried out, “Why did you ever take us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us here to die, with our children and cattle too?”
4 Then Moses pleaded with Jehovah. “What shall I do? For they are almost ready to stone me.”
5-6 Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Take the elders of Israel with you and lead the people out to Mount Horeb. I will meet you there at the rock. Strike it with your rod[b]—the same one you struck the Nile with—and water will come pouring out, enough for everyone!” Moses did as he was told, and the water gushed out! 7 Moses named the place Massah (meaning “tempting Jehovah to slay us”), and sometimes they referred to it as Meribah (meaning “argument” and “strife!”)—for it was there that the people of Israel argued against God and tempted him to slay them[c] by saying, “Is Jehovah going to take care of us or not?”
8 But now the warriors of Amalek came to fight against the people of Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses instructed Joshua to issue a call to arms to the Israelites, to fight the army of Amalek.
“Tomorrow,” Moses told him, “I will stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand!”
10 So Joshua and his men went out to fight the army of Amalek. Meanwhile Moses, Aaron, and Hur[d] went to the top of the hill. 11 And as long as Moses held up the rod in his hands, Israel was winning; but whenever he rested his arms at his sides, the soldiers of Amalek were winning. 12 Moses’ arms finally became too tired to hold up the rod any longer; so Aaron and Hur rolled a stone for him to sit on, and they stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua and his troops crushed the army of Amalek, putting them to the sword.
14 Then the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this into a permanent record, to be remembered forever, and announce to Joshua that I will utterly blot out every trace of Amalek.” 15-16 Moses built an altar there and called it “Jehovah-nissi” (meaning “Jehovah is my flag”).
“Raise the banner of the Lord!” Moses said. “For the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.”
18 Word soon reached Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, the priest of Midian, about all the wonderful things God had done for his people and for Moses, and how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt.
2 Then Jethro took Moses’ wife, Zipporah, to him (for he had sent her home), 3 along with Moses’ two sons, Gershom (meaning “foreigner,” for Moses said when he was born, “I have been wandering in a foreign land”) 4 and Eliezer (meaning “God is my help,” for Moses said at his birth, “The God of my fathers was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5-6 They arrived while Moses and the people were camped at Mount Sinai.[e]
“Jethro, your father-in-law, has come to visit you,” Moses was told, “and he has brought your wife and your two sons.”
7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and greeted him warmly; they asked about each other’s health and then went into Moses’ tent to talk further. 8 Moses related to his father-in-law all that had been happening and what the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians in order to deliver Israel, and all the problems there had been along the way, and how the Lord had delivered his people from all of them. 9 Jethro was very happy about everything the Lord had done for Israel, and about his bringing them out of Egypt.
10 “Bless the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has saved you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and has rescued Israel. 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than any other god because he delivered his people from the proud and cruel Egyptians.”
12 Jethro offered sacrifices to God,[f] and afterwards Aaron and the leaders of Israel came to meet Jethro, and they all ate the sacrificial meal together before the Lord.
13 The next day Moses sat as usual to hear the people’s complaints against each other, from morning to evening.
14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw how much time this was taking, he said, “Why are you trying to do all this alone, with people standing here all day long to get your help?”
15-16 “Well, because the people come to me with their disputes, to ask for God’s decisions,” Moses told him. “I am their judge, deciding who is right and who is wrong, and instructing them in God’s ways. I apply the laws of God to their particular disputes.”
17 “It’s not right!” his father-in-law exclaimed. 18 “You’re going to wear yourself out—and if you do, what will happen to the people? Moses, this job is too heavy a burden for you to try to handle all by yourself. 19-20 Now listen, and let me give you a word of advice, and God will bless you: Be these people’s lawyer—their representative before God—bringing him their questions to decide; you will tell them his decisions, teaching them God’s laws, and showing them the principles of godly living.
21 “Find some capable, godly, honest men who hate bribes, and appoint them as judges, one judge for each 1000 people; he in turn will have ten judges under him, each in charge of a hundred; and under each of them will be two judges, each responsible for the affairs of fifty people; and each of these will have five judges beneath him, each counseling ten persons. 22 Let these men be responsible to serve the people with justice at all times. Anything that is too important or complicated can be brought to you. But the smaller matters they can take care of themselves. That way it will be easier for you because you will share the burden with them. 23 If you follow this advice, and if the Lord agrees, you will be able to endure the pressures, and there will be peace and harmony in the camp.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed this suggestion. 25 He chose able men from all over Israel and made them judges over the people—thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. 26 They were constantly available to administer justice. They brought the hard cases to Moses but judged the smaller matters themselves.
27 Soon afterwards Moses let his father-in-law return to his own land.
19 The Israelis arrived in the Sinai peninsula three months after the night of their departure from Egypt. 2-3 After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the base of Mount Sinai and set up camp there. Moses climbed the rugged mountain to meet with God, and from somewhere in the mountain God called to him and said, “Give these instructions to the people of Israel. Tell them, 4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I brought you to myself as though on eagles’ wings. 5 Now if you will obey me and keep your part of my contract with you, you shall be my own little flock from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth is mine. 6 And you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation.’”
7 Moses returned from the mountain and called together the leaders of the people and told them what the Lord had said.
8 They all responded in unison, “We will certainly do everything he asks of us.” Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
9 Then he said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in the form of a dark cloud, so that the people themselves can hear me when I talk with you, and then they will always believe you. 10 Go down now and see that the people are ready for my visit. Sanctify them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothes. 11 Then, the day after tomorrow, I will come down upon Mount Sinai as all the people watch. 12 Set boundary lines the people may not pass, and tell them, ‘Beware! Do not go up into the mountain or even touch its boundaries; whoever does shall die— 13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot to death with arrows, whether man or animal.’ Stay away from the mountain entirely until you hear a ram’s horn sounding one long blast; then gather at the foot of the mountain!”
14 So Moses went down to the people and sanctified them and they washed their clothing.
15 He told them, “Get ready for God’s appearance two days from now, and do not have sexual intercourse with your wives.”
16 On the morning of the third day there was a terrific thunder and lightning storm, and a huge cloud came down upon the mountain, and there was a long, loud blast as from a ram’s horn; and all the people trembled. 17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because Jehovah descended upon it in the form of fire; the smoke billowed into the sky as from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. 19 As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God thundered his reply. 20 So the Lord came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and Moses ascended to God.
21 But the Lord told Moses, “Go back down and warn the people not to cross the boundaries. They must not come up here to try to see God, for if they do, many of them will die. 22 Even the priests on duty[g] must sanctify themselves, or else I will destroy them.”
23 “But the people won’t come up into the mountain!” Moses protested. “You told them not to! You told me to set boundaries around the mountain and to declare it off limits because it is reserved for God.”
24 But Jehovah said, “Go down and bring Aaron back with you, and don’t let the priests and the people break across the boundaries to try to come up here, or I will punish them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them what God had said.
20 Then God issued this edict:
2 “I am Jehovah your God who liberated you from your slavery in Egypt.
3 “You may worship no other god than me.
4 “You shall not make yourselves any idols: no images of animals, birds, or fish. 5 You must never bow or worship it in any way; for I, the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god!
“And when I punish people for their sins, the punishment continues upon the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who hate me; 6 but I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love me and obey my commandments.
7 “You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently,[h] nor use it to swear to a falsehood. You will not escape punishment if you do.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day. 9 Six days a week are for your daily duties and your regular work, 10 but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest before the Lord your God. On that day you are to do no work of any kind, nor shall your son, daughter, or slaves—whether men or women—or your cattle or your house guests. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heaven, earth, and sea, and everything in them, and rested the seventh day; so he blessed the Sabbath day and set it aside for rest.[i]
12 “Honor your father and mother, that you may have a long, good life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
13 “You must not murder.
14 “You must not commit adultery.
15 “You must not steal.
16 “You must not lie.[j]
17 “You must not be envious of your neighbor’s house, or want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else he has.”
18 All the people saw the lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, and heard the thunder and the long, frightening trumpet blast; and they stood at a distance, shaking with fear.
19 They said to Moses, “You tell us what God says and we will obey, but don’t let God speak directly to us, or it will kill us.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses told them, “for God has come in this way to show you his awesome power, so that from now on you will be afraid to sin against him!”
21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was.
22 And the Lord told Moses to be his spokesman to the people of Israel. “You are witnesses to the fact that I have made known my will to you from heaven. 23 Remember, you must not make or worship idols made of silver or gold or of anything else!
24 “The altars you make for me must be simple altars of earth. Offer upon them your sacrifices to me—your burnt offerings and peace offerings of sheep and oxen. Build altars only where I tell you to, and I will come and bless you there. 25 You may also build altars from stone, but if you do, then use only uncut stones and boulders. Don’t chip or shape the stones with a tool, for that would make them unfit for my altar. 26 And don’t make steps for the altar, or someone might look up beneath the skirts of your clothing and see your nakedness.
21 “Here are other laws you must obey:
2 “If you buy a Hebrew slave,[k] he shall serve only six years and be freed in the seventh year, and need pay nothing to regain his freedom.
3 “If he sold himself as a slave before he married, then if he married afterwards, only he shall be freed; but if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife shall be freed with him at the same time. 4 But if his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they have sons or daughters, the wife and children shall still belong to the master, and he shall go out by himself free.
5 “But if the man shall plainly declare, ‘I prefer my master, my wife, and my children, and I would rather not go free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him before the judges and shall publicly bore his ear with an awl, and after that he will be a slave forever.
7 “If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. 8 If she does not please the man who bought her, then he shall let her be bought back again; but he has no power to sell her to foreigners, since he has wronged her by no longer wanting her after marrying her. 9 And if he arranges an engagement between a Hebrew slave girl and his son, then he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but must treat her as a daughter. 10 If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing, or fail to sleep with her as his wife. 11 If he fails in any of these three things, then she may leave freely without any payment.
12 “Anyone who hits a man so hard that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 But if it is accidental—an act of God—and not intentional, then I will appoint a place where he can run and get protection. 14 However, if a man deliberately attacks another, intending to kill him, drag him even from my altar, and kill him.
15 “Anyone who strikes his father or mother shall surely be put to death.
16 “A kidnapper must be killed, whether he is caught in possession of his victim or has already sold him as a slave.
17 “Anyone who reviles or curses his mother or father shall surely be put to death.
18 “If two men are fighting, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and injures him so that he must be confined to bed, but doesn’t die, 19 if later he is able to walk again, even with a limp,[l] the man who hit him will be innocent except that he must pay for the loss of his time until he is thoroughly healed, and pay any medical expenses.
20 “If a man beats his slave to death—whether the slave is male or female—that man shall surely be punished. 21 However, if the slave does not die for a couple of days, then the man shall not be punished—for the slave is his property.
22 “If two men are fighting, and in the process hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage, but she lives, then the man who injured her shall be fined whatever amount the woman’s husband shall demand, and as the judges approve. 23 But if any harm comes to the woman and she dies, he shall be executed.
24 “If her eye is injured, injure his; if her tooth is knocked out, knock out his; and so on—hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, lash for lash.
26 “If a man hits his slave in the eye, whether man or woman, and the eye is blinded, then the slave shall go free because of his eye. 27 And if a master knocks out his slave’s tooth, he shall let him go free to pay for the tooth.
28 “If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner shall not be held— 29 unless the ox was known to gore people in the past, and the owner had been notified and still the ox was not kept under control; in that case, if it kills someone, the ox shall be stoned and the owner also shall be killed. 30 But the dead man’s relatives may accept a fine instead, if they wish. The judges will determine the amount.[m]
31 “The same law holds if the ox gores a boy or a girl. 32 But if the ox gores a slave, whether male or female, the slave’s master shall be given thirty pieces of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 “If a man digs a well and doesn’t cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the well shall pay full damages to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall belong to him.
35 “If a man’s ox injures another, and it dies, then the two owners shall sell the live ox and divide the price between them—and each shall also own half of the dead ox. 36 But if the ox was known from past experience to gore, and its owner has not kept it under control, then there will not be a division of the income; but the owner of the living ox shall pay in full for the dead ox, and the dead one shall be his.
22 “If a man steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it, he shall pay a fine of five to one—five oxen shall be returned for each stolen ox. For sheep, the fine shall be four to one—four sheep returned for each sheep stolen.
2 “If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty. 3 But if it happens in the daylight, it must be presumed to be murder and the man who kills him is guilty.
“If a thief is captured, he must make full restitution; if he can’t, then he must be sold as a slave for his debt.
4 “If he is caught in the act of stealing a live ox or donkey or sheep or whatever it is, he shall pay double value as his fine.
5 “If someone deliberately lets his animal loose and it gets into another man’s vineyard; or if he turns it into another man’s field to graze, he must pay for all damages by giving the owner of the field or vineyard an equal amount of the best of his own crop.
6 “If the field is being burned off and the fire gets out of control and goes into another field so that the shocks of grain, or the standing grain, are destroyed, the one who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 “If someone gives money or goods to anyone to keep for him, and it is stolen, the thief shall pay double if he is found. 8 But if no thief is found, then the man to whom the valuables were entrusted shall be brought before God to determine whether or not he himself has stolen his neighbor’s property.
9 “In every case in which an ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or anything else is lost, and the owner believes he has found it in the possession of someone else who denies it, both parties to the dispute shall come before God for a decision, and the one whom God declares guilty shall pay double to the other.
10 “If a man asks his neighbor to keep a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal for him, and it dies, or is hurt, or gets away, and there is no eyewitness to report just what happened to it, 11 then the neighbor must take an oath that he has not stolen it, and the owner must accept his word, and no restitution shall be made for it. 12 But if the animal or property has been stolen, the neighbor caring for it must repay the owner. 13 If it was attacked by some wild animal, he shall bring the torn carcass to confirm the fact, and shall not be required to make restitution.
14 “If a man borrows an animal (or anything else) from a neighbor, and it is injured or killed, and the owner is not there at the time, then the man who borrowed it must pay for it. 15 But if the owner is there, he need not pay; and if it was rented, then he need not pay, because this possibility was included in the original rental fee.
16 “If a man seduces a girl who is not engaged to anyone[n] and sleeps with her, he must pay the usual dowry and accept her as his wife. 17 But if her father utterly refuses to let her marry him, then he shall pay the money anyway.
18 “A sorceress shall be put to death.
19 “Anyone having sexual relations with an animal shall certainly be executed.
20 “Anyone sacrificing to any other god than Jehovah shall be executed.[o]
21 “You must not oppress a stranger in any way; remember, you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22 “You must not exploit widows or orphans; 23 if you do so in any way, and they cry to me for my help, I will surely give it. 24 And my anger shall flame out against you, and I will kill you with enemy armies, so that your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
25 “If you lend money to a needy fellow Hebrew, you are not to handle the transaction in an ordinary way, with interest. 26 If you take his clothing as a pledge of his repayment, you must let him have it back at night. 27 For it is probably his only warmth; how can he sleep without it? If you don’t return it, and he cries to me for help, I will hear and be very gracious to him at your expense,[p] for I am very compassionate.
28 “You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse government officials—your judges and your rulers.
29 “You must be prompt in giving me the tithe of your crops and your wine, and the redemption payment for your oldest son.
30 “As to the firstborn of the oxen and the sheep, give it to me on the eighth day, after leaving it with its mother for seven days.
31 “And since you yourselves are holy—my special people—do not eat any animal that has been attacked and killed by a wild animal. Leave its carcass for the dogs to eat.
23 “Do not pass along untrue reports. Do not cooperate with an evil man by affirming on the witness stand something you know is false.
2-3 “Don’t join mobs intent on evil. When on the witness stand, don’t be swayed in your testimony by the mood of the majority present, and do not slant your testimony in favor of a man just because he is poor.
4 “If you come upon an enemy’s ox or donkey that has strayed away, you must take it back to its owner. 5 If you see your enemy trying to get his donkey onto its feet beneath a heavy load, you must not go on by but must help him.
6 “A man’s poverty is no excuse for twisting justice against him.
7 “Keep far away from falsely charging anyone with evil; never let an innocent person be put to death. I will not stand for this.[q]
8 “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you unaware of what you clearly see! A bribe hurts the cause of the person who is right.
9 “Do not oppress foreigners; you know what it’s like to be a foreigner; remember your own experience in the land of Egypt.
10 “Sow and reap your crops for six years, 11 but let the land rest and lie fallow during the seventh year, and let the poor among the people harvest any volunteer crop that may come up; leave the rest for the animals to enjoy. The same rule applies to your vineyards and your olive groves.
12 “Work six days only, and rest the seventh; this is to give your oxen and donkeys a rest, as well as the people of your household—your slaves and visitors.
13 “Be sure to obey all of these instructions; and remember—never mention the name of any other god.[r]
14 “There are three annual religious pilgrimages you must make.[s]
15 “The first is the Pilgrimage of Unleavened Bread, when for seven days you are not to eat bread with yeast, just as I commanded you before. This celebration is to be an annual event at the regular time in March, the month you left Egypt; everyone must bring me a sacrifice at that time. 16 Then there is the Harvest Pilgrimage, when you must bring to me the first of your crops. And, finally, the Pilgrimage of Ingathering at the end of the harvest season. 17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord God.
18 “No sacrificial blood shall be offered with leavened bread; no sacrificial fat shall be left unoffered until the next morning.
19 “As you reap each of your crops, bring me the choicest sample of the first day’s harvest; it shall be offered to the Lord your God.[t]
“Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
20 “See, I am sending an Angel before you to lead you safely to the land I have prepared for you. 21 Reverence him and obey all of his instructions; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; he is my representative—he bears my name.[u] 22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies. 23 For my Angel shall go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to live there. And I will destroy those people before you.
24 “You must not worship the gods of these other nations, nor sacrifice to them in any way, and you must not follow the evil example of these heathen people; you must utterly conquer them and break down their shameful idols.
25 “You shall serve the Lord your God only; then I will bless you with food and with water, and I will take away sickness from among you. 26 There will be no miscarriages nor barrenness throughout your land, and you will live out the full quota of the days of your life.
27 “The terror of the Lord shall fall upon all the people whose land you invade, and they will flee before you; 28 and I will send hornets to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from before you. 29 I will not do it all in one year, for the land would become a wilderness, and the wild animals would become too many to control. 30 But I will drive them out a little at a time, until your population has increased enough to fill the land. 31 And I will set your enlarged boundaries from the Red Sea to the Philistine coast, and from the southern deserts as far as the Euphrates River; and I will cause you to defeat the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
32 “You must make no covenant with them, nor have anything to do with their gods. 33 Don’t let them live among you! For I know that they will infect you with their sin of worshiping false gods, and that would be an utter disaster to you.”
24 The Lord now instructed Moses, “Come up here with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. All of you except Moses are to worship at a distance. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord; and remember, none of the ordinary people are permitted to come up into the mountain at all.”
3 Then Moses announced to the people all the laws and regulations God had given him; and the people answered in unison, “We will obey them all.”
4 Moses wrote down the laws; and early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars around the altar because there were twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent some of the young men to sacrifice the burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood of these animals and drew it off into basins. The other half he splashed against the altar.
7 And he read to the people the Book he had written—the Book of the Covenant—containing God’s directions and laws. And the people said again, “We solemnly promise to obey every one of these rules.”
8 Then Moses threw the blood from the basins toward the people and said, “This blood confirms and seals the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these laws.”
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up into the mountain. 10 And they saw the God of Israel; under his feet there seemed to be a pavement of brilliant sapphire stones, as clear as the heavens.
11 Yet, even though the elders saw God, he did not destroy them; and they had a meal together before the Lord.
12 And the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me into the mountain, and remain until I give you the laws and commandments I have written on tablets of stone, so that you can teach the people from them.” 13 So Moses and Joshua, his assistant, went up into the mountain of God.
14 He told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back; if there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur.”
15 Then Moses went up the mountain and disappeared into the cloud at the top. 16 And the glory of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; the seventh day he called to Moses from the cloud. 17 Those at the bottom of the mountain saw the awesome sight: the glory of the Lord on the mountaintop looked like a raging fire. 18 And Moses disappeared into the cloud-covered mountaintop, and was there for forty days and forty nights.
25 1-7 Jehovah said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel that everyone who wants to may bring me an offering from this list: gold, silver, bronze, blue cloth, purple cloth, scarlet cloth, fine-twined linen, goats’ hair, red-dyed rams’ skins, goatskins, acacia wood, olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones, stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
8 “For I want the people of Israel to make me a sacred Temple where I can live among them.
9 “This home of mine shall be a tent pavilion—a Tabernacle. I will give you a drawing of the construction plan and the details of each furnishing.
10 “Using acacia wood, make an Ark 3-3/4 feet long, 2-1/4 feet wide, and 2-1/4 feet high. 11 Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, with a molding of gold all around it. 12 Cast four rings of gold for it and attach them to the four lower corners, two rings on each side. 13-14 Make poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold, and fit the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. 15 These carrying poles shall never be taken from the rings, but are to be left there permanently. 16 When the Ark is finished, place inside it the tablets of stone I will give you, with the Ten Commandments engraved on them.[v]
17 “And make a lid of pure gold, 3-3/4 feet long and 2-1/4 feet wide. This is the place of mercy for your sins.[w] 18 Then make two statues of Guardian Angels[x] using beaten gold, and place them at the two ends of the lid of the Ark. 19 They shall be one piece with the mercy place, one at each end. 20 The Guardian Angels shall be facing each other, looking down upon the place of mercy, and shall have wings spread out above the gold lid. 21 Install the lid upon the Ark, and place within the Ark the tablets of stone I shall give you. 22 And I will meet with you there and talk with you from above the place of mercy between the Guardian Angels; and the Ark will contain the laws of my covenant. There I will tell you my commandments for the people of Israel.
23 “Then make a table of acacia wood 3 feet long, 1-1/2 feet wide, and 2-1/4 feet high. 24 Overlay it with pure gold, and run a rib of gold around it. 25 Put a molding four inches wide around the edge of the top, and a gold ridge along the molding, all around. 26-27 Make four gold rings and put the rings at the outside corner of the four legs, close to the top; these are rings for the poles that will be used to carry the table. 28 Make the poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold. 29 And make gold dishes, spoons, pitchers, and flagons; 30 and always keep the special Bread of the Presence on the table before me.
31 “Make a lampstand of pure, beaten gold. The entire lampstand and its decorations shall be one piece—the base, shaft, lamps, and blossoms. 32-33 It will have three branches going out from each side of the center shaft, each branch decorated with three almond flowers. 34-35 The central shaft itself will be decorated with four almond flowers—one placed between each set of branches; also, there will be one flower above the top set of branches and one below the bottom set. 36 These decorations and branches and the shaft are all to be one piece of pure, beaten gold. 37 Then make seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so that they reflect their light forward. 38 The snuffers and trays are to be made of pure gold. 39 You will need about 95 pounds[y] of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.
40 “Be sure that everything you make follows the pattern I am showing you here on the mountain.
26 1-2 “Make the tabernacle-tent from ten colored sheets of fine linen, 42 feet long and 6 feet wide, dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, with figures of Guardian Angels embroidered on them. 3 Join five sheets end to end for each side of the tent, forming two long pieces, one for each side. 4-5 Use loops at the edges to join these two long pieces together side by side. There are to be fifty loops on each side, opposite each other. 6 Then make fifty gold clasps to fasten the loops together, so that the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, becomes a single unit.
7-8 “The roof of the Tabernacle is made of goats’ hair tarpaulins. There are to be eleven of these tarpaulins, each 45 feet across and 6 feet wide. 9 Connect five of these tarpaulins into one wide section; and use the other six for another wide section. (The sixth tarpaulin will hang down to form a curtain across the front of the sacred tent.) 10-11 Use fifty loops along the edges of each of these two wide pieces, to join them together with fifty bronze clasps. Thus the two widths become one. 12 There will be a 1-1/2-foot length of this roof covering hanging down from the back of the tent, 13 and a 1-1/2-foot length at the front. 14 On top of these blankets is placed a layer of rams’ skins, dyed red, and over them a top layer of goatskins. This completes the roof covering.
15-16 “The framework of the sacred tent shall be made from acacia wood, each frame piece being 15 feet high and 2-1/4 feet wide, standing upright, 17 with grooves on each side to mortise into the next upright piece. 18-19 Twenty of these frames will form the south side of the sacred tent, with forty silver bases for the frames to fit into—two bases under each piece of the frame. 20 On the north side there will also be twenty of these frames, 21 with their forty silver bases, two bases for each frame, one under each edge. 22 On the west side there will be six frames, 23 and two frames at each corner. 24 These corner frames will be connected at the bottom and top with clasps. 25 So, in all, there will be eight frames on that end of the building with sixteen silver bases for the frames—two bases under each frame.
26-27 “Make bars of acacia wood to run across the frames, five bars on each side of the Tabernacle. Also five bars for the rear of the building, facing westward. 28 The middle bar, halfway up the frames, runs all the way from end to end of the Tabernacle. 29 Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to hold the bars; and also overlay the bars with gold. 30 Set up this Tabernacle-tent in the manner I showed you on the mountain.
31 “Inside the Tabernacle,[z] make a curtain from fine linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian Angels embroidered into the cloth. 32 Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into four pillars made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The pillars are to be set in silver bases. 33 Behind this curtain place the Ark containing the stone tablets engraved with God’s laws. The curtain will separate the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
34 “Now install the mercy place—the golden lid of the Ark—in the Most Holy Place. 35 Place the table and lampstand across the room from each other on the outer side of the veil, the lampstand on the south and the table on the north.
36 “As a screen for the door of the sacred tent, make another curtain from fine linen, skillfully embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet. 37 Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into posts made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The posts are to rest on bronze bases.
27 “Using acacia wood, make a square altar 7-1/2 feet wide, and 4-1/2 feet high. 2 Make horns for the four corners of the altar, attach them firmly, and overlay everything with bronze. 3 The ash buckets, shovels, basins, carcass hooks, and fire pans are all to be made of bronze. 4 Make a bronze grating, with a metal ring at each corner, 5 and fit the grating halfway down into the firebox, resting it upon the ledge built there. 6 For moving the altar, make poles from acacia wood overlaid with bronze. 7 To carry it, put the poles into the rings at each side of the altar. 8 The altar is to be hollow, made from planks, just as was shown you on the mountain.
9-10 “Then make a courtyard for the Tabernacle, enclosed with curtains made from fine-twined linen. On the south side the curtains will stretch for 150 feet, and be held up by twenty posts, fitting into twenty bronze post holders. The curtains will be held up with silver hooks attached to silver rods, attached to the posts. 11 It will be the same on the north side of the court—150 feet of curtains held up by twenty posts fitted into bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rods. 12 The west side of the court will be 75 feet wide, with ten posts and ten sockets. 13 The east side will also be 75 feet. 14-15 On each side of the entrance there will be 22-1/2 feet of curtain, held up by three posts imbedded in three sockets.
16 “The entrance to the court will be a 30-foot-wide curtain, made of beautifully embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen, and attached to four posts imbedded in their four sockets. 17 All the posts around the court are to be connected by silver rods, using silver hooks, the posts being imbedded in solid bronze bases. 18 So the entire court will be 150 feet long and 75 feet wide, with curtain walls 7-1/2 feet high, made from fine-twined linen.
19 “All utensils used in the work of the Tabernacle, including all the pins and pegs for hanging the utensils on the walls, will be made of bronze.
20 “Instruct the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil to use in the lamps of the Tabernacle, to burn there continually. 21 Aaron and his sons shall place this eternal flame in the outer holy room, tending it day and night before the Lord, so that it never goes out. This is a permanent rule for the people of Israel.
28 “Consecrate Aaron your brother, and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to be priests, to minister to me. 2 Make special clothes for Aaron, to indicate his separation to God—beautiful garments that will lend dignity to his work. 3 Instruct those to whom I have given special skill as tailors to make the garments that will set him apart from others, so that he may minister to me in the priest’s office. 4 This is the wardrobe they shall make: a chestpiece, an ephod,[aa] a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They shall also make special garments for Aaron’s sons.
5-6 “The ephod shall be made by the most skilled of the workmen, using gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine linen. 7 It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders. 8 And the sash shall be made of the same material—threads of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen. 9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel. 10 Six names shall be on each stone, so that all the tribes are named in the order of their births. 11 When engraving these names, use the same technique as in making a seal; and mount the stones in gold settings. 12 Fasten the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, as memorial stones for the people of Israel: Aaron will carry their names before the Lord as a constant reminder. 13-14 Two chains of pure, twisted gold shall be made and attached to gold clasps on the shoulder of the ephod.
15 “Then, using the most careful workmanship, make a chestpiece to be used as God’s oracle; use the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine-twined linen as you did in the ephod. 16 This chestpiece is to be of two folds of cloth, forming a pouch nine inches square. 17 Attach to it four rows of stones: A ruby, a topaz, and an emerald shall be in the first row. 18 The second row will be carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19 The third row will be an amber, an agate, and an amethyst. 20 The fourth row will be an onyx, a beryl, and a jasper—all set in gold settings. 21 Each stone will represent one of the tribes of Israel and the name of that tribe will be engraved upon it like a seal.
22-24 “Attach the top of the chestpiece to the ephod by means of two twisted cords of pure gold. One end of each cord is attached to gold rings placed at the outer top edge of the chestpiece. 25 The other ends of the two cords are attached to the front edges of the two settings of the onyx stones on the shoulder of the ephod. 26 Then make two more gold rings and place them on the two lower, inside edges of the chestpiece; 27 also make two other gold rings for the bottom front edge of the ephod at the sash. 28 Now attach the bottom of the chestpiece to the bottom rings of the ephod by means of blue ribbons; this will prevent the chestpiece from coming loose from the ephod. 29 In this way Aaron shall carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the chestpiece over his heart (it is God’s oracle) when he goes into the Holy Place; thus Jehovah will be reminded of them continually. 30-31 Insert into the pocket of the chestpiece the Urim and Thummim,[ab] to be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before Jehovah. Thus Aaron shall always be carrying the oracle over his heart when he goes in before the Lord.
“The ephod shall be made of blue cloth, 32 with an opening for Aaron’s head. It shall have a woven band around this opening, just as on the neck of a coat of mail, so that it will not fray. 33-34 The bottom edge of the ephod shall be embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates, alternated with gold bells. 35 Aaron shall wear the ephod whenever he goes in to minister to the Lord; the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the presence of the Lord in the Holy Place, so that he will not die.
36 “Next, make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, just as you would upon a seal, ‘Consecrated to Jehovah.’ 37-38 This plate is to be attached by means of a blue ribbon to the front of Aaron’s turban. In this way Aaron will be wearing it upon his forehead, and thus bear the guilt connected with any errors regarding the offerings of the people of Israel. It shall always be worn when he goes into the presence of the Lord, so that the people will be accepted and forgiven.
39 “Weave Aaron’s embroidered shirt from fine-twined linen, using a checkerboard pattern; make the turban, too, of this linen; and make him an embroidered sash.
40 “Then, for Aaron’s sons, make robes, sashes, and turbans to give them honor and respect. 41 Clothe Aaron and his sons with these garments, and then dedicate these men to their ministry by anointing their heads with olive oil, thus sanctifying them as the priests, my ministers. 42 Also make linen undershorts for them, to be worn beneath their robes next to their bodies, reaching from hips to knees. 43 These are to be worn whenever Aaron and his sons go into the Tabernacle or to the altar in the Holy Place, lest they be guilty and die. This is a permanent ordinance for Aaron and his sons.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.