Bible in 90 Days

¹⁹ When Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen entered the sea, the Lord made the waters of the sea flow back upon them, though the Israelites walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.^{(A) 20} Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, while all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing; ²¹ and she responded^[a] to them:

V. The Journey in the Wilderness to Sinai

At Marah and Elim. ^22 (C)Then Moses led Israel forward from the Red Sea,^[b] and they marched out to the wilderness of Shur. After traveling for three days through the wilderness without finding water, ²³ they arrived at Marah, where they could not drink its water, because it was too bitter. Hence this place was called Marah. ²⁴ As the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” ²⁵ he cried out to the Lord, who pointed out to him a piece of wood. When he threw it into the water, the water became fresh.^(D)

It was here that God, in making statutes and ordinances for them, put them to the test. ²⁶ He said: If you listen closely to the voice of the Lord, your God, and do what is right in his eyes: if you heed his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases with which I afflicted the Egyptians;^(E) for I, the Lord, am your healer.

²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.^(F)

Chapter 16

The Wilderness of Sin. ¹ Having set out from Elim, the whole Israelite community came into the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month^[c] after their departure from the land of Egypt. ² Here in the wilderness the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. ³ The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our kettles of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have led us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of famine!”

The Quail and the Manna. ⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses:^(G) I am going to rain down bread from heaven^[d] for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not. ⁵ On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in, let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days. ⁶ So Moses and Aaron told all the Israelites,^(H) “At evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt; ⁷ and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, when he hears your grumbling against him. But who are we that you should grumble against us?” ⁸ And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and in the morning your fill of bread, and hears the grumbling you utter against him, who then are we? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the Lord.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole Israelite community: Approach the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.” ¹⁰ But while Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they turned in the direction of the wilderness, and there the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud! ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses: ¹² I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them: In the evening twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread, and then you will know that I, the Lord, am your God.

¹³ In the evening, quail^(I) came up and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all about the camp, ¹⁴ and when the layer of dew evaporated, fine flakes were on the surface of the wilderness, fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground. ¹⁵ On seeing it, the Israelites asked one another, “What is this?”^[e] for they did not know what it was. But Moses told them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.^(J)

Regulations Regarding the Manna. ¹⁶ “Now, this is what the Lord has commanded. Gather as much of it as each needs to eat, an omer^[f] for each person for as many of you as there are, each of you providing for those in your own tent.” ¹⁷ The Israelites did so. Some gathered a large and some a small amount. ^18 [g]But when they measured it out by the omer, the one who had gathered a large amount did not have too much, and the one who had gathered a small amount did not have too little. They gathered as much as each needed to eat. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses, and some kept a part of it over until morning, and it became wormy and stank. Therefore Moses was angry with them.

²¹ Morning after morning they gathered it, as much as each needed to eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted away. ²² On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers for each person. When all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses, ²³ he told them, “That is what the Lord has prescribed. Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy sabbath of the Lord. Whatever you want to bake, bake; whatever you want to boil, boil; but whatever is left put away and keep until the morning.” ²⁴ When they put it away until the morning, as Moses commanded, it did not stink nor were there worms in it. ²⁵ Moses then said, “Eat it today, for today is the sabbath of the Lord. Today you will not find any in the field. ²⁶ Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, it will not be there.” ²⁷ Still, on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they did not find any. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses: How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? ²⁹ Take note! The Lord has given you the sabbath. That is why on the sixth day he gives you food for two days. Each of you stay where you are and let no one go out on the seventh day. ³⁰ After that the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ The house of Israel named this food manna.^(K) It was like coriander seed,^[h] white, and it tasted like wafers made with honey.

³² Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded. Keep a full omer of it for your future generations, so that they may see the food I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.” ³³ Moses then told Aaron, “Take a jar^[i] and put a full omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to keep it for your future generations.” ³⁴ As the Lord had commanded Moses, Aaron placed it in front of the covenant^[j] to keep it.

³⁵ The Israelites ate the manna for forty years, until they came to settled land;^(L) they ate the manna until they came to the borders of Canaan. ³⁶ (An omer is one tenth of an ephah.)^[k]

Chapter 17

Water from the Rock. ¹ From the wilderness of Sin the whole Israelite community journeyed by stages, as the Lord directed, and encamped at Rephidim.^(M)

But there was no water for the people to drink, ^2 (N)and so they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to a test?” ³ Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why then did you bring us up out of Egypt? To have us die of thirst with our children and our livestock?” ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” ⁵ The Lord answered Moses: Go on ahead of the people, and take along with you some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the Nile. ⁶ I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.^(O) Moses did this, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ The place was named Massah and Meribah,^[l] because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”^(P)

Battle with Amalek. ⁸ Then Amalek^[m] came and waged war against Israel in Rephidim.^{(Q) 9} So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men for us, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle while Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. ¹² Moses’ hands, however, grew tired; so they took a rock and put it under him and he sat on it. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset. ¹³ And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses: Write this down in a book as something to be remembered, and recite it to Joshua:^(R) I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. ¹⁵ Moses built an altar there, which he named Yahweh-nissi;^{[n] 16} for he said, “Take up the banner of the Lord!^[o] The Lord has a war against Amalek through the ages.”

Chapter 18

Meeting with Jethro. ¹ Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel: how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² So his father-in-law Jethro took along Zipporah, Moses’ wife—now this was after Moses had sent her back—^{[p] 3} and her two sons. One of these was named Gershom;^(S) for he said, “I am a resident alien in a foreign land.” ⁴ The other was named Eliezer; for he said, “The God of my father is my help; he has rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.” ⁵ Together with Moses’ wife and sons, then, his father-in-law Jethro came to him in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God,^{[q] 6} and he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons.”

⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and then kissed him. Having greeted each other, they went into the tent. ⁸ Moses then told his father-in-law of all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for the sake of Israel, and of all the hardships that had beset them on their journey, and how the Lord had rescued them. ⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness that the Lord had shown Israel in rescuing them from the power of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ “Blessed be the Lord,” he said, “who has rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for he rescued the people from the power of the Egyptians when they treated them arrogantly.” ¹² Then Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, brought a burnt offering^[r] and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to share with Moses’ father-in-law in the meal before God.

Appointment of Minor Judges. ¹³ The next day Moses sat in judgment for the people, while they stood around him from morning until evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he asked, “What is this business that you are conducting for the people? Why do you sit alone while all the people have to stand about you from morning till evening?” ¹⁵ Moses answered his father-in-law, “The people come to me to consult God. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a disagreement, they come to me to have me settle the matter between them and make known to them God’s statutes and instructions.”

¹⁷ “What you are doing is not wise,” Moses’ father-in-law replied. ¹⁸ “You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. The task is too heavy for you;^(T) you cannot do it alone. ^19 [s]Now, listen to me, and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. Act as the people’s representative before God, and bring their disputes to God. ²⁰ Enlighten them in regard to the statutes and instructions, showing them how they are to conduct themselves and what they are to do. ²¹ But you should also look among all the people for able and God-fearing men, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain, and set them over the people as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.^{(U) 22} Let these render decisions for the people in all routine cases. Every important case they should refer to you, but every lesser case they can settle themselves. Lighten your burden by letting them bear it with you! ²³ If you do this, and God so commands you,^[t] you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people, too, will go home content.”

²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said. ²⁵ He picked out able men from all Israel and put them in charge of the people as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²⁶ They rendered decisions for the people in all routine cases. The more difficult cases they referred to Moses, but all the lesser cases they settled themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses said farewell to his father-in-law, who went off to his own country.

VI. Covenant and Legislation at Mount Sinai

Chapter 19

Arrival at Sinai. ^1 (V)In the third month after the Israelites’ departure from the land of Egypt, on the first day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai. ² After they made the journey from Rephidim and entered the wilderness of Sinai, they then pitched camp in the wilderness.^[u]

While Israel was encamped there in front of the mountain, ³ Moses went up to the mountain of God. Then the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying: This is what you will say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: ⁴ You have seen how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.^{(W) 5} Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant,^[v] you will be my treasured possession among all peoples,^(X) though all the earth is mine. ⁶ You will be to me a kingdom of priests,^[w] a holy nation.^(Y) That is what you must tell the Israelites. ⁷ So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people. When he set before them all that the Lord had ordered him to tell them, ⁸ all the people answered together, “Everything the Lord has said, we will do.” Then Moses brought back to the Lord the response of the people.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses: I am coming to you now in a dense cloud,^(Z) so that when the people hear me speaking with you, they will also remain faithful to you.

When Moses, then, had reported the response of the people to the Lord, ¹⁰ the Lord said to Moses: Go to the people and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow. Have them wash their garments ¹¹ and be ready for the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² Set limits for the people all around,^(AA) saying: Take care not to go up the mountain, or even to touch its edge. All who touch the mountain must be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch them, but they must be stoned to death or killed with arrows. Whether human being or beast, they must not be allowed to live. Only when the ram’s horn sounds may they go up on the mountain.^{[x] 14} Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and had them sanctify themselves, and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not approach a woman.”

The Great Theophany. ^16 (AB)On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud blast of the shofar,^[y] so that all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the Lord had come down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as though from a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently. ¹⁹ The blast of the shofar grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God was answering him with thunder.

^20 [z]When the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then the Lord told Moses: Go down and warn the people not to break through to the Lord in order to see him; otherwise many of them will be struck down. ²² For their part, the priests, who approach the Lord must sanctify themselves; else the Lord will break out in anger against them. ²³ But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot go up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying: Set limits around the mountain to make it sacred.” ²⁴ So the Lord said to him: Go down and come up along with Aaron. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord; else he will break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Chapter 20

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

^2 (AC)I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,^(AD) out of the house of slavery. ³ You shall not have other gods beside me.^{[ab] 4} You shall not make for yourself an idol^(AE) or a likeness of anything^[ac] in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down before them or serve them.^(AF) For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation^[ad]; ⁶ but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ You shall not invoke the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.^[ae](AG) For the Lord will not leave unpunished anyone who invokes his name in vain.

⁸ Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy.^{[af] 9} Six days you may labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God.^(AH) You shall not do any work, either you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your work animal, or the resident alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested.^(AI) That is why the Lord has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.^[ag]

^12 [ah](AJ)Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.^(AK)

¹³ You shall not kill.^[ai](AL)

¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery.^(AM)

¹⁵ You shall not steal.^(AN)

¹⁶ You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.^(AO)

¹⁷ You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.^(AP)

Moses Accepted as Mediator. ¹⁸ Now as all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blast of the shofar and the mountain smoking, they became afraid and trembled.^(AQ) So they took up a position farther away ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we shall die.” ²⁰ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid, for God has come only to test you and put the fear of him upon you so you do not sin.” ²¹ So the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.

The Covenant Code. ^22 [aj]The Lord said to Moses: This is what you will say to the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. ²³ You shall not make alongside of me gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.^{(AR) 24} An altar of earth make for me, and sacrifice upon it your burnt offerings and communion sacrifices, your sheep and your oxen.^(AS) In every place where I cause my name to be invoked^[ak] I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ But if you make an altar of stone for me,^(AT) do not build it of cut stone, for by putting a chisel to it you profane it. ²⁶ You shall not ascend to my altar by steps, lest your nakedness be exposed.

Chapter 21

Laws Regarding Slaves. ¹ These are the ordinances^[al] you shall lay before them. ^2 (AU)When you purchase a Hebrew slave,^[am] he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he shall leave as a free person without any payment. ³ If he comes into service alone, he shall leave alone; if he comes with a wife, his wife shall leave with him. ⁴ But if his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children belong to her master and the man shall leave alone. ⁵ If, however, the slave declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I will not leave as a free person,’ ⁶ his master shall bring him to God^[an] and there, at the door or doorpost, he shall pierce his ear with an awl, thus keeping him as his slave forever.

⁷ When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go free as male slaves do. ⁸ But if she displeases her master, who had designated her^[ao] for himself, he shall let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. ⁹ If he designates her for his son, he shall treat her according to the ordinance for daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes another wife, he shall not withhold her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights. ¹¹ If he does not do these three things for her, she may leave without cost, without any payment.

Personal Injury. ^12 [ap]Whoever strikes someone a mortal blow must be put to death.^{(AV) 13} However, regarding the one who did not hunt another down, but God caused death to happen by his hand, I will set apart for you a place to which that one may flee. ¹⁴ But when someone kills a neighbor after maliciously scheming to do so, you must take him even from my altar and put him to death. ¹⁵ Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death.^[aq]

¹⁶ A kidnapper, whether he sells the person or the person is found in his possession, shall be put to death.^(AW)

¹⁷ Whoever curses^[ar] father or mother shall be put to death.^(AX)

¹⁸ When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, not mortally, but enough to put him in bed, ¹⁹ the one who struck the blow shall be acquitted, provided the other can get up and walk around with the help of his staff. Still, he must compensate him for his recovery time and make provision for his complete healing.

²⁰ When someone strikes his male or female slave with a rod so that the slave dies under his hand, the act shall certainly be avenged. ²¹ If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property.

^22 [as]When men have a fight and hurt a pregnant woman, so that she suffers a miscarriage, but no further injury, the guilty one shall be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands of him, and he shall pay in the presence of the judges. ^23 (AY)But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

²⁶ When someone strikes his male or female slave in the eye and destroys the use of the eye, he shall let the slave go free in compensation for the eye. ²⁷ If he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let the slave go free in compensation for the tooth.

²⁸ When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned; its meat may not be eaten. The owner of the ox, however, shall be free of blame. ²⁹ But if an ox was previously in the habit of goring people and its owner, though warned, would not watch it; should it then kill a man or a woman, not only must the ox be stoned, but its owner also must be put to death. ³⁰ If, however, a fine is imposed on him, he must pay in ransom^[at] for his life whatever amount is imposed on him. ³¹ This ordinance applies if it is a boy or a girl that the ox gores. ³² But if it is a male or a female slave that it gores, he must pay the owner of the slave thirty shekels of silver, and the ox must be stoned.

Property Damage. ³³ When someone uncovers or digs a cistern and does not cover it over again, should an ox or a donkey fall into it, ³⁴ the owner of the cistern must make good by restoring the value of the animal to its owner, but the dead animal he may keep.

³⁵ When one man’s ox hurts another’s ox and it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide this money as well as the dead animal equally between them. ³⁶ But if it was known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner would not watch it, he must make full restitution, an ox for an ox; but the dead animal he may keep.

³⁷ When someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for the one ox, and four sheep for the one sheep.^(AZ)

Chapter 22

¹ [If a thief is caught^[au] in the act of housebreaking and beaten to death, there is no bloodguilt involved. ² But if after sunrise he is thus beaten, there is bloodguilt.] He must make full restitution. If he has nothing, he shall be sold to pay for his theft. ³ If what he stole is found alive in his possession, be it an ox, a donkey or a sheep, he shall make twofold restitution.

⁴ When someone causes a field or a vineyard to be grazed over, by sending his cattle to graze in another’s field, he must make restitution with the best produce of his own field or vineyard. ⁵ If a fire breaks out, catches on to thorn bushes, and consumes shocked grain, standing grain, or the field itself, the one who started the fire must make full restitution.

Trusts and Loans. ⁶ When someone gives money or articles to another for safekeeping and they are stolen from the latter’s house, the thief, if caught, must make twofold restitution. ⁷ If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall be brought to God,^[av] to swear that he himself did not lay hands on his neighbor’s property. ⁸ In every case of dishonest appropriation, whether it be about an ox, or a donkey, or a sheep, or a garment, or anything else that has disappeared, where another claims that the thing is his, the claim of both parties shall be brought before God; the one whom God convicts must make twofold restitution to the other.

⁹ When someone gives an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any other animal to another for safekeeping, if it dies, or is maimed or snatched away, without anyone witnessing the fact, ¹⁰ there shall be an oath before the Lord between the two of them that the guardian did not lay hands on his neighbor’s property; the owner must accept the oath, and no restitution is to be made. ¹¹ But if the guardian has actually stolen from it, then he must make restitution to the owner. ¹² If it has been killed by a wild beast, let him bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the mangled animal.^(BA)

¹³ When someone borrows an animal from a neighbor, if it is maimed or dies while the owner is not present, that one must make restitution. ¹⁴ But if the owner is present, that one need not make restitution. If it was hired, this was covered by the price of its hire.

Social Laws. ^15 (BB)When a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall make her his wife by paying the bride price. ¹⁶ If her father refuses to give her to him, he must still pay him the bride price for virgins.^[aw]

¹⁷ You shall not let a woman who practices sorcery live.^(BC)

¹⁸ Anyone who lies with an animal shall be put to death.^(BD)

¹⁹ Whoever sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord alone, shall be put under the ban.^(BE)

²⁰ You shall not oppress or afflict a resident alien, for you were once aliens residing in the land of Egypt.^{(BF) 21} You shall not wrong any widow or orphan. ²² If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me, I will surely listen to their cry. ²³ My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword; then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

^24 (BG)If you lend money to my people, the poor among you, you must not be like a money lender; you must not demand interest from them. ²⁵ If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you shall return it to him before sunset; ²⁶ for this is his only covering; it is the cloak for his body. What will he sleep in? If he cries out to me, I will listen; for I am compassionate.^(BH)

²⁷ You shall not despise God,^[ax] nor curse a leader of your people.^(BI)

²⁸ You shall not delay the offering of your harvest and your press. You shall give me the firstborn of your sons. ²⁹ You must do the same with your oxen and your sheep; for seven days the firstling may stay with its mother, but on the eighth day you must give it to me.^(BJ)

³⁰ You shall be a people sacred to me. Flesh torn to pieces in the field you shall not eat; you must throw it to the dogs.^(BK)

Chapter 23

¹ You shall not repeat a false report. Do not join your hand with the wicked to be a witness supporting violence.^{(BL) 2} You shall not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When testifying in a lawsuit, you shall not follow the crowd in perverting justice. ³ You shall not favor the poor in a lawsuit.^(BM)

⁴ When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you must see to it that it is returned.^{(BN) 5} When you notice the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you should not desert him; you must help him with it.

⁶ You shall not pervert justice for the needy among you in a lawsuit. ⁷ You shall keep away from anything dishonest. The innocent and the just you shall not put to death, for I will not acquit the guilty. ⁸ Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and distorts the words of the just.^{(BO) 9} You shall not oppress a resident alien; you well know how it feels to be an alien, since you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.^(BP)

Religious Laws. ^10 (BQ)For six years you may sow your land and gather in its produce. ¹¹ But the seventh year you shall let the land lie untilled and fallow, that the poor of your people may eat of it and their leftovers the wild animals may eat. So also shall you do in regard to your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² For six days you may do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest,^(BR) that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and that the son of your maidservant and the resident alien may be refreshed. ¹³ Give heed to all that I have told you.

You shall not mention the name of any other god; it shall not be heard from your lips.

^14 (BS)Three times a year you shall celebrate a pilgrim feast to me.^{[ay] 15} You shall keep the feast of Unleavened Bread. As I have commanded you, you must eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for it was then that you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before me^[az] empty-handed. ¹⁶ You shall also keep the feast of the grain harvest with the first fruits of the crop that you sow in the field; and finally, the feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you collect your produce from the fields. ¹⁷ Three times a year shall all your men appear before the Lord God.

¹⁸ You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened;^(BT) nor shall the fat of my feast be kept overnight till the next day. ¹⁹ The choicest first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the Lord, your God.

You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.^[ba]

Reward of Fidelity. ²⁰ See, I am sending an angel^(BU) before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority is within him.^{[bb] 22} If you obey him and carry out all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

²³ My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out. ²⁴ Therefore, you shall not bow down to their gods and serve them, nor shall you act as they do; rather, you must demolish them and smash their sacred stones.^{[bc](BV) 25} You shall serve the Lord, your God; then he will bless your food and drink, and I will remove sickness from your midst; ²⁶ no woman in your land will be barren or miscarry; and I will give you a full span of life.

²⁷ I will have the terror of me precede you, so that I will throw into panic every nation you reach.^(BW) I will make all your enemies turn from you in flight, ²⁸ and ahead of you I will send hornets^[bd] to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ But I will not drive them all out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have grown numerous enough to take possession of the land. ^31 (BX)I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines,^[be] and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; all who dwell in this land I will hand over to you and you shall drive them out before you. ³² You shall not make a covenant with them or their gods. ³³ They must not live in your land. For if you serve their gods, this will become a snare to you.^(BY)

Chapter 24

Ratification of the Covenant. ¹ Moses himself was told: Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, with Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You shall bow down at a distance. ² Moses alone is to come close to the Lord; the others shall not come close, and the people shall not come up with them.

³ When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the Lord, they all answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has told us.”^{(BZ) 4} Moses then wrote down all the words of the Lord and, rising early in the morning, he built at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve sacred stones^[bf] for the twelve tribes of Israel. ^5 (CA)Then, having sent young men of the Israelites to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice young bulls as communion offerings to the Lord, ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. ⁷ Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the Lord has said, we will hear and do.” ⁸ Then he took the blood and splashed it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

⁹ Moses then went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and they beheld the God of Israel. Under his feet there appeared to be sapphire tilework, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet he did not lay a hand on these chosen Israelites. They saw God,^[bg] and they ate and drank.

Moses on the Mountain. ¹² The Lord said to Moses: Come up to me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the stone tablets^(CB) on which I have written the commandments intended for their instruction. ¹³ So Moses set out with Joshua, his assistant, and went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴ He told the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. Anyone with a complaint should approach them.” ¹⁵ Moses went up the mountain. Then the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶ The glory of the Lord settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.^{(CC) 17} To the Israelites the glory of the Lord was seen as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.^{(CD) 18} But Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up on the mountain. He was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.^(CE)

Chapter 25

Collection of Materials. ¹ The Lord spoke to Moses:^{(CF) 2} Speak to the Israelites: Let them receive contributions for me. From each you shall receive the contribution that their hearts prompt them to give me. ³ These are the contributions you shall accept from them: gold, silver, and bronze;^{(CG) 4} violet, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ⁵ rams’ skins dyed red, and tahash^[bh] skins; acacia wood; ⁶ oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷ onyx stones and other gems for mounting on the ephod and the breastpiece. ⁸ They are to make a sanctuary for me, that I may dwell in their midst.^{(CH) 9} According to all that I show you regarding the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of its furnishings, so you are to make it.^(CI)

Plan of the Ark. ¹⁰ You shall make an ark of acacia wood,^(CJ) two and a half cubits^[bi] long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. ¹¹ Plate it inside and outside with pure gold, and put a molding of gold around the top of it. ¹² Cast four gold rings and put them on the four supports of the ark, two rings on one side and two on the opposite side. ¹³ Then make poles of acacia wood and plate them with gold. ¹⁴ These poles you are to put through the rings on the sides of the ark, for carrying it; ¹⁵ they must remain in the rings of the ark and never be withdrawn. ¹⁶ In the ark you are to put the covenant which I will give you.

¹⁷ You shall then make a cover^[bj] of pure gold, two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide. ¹⁸ Make two cherubim^[bk] of beaten gold for the two ends of the cover; ¹⁹ make one cherub at one end, and the other at the other end, of one piece with the cover, at each end. ²⁰ The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, sheltering the cover with them; they shall face each other, with their faces looking toward the cover. ²¹ This cover you shall then place on top of the ark. In the ark itself you are to put the covenant which I will give you. ²² There I will meet you and there, from above the cover, between the two cherubim on the ark of the covenant, I will tell you all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

The Table. ²³ You shall also make a table of acacia^(CK) wood, two cubits long, a cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high. ²⁴ Plate it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. ²⁵ Make a frame^[bl] for it, a handbreadth high, and make a molding of gold around the frame. ²⁶ You shall also make four rings of gold for it and fasten them at the four corners, one at each leg. ²⁷ The rings shall be alongside the frame as holders for the poles to carry the table. ²⁸ These poles for carrying the table you shall make of acacia wood and plate with gold. ²⁹ You shall make its plates^[bm] and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring libations; make them of pure gold. ³⁰ On the table you shall always keep showbread set before me.^(CL)

The Menorah. ³¹ You shall make a menorah^[bn] of pure beaten gold^(CM)—its shaft and branches—with its cups and knobs and petals springing directly from it. ³² Six branches are to extend from its sides, three branches on one side, and three on the other. ^33 [bo]On one branch there are to be three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, each with its knob and petals; on the opposite branch there are to be three cups, shaped like almond blossoms, each with its knob and petals; and so for the six branches that extend from the menorah. ³⁴ On the menorah there are to be four cups,^[bp] shaped like almond blossoms, with their knobs and petals. ³⁵ The six branches that go out from the menorah are to have a knob under each pair. ³⁶ Their knobs and branches shall so spring from it that the whole will form a single piece of pure beaten gold. ^37 [bq]You shall then make seven lamps^(CN) for it and so set up the lamps that they give their light on the space in front of the menorah. ³⁸ These, as well as the trimming shears and trays,^[br] must be of pure gold. ³⁹ Use a talent^[bs] of pure gold for the menorah and all these utensils. ⁴⁰ See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.^(CO)

Chapter 26

The Tent Cloth. ¹ The tabernacle itself you shall make out of ten sheets^[bt] woven of fine linen twined and of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, with cherubim embroidered on them.^{(CP) 2} The length of each shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width four cubits; all the sheets shall be of the same size. ³ Five of the sheets are to be joined one to another; and the same for the other five. ⁴ Make loops of violet yarn along the edge of the end sheet in one set, and the same along the edge of the end sheet in the other set. ⁵ Make fifty loops along the edge of the end sheet in the first set, and fifty loops along the edge of the corresponding sheet in the second set, and so placed that the loops are directly opposite each other. ⁶ Then make fifty clasps of gold and join the two sets of sheets, so that the tabernacle forms one whole.

⁷ Also make sheets woven of goat hair for a tent^[bu] over the tabernacle. Make eleven such sheets; ⁸ the length of each shall be thirty cubits, and the width four cubits: all eleven sheets shall be of the same size. ⁹ Join five of the sheets into one set, and the other six sheets into another set. Use the sixth sheet double at the front of the tent.^{[bv] 10} Make fifty loops along the edge of the end sheet in one set, and fifty loops along the edge of the end sheet in the second set. ¹¹ Also make fifty bronze clasps and put them into the loops, to join the tent into one whole. ¹² There will be an extra half sheet of tent covering, which shall be allowed to hang down over the rear of the tabernacle. ¹³ Likewise, the sheets of the tent will have an extra cubit’s length to be left hanging down on either side of the tabernacle to cover it. ¹⁴ Over the tent itself make a covering of rams’ skins dyed red, and above that, a covering of tahash skins.

The Framework. ^15 (CQ)You shall make frames for the tabernacle, acacia-wood uprights. ¹⁶ The length of each frame is to be ten cubits, and its width one and a half cubits. ¹⁷ Each frame shall have two arms^[bw] joined one to another; so you are to make all the frames of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ Make the frames of the tabernacle as follows: twenty frames on the south side, ¹⁹ with forty silver pedestals under the twenty frames, two pedestals under each frame for its two arms; ²⁰ twenty frames on the other side of the tabernacle, the north side, ²¹ with their forty silver pedestals, two pedestals under each frame. ²² At the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, six frames, ²³ and two frames for the corners of the tabernacle, at its rear. ²⁴ These two shall be double at the bottom, and likewise double at the top, to the first ring. That is how both corner frames are to be made. ²⁵ Thus, there shall be eight frames, with their sixteen silver pedestals, two pedestals under each frame. ²⁶ Also make bars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ five for those on the other side, and five for those at the rear, to the west. ²⁸ The center bar, at the middle of the frames, shall reach across from end to end. ²⁹ Plate the frames with gold, and make gold rings on them as holders for the bars, which are also to be plated with gold. ³⁰ You shall set up the tabernacle according to its plan, which you were shown on the mountain.

The Veils. ³¹ You shall make a veil woven of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn,^(CR) and of fine linen twined, with cherubim embroidered on it.^{(CS) 32} It is to be hung on four gold-plated columns of acacia wood, which shall have gold hooks^[bx] and shall rest on four silver pedestals. ³³ Hang the veil from clasps. The ark of the covenant you shall bring inside, behind this veil which divides the holy place from the holy of holies. ³⁴ Set the cover on the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies.

³⁵ Outside the veil you shall place the table and the menorah, the latter on the south side of the tabernacle, opposite the table, which is to be put on the north side. ³⁶ For the entrance of the tent make a variegated^[by] curtain of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and of fine linen twined. ³⁷ Make five columns of acacia wood for this curtain; plate them with gold, with their hooks of gold; and cast five bronze pedestals for them.

Chapter 27

The Altar for Burnt Offerings. ¹ You shall make an altar^(CT) of acacia wood, on a square, five cubits long and five cubits wide; it shall be three cubits high. ² At the four corners make horns^[bz] that are of one piece with the altar. You shall then plate it with bronze. ³ Make pots for removing the ashes, as well as shovels, basins, forks, and fire pans; all these utensils you shall make of bronze. ⁴ Make for it a grating,^[ca] a bronze network; make four bronze rings for it, one at each of its four corners. ⁵ Put it down around the altar, on the ground. This network is to be half as high as the altar. ⁶ You shall also make poles of acacia wood for the altar, and plate them with bronze. ⁷ These poles are to be put through the rings, so that they are on either side of the altar when it is carried. ⁸ Make the altar itself in the form of a hollow^[cb] box. Just as it was shown you on the mountain, so it is to be made.

Court of the Tabernacle. ^9 (CU)You shall also make a court for the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings, of fine linen twined, a hundred cubits long, ¹⁰ with twenty columns and twenty pedestals of bronze; the hooks and bands on the columns shall be of silver. ¹¹ On the north side there shall be similar hangings, a hundred cubits long, with twenty columns and twenty pedestals of bronze; the hooks and bands on the columns shall be of silver. ¹² On the west side, across the width of the court, there shall be hangings, fifty cubits long, with ten columns and ten pedestals. ¹³ The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ On one side there shall be hangings to the extent of fifteen cubits, with three columns and three pedestals; ¹⁵ on the other side there shall be hangings to the extent of fifteen cubits, with three columns and three pedestals.

¹⁶ At the gate of the court there shall be a variegated curtain, twenty cubits long, woven of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and of fine linen twined. It shall have four columns and four pedestals.

¹⁷ All the columns around the court shall have bands and hooks of silver, and pedestals of bronze. ¹⁸ The court is to be one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and five cubits high. Fine linen twined must be used, and the pedestals must be of bronze. ¹⁹ All the fittings of the tabernacle, whatever be their use, as well as all its tent pegs and all the tent pegs of the court, must be of bronze.

Oil for the Lamps. ²⁰ You shall command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of crushed olives, to be used for the light, so that you may keep lamps burning always.^{(CV) 21} From evening to morning Aaron and his sons shall maintain them before the Lord in the tent of meeting, outside the veil which hangs in front of the covenant. This shall be a perpetual statute for the Israelites throughout their generations.

Chapter 28

The Priestly Vestments. ^1 (CW)Have your brother Aaron, and with him his sons, brought to you, from among the Israelites, that they may be my priests: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. ² For the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron you shall have sacred vestments made. ³ Therefore, tell the various artisans whom I have endowed with skill^[cc] to make vestments for Aaron to consecrate him as my priest. ⁴ These are the vestments they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a brocade tunic, a turban, and a sash. In making these sacred vestments which your brother Aaron and his sons are to wear in serving as my priests, ⁵ they shall use gold, violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

The Ephod and Breastpiece. ⁶ The ephod^[cd] they shall make of gold thread and of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, embroidered on cloth of fine linen twined.^{(CX) 7} It shall have a pair of shoulder straps joined to its two upper ends. ⁸ The embroidered belt of the ephod shall extend out from it and, like it, be made of gold thread, of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn, and of fine linen twined.

⁹ Get two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ As a gem-cutter engraves a seal, so shall you have the two stones engraved with the names of the sons of Israel and then mounted in gold filigree work. ¹² Set these two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod as memorial stones of the sons of Israel. Thus Aaron shall bear their names on his shoulders as a reminder before the Lord. ¹³ Make filigree rosettes of gold,^{(CY) 14} as well as two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, and fasten the cordlike chains to the filigree rosettes.

^15 (CZ)The breastpiece^[ce] of decision you shall also have made, embroidered like the ephod with gold thread and violet, purple, and scarlet yarn on cloth of fine linen twined. ¹⁶ It is to be square when folded double, a span high and a span wide. ^17 [cf]On it you shall mount four rows of precious stones: in the first row, a carnelian, a topaz, and an emerald; ¹⁸ in the second row, a garnet, a sapphire, and a beryl; ¹⁹ in the third row, a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ in the fourth row, a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper. These stones are to be mounted in gold filigree work, ²¹ twelve of them to match the names of the sons of Israel, each stone engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

²² When the chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, have been made for the breastpiece, ²³ you shall then make two rings of gold for it and fasten them to the two upper ends of the breastpiece. ²⁴ The gold cords are then to be fastened to the two rings at the upper ends of the breastpiece, ²⁵ the other two ends of the cords being fastened in front to the two filigree rosettes which are attached to the shoulder straps of the ephod. ²⁶ Make two other rings of gold and put them on the two lower ends of the breastpiece, on its edge that faces the ephod. ²⁷ Then make two more rings of gold and fasten them to the bottom of the shoulder straps next to where they join the ephod in front, just above its embroidered belt. ²⁸ Violet ribbons shall bind the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod, so that the breastpiece will stay right above the embroidered belt of the ephod and not swing loose from it.

²⁹ Whenever Aaron enters the sanctuary, he will thus bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastpiece of decision over his heart as a constant reminder before the Lord. ³⁰ In this breastpiece of decision^(DA) you shall put the Urim and Thummim,^[cg] that they may be over Aaron’s heart whenever he enters the presence of the Lord. Thus he shall always bear the decisions for the Israelites over his heart in the presence of the Lord.

Other Vestments. ³¹ The robe of the ephod^(DB) you shall make entirely of violet material. ³² It shall have an opening for the head in the center, and around this opening there shall be a selvage, woven as at the opening of a shirt, to keep it from being torn. ³³ At the hem at the bottom you shall make pomegranates, woven of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen twined, with gold bells between them; ³⁴ a gold bell, a pomegranate, a gold bell, a pomegranate, all around the hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron shall wear it when ministering, that its sound may be heard as he enters and leaves the Lord’s presence in the sanctuary; else he will die.

³⁶ You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, as on a seal engraving, “Sacred to the Lord.” ³⁷ This plate is to be tied over the turban with a violet ribbon in such a way that it rests on the front of the turban,^{(DC) 38} over Aaron’s forehead. Since Aaron bears whatever guilt the Israelites may incur in consecrating any of their sacred gifts, this plate must always be over his forehead, so that they may find favor with the Lord.

^39 (DD)The tunic of fine linen shall be brocaded. The turban shall be made of fine linen. The sash shall be of variegated work.

⁴⁰ Likewise, for the glorious adornment of Aaron’s sons you shall have tunics and sashes and skullcaps made, for glorious splendor. ⁴¹ With these you shall clothe your brother Aaron and his sons. Anoint and install them,^[ch] consecrating them as my priests. ⁴² You must also make linen pants for them, to cover their naked flesh from their loins to their thighs.^{(DE) 43} Aaron and his sons shall wear them whenever they go into the tent of meeting or approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary, lest they incur guilt and die. This shall be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants.