The Red Sea Crossing

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, (A)that they turn and camp before (B)Pi Hahiroth, between (C)Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, (D)‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ Then (E)I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I (F)will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, (G)that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and (H)the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” So he [a]made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also, he took (I)six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them. And the Lord (J)hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and (K)the children of Israel went out with boldness. So the (L)Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.

10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel (M)cried out to the Lord. 11 (N)Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? 12 (O)Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”

13 And Moses said to the people, (P)“Do not be afraid. (Q)Stand still, and see the (R)salvation[b] of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall (S)see again no more forever. 14 (T)The Lord will fight for you, and you shall (U)hold[c] your peace.”

15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But (V)lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will (W)harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will (X)gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 And the Angel of God, (Y)who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and (Z)made the sea into dry land, and the waters were (AA)divided. 22 So (AB)the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were (AC)a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24 Now it came to pass, in the morning (AD)watch, that (AE)the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He [d]troubled the army of the Egyptians. 25 And He [e]took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord (AF)fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” 27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea (AG)returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord (AH)overthrew[f] the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 Then (AI)the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. 29 But (AJ)the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 So the Lord (AK)saved[g] Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel (AL)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Thus Israel saw the great [h]work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and (AM)believed the Lord and His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses(AN)

15 Then (AO)Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying:

“I will (AP)sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!
The Lord is my strength and (AQ)song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and (AR)I will praise Him;
My (AS)father’s God, and I (AT)will exalt Him.
The Lord is a man of (AU)war;
The Lord is His (AV)name.
(AW)Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
(AX)His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.
The depths have covered them;
(AY)They sank to the bottom like a stone.

“Your (AZ)right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power;
Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces.
And in the greatness of Your (BA)excellence
You have overthrown those who rose against You;
You sent forth (BB)Your wrath;
It (BC)consumed them (BD)like stubble.
And (BE)with the blast of Your nostrils
The waters were gathered together;
(BF)The floods stood upright like a heap;
The depths [i]congealed in the heart of the sea.
(BG)The enemy said, ‘I will pursue,
I will overtake,
I will (BH)divide the spoil;
My desire shall be satisfied on them.
I will draw my sword,
My hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with Your wind,
The sea covered them;
They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who(BI) is like You, O Lord, among the [j]gods?
Who is like You, (BJ)glorious in holiness,
Fearful in (BK)praises, (BL)doing wonders?
12 You stretched out Your right hand;
The earth swallowed them.
13 You in Your mercy have (BM)led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To (BN)Your holy habitation.

14 “The (BO)people will hear and be afraid;
(BP)Sorrow[k] will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 (BQ)Then (BR)the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed;
(BS)The mighty men of Moab,
Trembling will take hold of them;
(BT)All the inhabitants of Canaan will (BU)melt away.
16 (BV)Fear and dread will fall on them;
By the greatness of Your arm
They will be (BW)as still as a stone,
Till Your people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over
(BX)Whom You have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and (BY)plant them
In the (BZ)mountain of Your inheritance,
In the place, O Lord, which You have made
For Your own dwelling,
The (CA)sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.

18 “The(CB) Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

19 For the (CC)horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and (CD)the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

The Song of Miriam(CE)

20 Then Miriam (CF)the prophetess, (CG)the sister of Aaron, (CH)took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her (CI)with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam (CJ)answered them:

(CK)“Sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”

Bitter Waters Made Sweet

22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of (CL)Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no (CM)water. 23 Now when they came to (CN)Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called [l]Marah. 24 And the people (CO)complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. (CP)When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He (CQ)made a statute and an [m]ordinance for them, and there (CR)He tested them, 26 and said, (CS)“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the (CT)diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord (CU)who heals you.”

27 (CV)Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.

Bread from Heaven

16 And they (CW)journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and (CX)Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel (CY)complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, (CZ)“Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, (DA)when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain (DB)bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather [n]a certain quota every day, that I may (DC)test them, whether they will (DD)walk in My law or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and (DE)it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, (DF)“At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. And in the morning you shall see (DG)the glory of the Lord; for He (DH)hears your complaints against the Lord. But (DI)what are we, that you complain against us?” Also Moses said, “This shall be seen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the Lord hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but (DJ)against the Lord.”

Then Moses spoke to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, (DK)‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’ ” 10 Now it came to pass, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord (DL)appeared in the cloud.

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 (DM)“I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, (DN)‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and (DO)in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”

13 So it was that (DP)quail came up at evening and covered the camp, and in the morning (DQ)the dew lay all around the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was (DR)a small round (DS)substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

And Moses said to them, (DT)“This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather it (DU)according to each one’s need, one (DV)omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.’ ”

17 Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. 18 So when they measured it by omers, (DW)he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one’s need. 19 And Moses said, “Let no one (DX)leave any of it till morning.” 20 Notwithstanding they did not [o]heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need. And when the sun became hot, it melted.

22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is (DY)a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” 24 So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not (DZ)stink, nor were there any worms in it. 25 Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 (EA)Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

27 Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long (EB)do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 And the house of Israel called its name [p]Manna. And (EC)it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

32 Then Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it, to be kept for your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, (ED)“Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up (EE)before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel (EF)ate manna (EG)forty years, (EH)until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is one-tenth of an ephah.

Water from the Rock(EI)

17 Then (EJ)all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of (EK)Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to (EL)drink. (EM)Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”

So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you (EN)tempt the Lord?”

And the people thirsted there for water, and the people (EO)complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our (EP)livestock with thirst?”

So Moses (EQ)cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to (ER)stone[q] me!”

And the Lord said to Moses, (ES)“Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which (ET)you struck the river, and go. (EU)Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he called the name of the place (EV)Massah[r] and [s]Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they [t]tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Victory over the Amalekites(EW)

(EX)Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with (EY)the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses (EZ)held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became [u]heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, (FA)“Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that (FB)I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, [v]The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because [w]the Lord has (FC)sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro’s Advice(FD)

18 And (FE)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that (FF)God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took (FG)Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, with her (FH)two sons, of whom the name of one was [x]Gershom (for he said, (FI)“I have been a [y]stranger in a foreign land”) and the name of the other was [z]Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my (FJ)help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”); and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at (FK)the mountain of God. Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”

So Moses (FL)went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and (FM)kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had (FN)delivered them. Then Jethro rejoiced for all the (FO)good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, (FP)“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is (FQ)greater than all the gods; (FR)for in the very thing in which they [aa]behaved (FS)proudly, He was above them.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, [ab]took a burnt (FT)offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel (FU)to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses (FV)sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone [ac]sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”

15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because (FW)the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have (FX)a [ad]difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; (FY)you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you [ae]counsel, and God will be with you: Stand (FZ)before God for the people, so that you may (GA)bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall (GB)teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and (GC)the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people (GD)able men, such as (GE)fear God, (GF)men of truth, (GG)hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. (GH)Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for (GI)they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their (GJ)place in peace.”

24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 And (GK)Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 So they judged the people at all times; the (GL)hard[af] cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and (GM)he went his way to his own land.

Israel at Mount Sinai

19 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, (GN)they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from (GO)Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before (GP)the mountain.

And (GQ)Moses went up to God, and the Lord (GR)called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: (GS)‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how (GT)I [ag]bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now (GU)therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and (GV)keep My covenant, then (GW)you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is (GX)Mine. And you shall be to Me a (GY)kingdom of priests and a (GZ)holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

So Moses came and called for the (HA)elders of the people, and [ah]laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then (HB)all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you (HC)in the thick cloud, (HD)that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”

So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and (HE)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. (HF)Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; (HG)do not come near your wives.”

16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were (HH)thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp (HI)trembled. 17 And (HJ)Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now (HK)Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon (HL)it in fire. (HM)Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and [ai]the (HN)whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, (HO)Moses spoke, and (HP)God answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through (HQ)to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the (HR)priests who come near the Lord (HS)consecrate themselves, lest the Lord (HT)break out against them.”

23 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, (HU)‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

24 Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

The Ten Commandments(HV)

20 And God spoke (HW)all these words, saying:

(HX)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, (HY)out of the house of [aj]bondage.

(HZ)“You shall have no other gods before Me.

(IA)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (IB)you shall not bow down to them nor [ak]serve them. (IC)For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (ID)visiting[al] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but (IE)showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

(IF)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord (IG)will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

(IH)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (II)Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the (IJ)seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, (IK)nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For (IL)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 (IM)“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be (IN)long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

13 (IO)“You shall not murder.

14 (IP)“You shall not commit (IQ)adultery.

15 (IR)“You shall not steal.

16 (IS)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 (IT)“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; (IU)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

18 Now (IV)all the people (IW)witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain (IX)smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, (IY)“You speak with us, and we will hear; but (IZ)let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

20 And Moses said to the people, (JA)“Do not fear; (JB)for God has come to test you, and (JC)that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near (JD)the thick darkness where God was.

The Law of the Altar

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you (JE)from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be (JF)with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of (JG)earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, (JH)your sheep and your oxen. In every (JI)place where I [am]record My name I will come to you, and I will (JJ)bless you. 25 And (JK)if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you (JL)use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your (JM)nakedness may not be exposed on it.’

The Law Concerning Servants(JN)

21 “Now these are the [an]judgments which you shall (JO)set before them: (JP)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. (JQ)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the (JR)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

“And if a man (JS)sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she [ao]does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, (JT)and her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

The Law Concerning Violence

12 (JU)“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, (JV)if he did not lie in wait, but God (JW)delivered him into his hand, then (JX)I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14 “But if a man acts with (JY)premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, (JZ)you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.

15 “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

16 (KA)“He who kidnaps a man and (KB)sells him, or if he is (KC)found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

17 “And (KD)he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, 19 if he rises again and walks about outside (KE)with his staff, then he who struck him shall be [ap]acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.

20 “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his (KF)property.

22 “If men [aq]fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that [ar]she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall (KG)pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 (KH)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.

Animal Control Laws

28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then (KI)the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be [as]acquitted. 29 But if the ox [at]tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay (KJ)to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. 31 Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. 32 If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master (KK)thirty shekels of silver, and the (KL)ox shall be stoned.

33 “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.

35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide. 36 Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.

Responsibility for Property

22 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall (KM)restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. If the thief is found (KN)breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be (KO)no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be (KP)sold[au] for his theft. If the theft is certainly (KQ)found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall (KR)restore double.

“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

“If a man (KS)delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, (KT)if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the (KU)judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.

“For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the (KV)cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10 If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11 then an (KW)oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. 12 But (KX)if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. 13 If it is (KY)torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.

14 “And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. 15 If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

16 (KZ)“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the (LA)bride-price of virgins.

18 (LB)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

19 (LC)“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

20 (LD)“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

21 (LE)“You shall neither mistreat a [av]stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22 (LF)“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they (LG)cry at all to Me, I will surely (LH)hear their cry; 24 and My (LI)wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; (LJ)your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

25 (LK)“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him (LL)interest. 26 (LM)If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am (LN)gracious.

28 (LO)“You shall not revile God, nor curse a (LP)ruler of your people.

29 “You shall not delay to offer (LQ)the first of your ripe produce and your juices. (LR)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 (LS)Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother (LT)seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

31 “And you shall be (LU)holy men to Me: (LV)you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Justice for All

23 “You (LW)shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an (LX)unrighteous witness. (LY)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; (LZ)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall not show partiality to a (MA)poor man in his dispute.

(MB)“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. (MC)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

(MD)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. (ME)Keep yourself far from a false matter; (MF)do not kill the innocent and righteous. For (MG)I will not justify the wicked. And (MH)you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

“Also (MI)you shall not oppress a [aw]stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Law of Sabbaths

10 (MJ)“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your [ax]olive grove. 12 (MK)Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

13 “And in all that I have said to you, (ML)be circumspect and (MM)make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

Three Annual Feasts(MN)

14 (MO)“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 (MP)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; (MQ)none shall appear before Me empty); 16 (MR)and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and (MS)the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

17 (MT)“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord [ay]God.

18 (MU)“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened (MV)bread; nor shall the fat of My [az]sacrifice remain until morning. 19 (MW)The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. (MX)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Angel and the Promises

20 (MY)“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; (MZ)do not provoke Him, for He will (NA)not pardon your transgressions; for (NB)My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then (NC)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 (ND)For My Angel will go before you and (NE)bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will [ba]cut them off. 24 You shall not (NF)bow down to their gods, nor serve them, (NG)nor do according to their works; (NH)but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

25 “So you shall (NI)serve the Lord your God, and (NJ)He will bless your bread and your water. And (NK)I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 (NL)No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will (NM)fulfill the number of your days.

27 “I will send (NN)My fear before you, I will (NO)cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And (NP)I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 (NQ)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 31 And (NR)I will set your [bb]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the [bc]River. For I will (NS)deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 (NT)You shall make no [bd]covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, (NU)it will surely be a snare to you.”

Israel Affirms the Covenant

24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (NV)Nadab and Abihu, (NW)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the [be]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, (NX)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” And Moses (NY)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve (NZ)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered (OA)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses (OB)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he (OC)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is (OD)the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

On the Mountain with God

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they (OE)saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of (OF)sapphire stone, and it was like the (OG)very[bf] heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He (OH)did not [bg]lay His hand. So (OI)they saw God, and they (OJ)ate and drank.

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, (OK)“Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you (OL)tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

13 So Moses arose with (OM)his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and (ON)Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and (OO)a cloud covered the mountain.

16 Now (OP)the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like (OQ)a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And (OR)Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Offerings for the Sanctuary(OS)

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an [bh]offering. (OT)From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ram skins dyed red, [bi]badger skins, and acacia wood; (OU)oil for the light, and (OV)spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the (OW)ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a (OX)sanctuary,[bj] that (OY)I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Testimony(OZ)

10 (PA)“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of (PB)gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 (PC)The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark (PD)the Testimony which I will give you.

17 (PE)“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And (PF)the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 (PG)You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and (PH)in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And (PI)there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from (PJ)between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

The Table for the Showbread(PK)

23 (PL)“You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make (PM)its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the (PN)showbread on the table before Me always.

The Gold Lampstand(PO)

31 (PP)“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 33 (PQ)Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 (PR)On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and (PS)they shall arrange its lamps so that they (PT)give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And (PU)see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

The Tabernacle(PV)

26 “Moreover (PW)you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have [bk]the same measurements. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.

(PX)“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14 (PY)“You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.

15 “And for the tabernacle you shall (PZ)make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17 Two [bl]tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They shall be [bm]coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.

26 “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28 The (QA)middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. 30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle (QB)according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.

31 (QC)“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring (QD)the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between (QE)the holy place and the Most Holy. 34 (QF)You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. 35 (QG)You shall set the table outside the veil, and (QH)the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

36 (QI)“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37 And you shall make for the screen (QJ)five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

The Altar of Burnt Offering(QK)

27 “You shall make (QL)an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. You shall make it hollow with boards; (QM)as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.

The Court of the Tabernacle(QN)

(QO)“You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. 10 And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. 11 Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.

12 “And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. 13 The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.

16 “For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. 17 All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their (QP)hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

The Care of the Lampstand(QQ)

20 “And (QR)you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to [bn]burn continually. 21 In the tabernacle of meeting, (QS)outside the veil which is before the Testimony, (QT)Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. (QU)It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

Garments for the Priesthood(QV)

28 “Now take (QW)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as (QX)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: (QY)Nadab, Abihu, (QZ)Eleazar, and Ithamar. And (RA)you shall make [bo]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So (RB)you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, (RC)whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. And these are the garments which they shall make: (RD)a breastplate, (RE)an [bp]ephod, (RF)a robe, (RG)a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and (RH)a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.

The Ephod

“They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, (RI)and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked. It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. And the [bq]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.

“Then you shall take two onyx (RJ)stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their (RK)birth. 11 With the work of an (RL)engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So (RM)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (RN)as a memorial. 13 You shall also make settings of gold, 14 and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.

The Breastplate(RO)

15 (RP)“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 (RQ)And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a [br]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a [bs]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a [bt]beryl, an [bu]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.

22 “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.

26 “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the [bv]intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.

29 “So Aaron shall (RR)bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And (RS)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [bw]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

Other Priestly Garments(RT)

31 (RU)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.

36 (RV)“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:

HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may (RW)bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their [bx]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be (RX)accepted before the Lord.

39 “You shall (RY)skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.

40 (RZ)“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make [by]hats for them, for glory and (SA)beauty. 41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall (SB)anoint them, (SC)consecrate them, and [bz]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. 42 And you shall make (SD)for them linen trousers to cover their [ca]nakedness; they shall [cb]reach from the waist to the thighs. 43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near (SE)the altar to minister in the holy place, that they (SF)do not incur [cc]iniquity and die. (SG)It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.

Aaron and His Sons Consecrated(SH)

29 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: (SI)Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, and (SJ)unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour). You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.

“And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, (SK)and you shall wash them with water. (SL)Then you shall take the garments, put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with (SM)the intricately woven band of the ephod. (SN)You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. And you shall take the anointing (SO)oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. Then (SP)you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. (SQ)The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall (SR)consecrate Aaron and his sons.

10 “You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and (SS)Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 12 You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on (ST)the horns of the altar with your finger, and (SU)pour all the blood beside the base of the altar. 13 And (SV)you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But (SW)the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

15 (SX)“You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall (SY)put their hands on the head of the ram; 16 and you shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood and (SZ)sprinkle it all around on the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and with its head. 18 And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a (TA)burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

19 (TB)“You shall also take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. 21 And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of (TC)the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him; and (TD)he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

22 “Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 (TE)one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; 24 and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall (TF)wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. 25 (TG)You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

26 “Then you shall take (TH)the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be your portion. 27 And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate (TI)the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons. 28 It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons (TJ)by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; (TK)it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the Lord.

29 “And the (TL)holy garments of Aaron (TM)shall be his sons’ after him, (TN)to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. 30 (TO)That son who becomes priest in his place shall put them on for (TP)seven days, when he enters the tabernacle of meeting to minister in the [cd]holy place.

31 “And you shall take the ram of the consecration and (TQ)boil its flesh in the holy place. 32 Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the (TR)bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 33 (TS)They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; (TT)but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh of the consecration offerings, or of the bread, remains until the morning, then (TU)you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. (TV)Seven days you shall consecrate them. 36 And you (TW)shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for atonement. (TX)You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. (TY)Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

The Daily Offerings(TZ)

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: (UA)two lambs of the first year, (UB)day by day continually. 39 One lamb you shall offer (UC)in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer [ce]at twilight. 40 With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb you shall (UD)offer [cf]at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 42 This shall be (UE)a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, (UF)where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle (UG)shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also (UH)consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. 45 (UI)I will dwell among the children of Israel and will (UJ)be their God. 46 And they shall know that (UK)I am the Lord their God, who (UL)brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

The Altar of Incense(UM)

30 “You shall make (UN)an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood. A cubit shall be its length and a cubit its width—it shall be square—and two cubits shall be its height. Its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay its top, its sides all around, and its horns with pure gold; and you shall make for it a [cg]molding of gold all around. Two gold rings you shall make for it, under the molding on both its sides. You shall place them on its two sides, and they will be holders for the poles with which to bear it. You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. And you shall put it before the (UO)veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the (UP)mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

“Aaron shall burn on it (UQ)sweet incense every morning; when (UR)he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps [ch]at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. You shall not offer (US)strange incense on it, or a burnt offering, or a grain offering; nor shall you pour a drink offering on it. 10 And (UT)Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonement; once a year he shall make atonement upon it throughout your generations. It is most holy to the Lord.”

The Ransom Money

11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 12 (UU)“When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give (UV)a[ci] ransom for himself to the Lord, when you number them, that there may be no (UW)plague among them when you number them. 13 (UX)This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (UY)(a shekel is twenty gerahs). (UZ)The half-shekel shall be an offering to the Lord. 14 Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an [cj]offering to the Lord. 15 The (VA)rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves. 16 And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and (VB)shall [ck]appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be (VC)a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”

The Bronze Laver

17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 (VD)“You shall also make a [cl]laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall (VE)put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons (VF)shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And (VG)it shall be a [cm]statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”

The Holy Anointing Oil(VH)

22 Moreover the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 23 “Also take for yourself (VI)quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid (VJ)myrrh, half as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling (VK)cane, 24 five hundred shekels of (VL)cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a (VM)hin of olive oil. 25 And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be (VN)a holy anointing oil. 26 (VO)With it you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting and the ark of the Testimony; 27 the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense; 28 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base. 29 You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; (VP)whatever touches them must be holy. 30 (VQ)And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests.

31 “And you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32 It shall not be poured on man’s flesh; nor shall you make any other like it, according to its composition. (VR)It is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33 (VS)Whoever [cn]compounds any like it, or whoever puts any of it on an outsider, (VT)shall be [co]cut off from his people.’ ”

The Incense(VU)

34 And the Lord said to Moses: (VV)“Take sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each. 35 You shall make of these an incense, a compound (VW)according to the art of the perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36 And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting (VX)where I will meet with you. (VY)It shall be most holy to you. 37 But as for the incense which you shall make, (VZ)you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its [cp]composition. It shall be to you holy for the Lord. 38 (WA)Whoever makes any like it, to smell it, he shall be cut off from his people.”

Artisans for Building the Tabernacle(WB)

31 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: (WC)“See, I have called by name Bezalel the (WD)son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have (WE)filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

“And I, indeed I, have appointed with him (WF)Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the (WG)gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: (WH)the tabernacle of meeting, (WI)the ark of the Testimony and (WJ)the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle— (WK)the table and its utensils, (WL)the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, (WM)the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and (WN)the laver and its base— 10 (WO)the [cq]garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, 11 (WP)and the anointing oil and (WQ)sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”

The Sabbath Law

12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: (WR)‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who (WS)sanctifies[cr] you. 14 (WT)You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who [cs]profanes it shall surely be put to death; for (WU)whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for (WV)six days, but the (WW)seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is (WX)a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for (WY)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”

18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses (WZ)two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

The Gold Calf(XA)

32 Now when the people saw that Moses (XB)delayed coming down from the mountain, the people (XC)gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, (XD)“Come, make us [ct]gods that shall (XE)go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who (XF)brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

And Aaron said to them, “Break off the (XG)golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. (XH)And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that (XI)brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a (XJ)proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people (XK)sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

And the Lord said to Moses, (XL)“Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt (XM)have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which (XN)I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, (XO)‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” And the Lord said to Moses, (XP)“I have seen this people, and indeed it is a [cu]stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, (XQ)let Me alone, that (XR)My wrath may burn hot against them and I may [cv]consume them. And (XS)I will make of you a great nation.”

11 (XT)Then Moses pleaded with [cw]the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 (XU)Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and (XV)relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You (XW)swore by Your own self, and said to them, (XX)‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 So the Lord (XY)relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

15 And (XZ)Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 Now the (YA)tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”

18 But he said:

It is not the noise of the shout of victory,
Nor the noise of the cry of defeat,
But the sound of singing I hear.”

19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that (YB)he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 (YC)Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, (YD)“What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

22 So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. (YE)You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

25 Now when Moses saw that the people were (YF)unrestrained (for Aaron (YG)had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and (YH)let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 (YI)Then Moses said, [cx]“Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”

30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, (YJ)“You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; (YK)perhaps I can (YL)make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses (YM)returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have (YN)made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, (YO)blot me (YP)out of Your book which You have written.”

33 And the Lord said to Moses, (YQ)“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will (YR)blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have (YS)spoken to you. (YT)Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, (YU)in the day when I (YV)visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

35 So the Lord plagued the people because of (YW)what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

The Command to Leave Sinai

33 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you (YX)and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, (YY)‘To your descendants I will give it.’ (YZ)And I will send My Angel before you, (ZA)and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up (ZB)to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest (ZC)I [cy]consume you on the way, for you are a (ZD)stiff-necked[cz] people.”

And when the people heard this bad news, (ZE)they mourned, (ZF)and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your [da]ornaments, that I may (ZG)know what to do to you.’ ” So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

Moses Meets with the Lord

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and (ZH)called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who (ZI)sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood (ZJ)at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle. And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord (ZK)talked with Moses. 10 All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and (ZL)worshiped, each man in his tent door. 11 So (ZM)the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but (ZN)his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

The Promise of God’s Presence

12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, (ZO)You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, (ZP)‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ 13 Now therefore, I pray, (ZQ)if I have found grace in Your sight, (ZR)show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is (ZS)Your people.”

14 And He said, (ZT)“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you (ZU)rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, (ZV)“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, (ZW)except You go with us? So we (ZX)shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”

17 So the Lord said to Moses, (ZY)“I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.”

18 And he said, “Please, show me (ZZ)Your glory.”

19 Then He said, “I will make all My (AAA)goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. (AAB)I will be gracious to whom I will be (AAC)gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” 20 But He said, “You cannot see My face; for (AAD)no man shall see Me, and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you (AAE)in the cleft of the rock, and will (AAF)cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall (AAG)not be seen.”

Moses Makes New Tablets(AAH)

34 And the Lord said to Moses, (AAI)“Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and (AAJ)I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke. So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there (AAK)on the top of the mountain. And no man shall (AAL)come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”

So he cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.

Now the Lord descended in the (AAM)cloud and stood with him there, and (AAN)proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord (AAO)God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in (AAP)goodness and (AAQ)truth, (AAR)keeping mercy for thousands, (AAS)forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, (AAT)by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

So Moses made haste and (AAU)bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped. Then he said, “If now I have found grace in Your sight, O Lord, (AAV)let my Lord, I pray, go among us, even though we are a (AAW)stiff-necked[db] people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as (AAX)Your inheritance.”

The Covenant Renewed(AAY)

10 And He said: “Behold, (AAZ)I make a covenant. Before all your people I will (ABA)do [dc]marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is (ABB)an awesome thing that I will do with you. 11 (ABC)Observe what I command you this day. Behold, (ABD)I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 (ABE)Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. 13 But you shall (ABF)destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and (ABG)cut down their wooden images 14 (for you shall worship (ABH)no other god, for the Lord, whose (ABI)name is Jealous, is a (ABJ)jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they (ABK)play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them (ABL)invites you and you (ABM)eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of (ABN)his daughters for your sons, and his daughters (ABO)play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.

17 (ABP)“You shall make no molded gods for yourselves.

18 “The Feast of (ABQ)Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the (ABR)month of Abib you came out from Egypt.

19 (ABS)“All [dd]that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. 20 But (ABT)the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him, then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.

“And none shall appear before Me (ABU)empty-handed.

21 (ABV)“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

22 “And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year’s end.

23 (ABW)“Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the Lord God of Israel. 24 For I will (ABX)cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

25 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, (ABY)nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning.

26 (ABZ)“The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write (ACA)these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 (ACB)So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And (ACC)He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the [de]Ten Commandments.

The Shining Face of Moses

29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the (ACD)two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that (ACE)the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, (ACF)and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put (ACG)a veil on his face. 34 But (ACH)whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 14:6 harnessed
  2. Exodus 14:13 deliverance
  3. Exodus 14:14 Lit. be quiet
  4. Exodus 14:24 confused
  5. Exodus 14:25 Sam., LXX, Syr. bound
  6. Exodus 14:27 Lit. shook off
  7. Exodus 14:30 delivered
  8. Exodus 14:31 Lit. hand with which the Lord worked
  9. Exodus 15:8 became firm
  10. Exodus 15:11 mighty ones
  11. Exodus 15:14 Anguish
  12. Exodus 15:23 Lit. Bitter
  13. Exodus 15:25 regulation
  14. Exodus 16:4 Lit. the portion of a day in its day
  15. Exodus 16:20 listen to
  16. Exodus 16:31 Lit. What? Ex. 16:15
  17. Exodus 17:4 Put me to death by stoning
  18. Exodus 17:7 Lit. Tempted
  19. Exodus 17:7 Lit. Contention
  20. Exodus 17:7 tested
  21. Exodus 17:12 Weary of being held up
  22. Exodus 17:15 Heb. YHWH Nissi
  23. Exodus 17:16 Lit. a hand is upon the throne of the Lord
  24. Exodus 18:3 Lit. Stranger There
  25. Exodus 18:3 sojourner, temporary resident
  26. Exodus 18:4 Lit. My God Is Help
  27. Exodus 18:11 acted presumptuously
  28. Exodus 18:12 So with MT, LXX; Syr., Tg., Vg. offered
  29. Exodus 18:14 Sit as judge
  30. Exodus 18:16 dispute
  31. Exodus 18:19 advice
  32. Exodus 18:26 difficult matters
  33. Exodus 19:4 sustained
  34. Exodus 19:7 set
  35. Exodus 19:18 LXX all the people
  36. Exodus 20:2 slaves
  37. Exodus 20:5 worship
  38. Exodus 20:5 punishing
  39. Exodus 20:24 cause My name to be remembered
  40. Exodus 21:1 ordinances
  41. Exodus 21:8 Lit. is evil in the eyes of
  42. Exodus 21:19 exempt from punishment
  43. Exodus 21:22 struggle
  44. Exodus 21:22 Lit. her children come out
  45. Exodus 21:28 exempt from punishment
  46. Exodus 21:29 was inclined
  47. Exodus 22:3 Sold as a slave
  48. Exodus 22:21 sojourner
  49. Exodus 23:9 sojourner
  50. Exodus 23:11 olive yards
  51. Exodus 23:17 Heb. YHWH, usually translated Lord
  52. Exodus 23:18 feast
  53. Exodus 23:23 annihilate them
  54. Exodus 23:31 boundaries
  55. Exodus 23:31 Heb. Nahar, the Euphrates
  56. Exodus 23:32 treaty
  57. Exodus 24:3 ordinances
  58. Exodus 24:10 Lit. substance of heaven
  59. Exodus 24:11 stretch out His
  60. Exodus 25:2 heave offering
  61. Exodus 25:5 Or dolphin
  62. Exodus 25:8 sacred place
  63. Exodus 26:2 Lit. one measure
  64. Exodus 26:17 Projections for joining, lit. hands
  65. Exodus 26:24 Lit. doubled
  66. Exodus 27:20 Lit. ascend
  67. Exodus 28:2 sacred
  68. Exodus 28:4 Ornamented vest
  69. Exodus 28:8 ingenious work of
  70. Exodus 28:17 Or ruby
  71. Exodus 28:19 Or amber
  72. Exodus 28:20 Or yellow jasper
  73. Exodus 28:20 Or carnelian
  74. Exodus 28:27 ingenious work of
  75. Exodus 28:30 Lit. Lights and the Perfections
  76. Exodus 28:38 sacred
  77. Exodus 28:40 headpieces or turbans
  78. Exodus 28:41 set them apart
  79. Exodus 28:42 bare flesh
  80. Exodus 28:42 Lit. be
  81. Exodus 28:43 guilt
  82. Exodus 29:30 sanctuary
  83. Exodus 29:39 Lit. between the two evenings
  84. Exodus 29:41 Lit. between the two evenings
  85. Exodus 30:3 border
  86. Exodus 30:8 Lit. between the two evenings
  87. Exodus 30:12 the price of a life
  88. Exodus 30:14 contribution
  89. Exodus 30:16 give
  90. Exodus 30:18 basin
  91. Exodus 30:21 requirement
  92. Exodus 30:33 mixes
  93. Exodus 30:33 Put to death
  94. Exodus 30:37 Lit. proportion
  95. Exodus 31:10 Or woven garments
  96. Exodus 31:13 consecrates
  97. Exodus 31:14 defiles
  98. Exodus 32:1 Or a god
  99. Exodus 32:9 stubborn
  100. Exodus 32:10 destroy
  101. Exodus 32:11 Lit. the face of the Lord
  102. Exodus 32:29 Lit. Fill your hand
  103. Exodus 33:3 destroy
  104. Exodus 33:3 stubborn
  105. Exodus 33:5 jewelry
  106. Exodus 34:9 stubborn
  107. Exodus 34:10 wonderful acts
  108. Exodus 34:19 the firstborn
  109. Exodus 34:28 Lit. Ten Words

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol(A) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.(B) Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart,(C) and he will pursue them.(D) But I will gain glory(E) for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”(F) So the Israelites did this.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled,(G) Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds(H) about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots,(I) along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart(J) of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.(K) The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses(L) and chariots, horsemen[a] and troops(M)—pursued the Israelites and overtook(N) them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.(O)

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried(P) out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?(Q) What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”(R)

13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid.(S) Stand firm and you will see(T) the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see(U) again. 14 The Lord will fight(V) for you; you need only to be still.”(W)

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?(X) Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff(Y) and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water(Z) so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts(AA) of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them.(AB) And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord(AC) when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God,(AD) who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud(AE) also moved from in front and stood behind(AF) them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness(AG) to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand(AH) over the sea,(AI) and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind(AJ) and turned it into dry land.(AK) The waters were divided,(AL) 22 and the Israelites went through the sea(AM) on dry ground,(AN) with a wall(AO) of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen(AP) followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud(AQ) at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.(AR) 25 He jammed[b] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting(AS) for them against Egypt.”(AT)

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.(AU) The Egyptians were fleeing toward[c] it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.(AV) 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.(AW) Not one of them survived.(AX)

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,(AY) with a wall(AZ) of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved(BA) Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand(BB) of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared(BC) the Lord and put their trust(BD) in him and in Moses his servant.

The Song of Moses and Miriam

15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song(BE) to the Lord:

“I will sing(BF) to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver(BG)
    he has hurled into the sea.(BH)

“The Lord is my strength(BI) and my defense[d];
    he has become my salvation.(BJ)
He is my God,(BK) and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt(BL) him.
The Lord is a warrior;(BM)
    the Lord is his name.(BN)
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army(BO)
    he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
    are drowned in the Red Sea.[e]
The deep waters(BP) have covered them;
    they sank to the depths like a stone.(BQ)
Your right hand,(BR) Lord,
    was majestic in power.
Your right hand,(BS) Lord,
    shattered(BT) the enemy.

“In the greatness of your majesty(BU)
    you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;(BV)
    it consumed(BW) them like stubble.
By the blast of your nostrils(BX)
    the waters piled up.(BY)
The surging waters stood up like a wall;(BZ)
    the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.(CA)
The enemy boasted,
    ‘I will pursue,(CB) I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;(CC)
    I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
    and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,(CD)
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.(CE)
11 Who among the gods
    is like you,(CF) Lord?
Who is like you—
    majestic in holiness,(CG)
awesome in glory,(CH)
    working wonders?(CI)

12 “You stretch out(CJ) your right hand,
    and the earth swallows your enemies.(CK)
13 In your unfailing love you will lead(CL)
    the people you have redeemed.(CM)
In your strength you will guide them
    to your holy dwelling.(CN)
14 The nations will hear and tremble;(CO)
    anguish(CP) will grip the people of Philistia.(CQ)
15 The chiefs(CR) of Edom(CS) will be terrified,
    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,(CT)
the people[f] of Canaan will melt(CU) away;
16     terror(CV) and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
    they will be as still as a stone(CW)
until your people pass by, Lord,
    until the people you bought[g](CX) pass by.(CY)
17 You will bring(CZ) them in and plant(DA) them
    on the mountain(DB) of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,(DC)
    the sanctuary,(DD) Lord, your hands established.

18 “The Lord reigns
    for ever and ever.”(DE)

19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen[h] went into the sea,(DF) the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.(DG) 20 Then Miriam(DH) the prophet,(DI) Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels(DJ) and dancing.(DK) 21 Miriam sang(DL) to them:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver(DM)
    he has hurled into the sea.”(DN)

The Waters of Marah and Elim

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert(DO) of Shur.(DP) For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.(DQ) 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.[i](DR)) 24 So the people grumbled(DS) against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”(DT)

25 Then Moses cried out(DU) to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw(DV) it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.(DW) 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep(DX) all his decrees,(DY) I will not bring on you any of the diseases(DZ) I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals(EA) you.”

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

Manna and Quail

16 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin,(EC) which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.(ED) In the desert the whole community grumbled(EE) against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!(EF) There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food(EG) we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”(EH)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven(EI) for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test(EJ) them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice(EK) as much as they gather on the other days.”

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt,(EL) and in the morning you will see the glory(EM) of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling(EN) against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”(EO) Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling(EP) against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”(EQ)

Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory(ER) of the Lord appearing in the cloud.(ES)

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling(ET) of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”(EU)

13 That evening quail(EV) came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew(EW) around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost(EX) on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know(EY) what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread(EZ) the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer[j](FA) for each person you have in your tent.’”

17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.(FB) Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”(FC)

20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.(FD) So Moses was angry(FE) with them.

21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice(FF) as much—two omers[k] for each person—and the leaders of the community(FG) came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath(FH) to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”

24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath,(FI) there will not be any.”

27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you[l] refuse to keep my commands(FJ) and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The people of Israel called the bread manna.[m](FK) It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”

33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna(FL) in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”

34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law,(FM) so that it might be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna(FN) forty years,(FO) until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.(FP)

36 (An omer(FQ) is one-tenth of an ephah.)(FR)

Water From the Rock

17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,(FS) traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,(FT) but there was no water(FU) for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water(FV) to drink.”(FW)

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”(FX)

But the people were thirsty(FY) for water there, and they grumbled(FZ) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die(GA) of thirst?”

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone(GB) me.”

The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff(GC) with which you struck the Nile,(GD) and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(GE) Strike(GF) the rock, and water(GG) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah[n](GH) and Meribah[o](GI) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Amalekites Defeated

The Amalekites(GJ) came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.(GK) Moses said to Joshua,(GL) “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff(GM) of God in my hands.”

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur(GN) went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,(GO) but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.(GP) 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite(GQ) army with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(GR) this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out(GS) the name of Amalek(GT) from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an altar(GU) and called(GV) it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[p] the throne of the Lord,[q] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites(GW) from generation to generation.”(GX)

Jethro Visits Moses

18 Now Jethro,(GY) the priest of Midian(GZ) and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.(HA)

After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,(HB) his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two sons.(HC) One son was named Gershom,[r] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;(HD) and the other was named Eliezer,[s](HE) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;(HF) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain(HG) of God. Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down(HH) and kissed(HI) him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships(HJ) they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved(HK) them.

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things(HL) the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord,(HM) who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,(HN) for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”(HO) 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,(HP) brought a burnt offering(HQ) and other sacrifices(HR) to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal(HS) with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence(HT) of God.

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.(HU) 16 Whenever they have a dispute,(HV) it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”(HW)

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.(HX) 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.(HY) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes(HZ) to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,(IA) and show them the way they are to live(IB) and how they are to behave.(IC) 21 But select capable men(ID) from all the people—men who fear(IE) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain(IF)—and appoint them as officials(IG) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case(IH) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share(II) it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders(IJ) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.(IK) 26 They served as judges(IL) for the people at all times. The difficult cases(IM) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.(IN)

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.(IO)

At Mount Sinai

19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt(IP)—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.(IQ) After they set out from Rephidim,(IR) they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.(IS)

Then Moses went up to God,(IT) and the Lord called(IU) to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,(IV) and how I carried you on eagles’ wings(IW) and brought you to myself.(IX) Now if you obey me fully(IY) and keep my covenant,(IZ) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.(JA) Although the whole earth(JB) is mine, you[t] will be for me a kingdom of priests(JC) and a holy nation.’(JD) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

So Moses went back and summoned the elders(JE) of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.(JF) The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”(JG) So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,(JH) so that the people will hear me speaking(JI) with you and will always put their trust(JJ) in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate(JK) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes(JL) 11 and be ready by the third day,(JM) because on that day the Lord will come down(JN) on Mount Sinai(JO) in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limits(JP) for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stoned(JQ) or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn(JR) sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”(JS)

14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.(JT) 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain(JU) from sexual relations.”

16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder(JV) and lightning, with a thick cloud(JW) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.(JX) Everyone in the camp trembled.(JY) 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.(JZ) 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,(KA) because the Lord descended on it in fire.(KB) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,(KC) and the whole mountain[u] trembled(KD) violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice(KE) of God answered(KF) him.[v]

20 The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai(KG) and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see(KH) the Lord and many of them perish.(KI) 22 Even the priests, who approach(KJ) the Lord, must consecrate(KK) themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”(KL)

23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai,(KM) because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits(KN) around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron(KO) up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”(KP)

25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments(KQ)

20 And God spoke(KR) all these words:(KS)

“I am the Lord your God,(KT) who brought you out(KU) of Egypt,(KV) out of the land of slavery.(KW)

“You shall have no other gods before[w] me.(KX)

“You shall not make for yourself an image(KY) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship(KZ) them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(LA) punishing the children for the sin of the parents(LB) to the third and fourth generation(LC) of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand(LD) generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.(LE)

“Remember the Sabbath(LF) day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,(LG) 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath(LH) to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,(LI) the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested(LJ) on the seventh day.(LK) Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother,(LL) so that you may live long(LM) in the land(LN) the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.(LO)

14 “You shall not commit adultery.(LP)

15 “You shall not steal.(LQ)

16 “You shall not give false testimony(LR) against your neighbor.(LS)

17 “You shall not covet(LT) your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet(LU) and saw the mountain in smoke,(LV) they trembled with fear.(LW) They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak(LX) to us or we will die.”(LY)

20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.(LZ) God has come to test(MA) you, so that the fear(MB) of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”(MC)

21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness(MD) where God was.

Idols and Altars

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:(ME) 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me;(MF) do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.(MG)

24 “‘Make an altar(MH) of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings(MI) and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name(MJ) to be honored, I will come to you and bless(MK) you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool(ML) on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts(MM) may be exposed.’

21 “These are the laws(MN) you are to set before them:

Hebrew Servants(MO)(MP)

“If you buy a Hebrew servant,(MQ) he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free,(MR) without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’(MS) then his master must take him before the judges.[x](MT) He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce(MU) his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.(MV)

“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself,[y] he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. 10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.(MW) 11 If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Personal Injuries

12 “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death.(MX) 13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place(MY) I will designate. 14 But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,(MZ) that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.(NA)

15 “Anyone who attacks[z] their father or mother is to be put to death.

16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death,(NB) whether the victim has been sold(NC) or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

17 “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.(ND)

18 “If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist[aa] and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, 19 the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.

20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, 21 but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.(NE)

22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely[ab] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands(NF) and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,(NG) 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth,(NH) hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26 “An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. 27 And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

28 “If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death,(NI) and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. 29 If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up(NJ) and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. 30 However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded.(NK) 31 This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. 32 If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels[ac](NL) of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

33 “If anyone uncovers a pit(NM) or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.

35 “If anyone’s bull injures someone else’s bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. 36 However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up,(NN) the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

Protection of Property

22 [ad]“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back(NO) five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

“If a thief is caught breaking in(NP) at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;(NQ) but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution,(NR) but if they have nothing, they must be sold(NS) to pay for their theft. If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession(NT)—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.(NU)

“If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution(NV) from the best of their own field or vineyard.

“If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks(NW) of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.(NX)

“If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping(NY) and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.(NZ) But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges,(OA) and they must[ae] determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges.[af](OB) The one whom the judges declare[ag] guilty must pay back double to the other.

10 “If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping(OC) and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, 11 the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath(OD) before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. 12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution(OE) must be made to the owner. 13 If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.(OF)

14 “If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution.(OG) 15 But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.(OH)

Social Responsibility

16 “If a man seduces a virgin(OI) who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price,(OJ) and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

18 “Do not allow a sorceress(OK) to live.

19 “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal(OL) is to be put to death.

20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god(OM) other than the Lord must be destroyed.[ah](ON)

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner,(OO) for you were foreigners(OP) in Egypt.

22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.(OQ) 23 If you do and they cry out(OR) to me, I will certainly hear their cry.(OS) 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.(OT)

25 “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.(OU) 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,(OV) return it by sunset,

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 14:9 Or charioteers; also in verses 17, 18, 23, 26 and 28
  2. Exodus 14:25 See Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text removed
  3. Exodus 14:27 Or from
  4. Exodus 15:2 Or song
  5. Exodus 15:4 Or the Sea of Reeds; also in verse 22
  6. Exodus 15:15 Or rulers
  7. Exodus 15:16 Or created
  8. Exodus 15:19 Or charioteers
  9. Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitter.
  10. Exodus 16:16 That is, possibly about 3 pounds or about 1.4 kilograms; also in verses 18, 32, 33 and 36
  11. Exodus 16:22 That is, possibly about 6 pounds or about 2.8 kilograms
  12. Exodus 16:28 The Hebrew is plural.
  13. Exodus 16:31 Manna sounds like the Hebrew for What is it? (see verse 15).
  14. Exodus 17:7 Massah means testing.
  15. Exodus 17:7 Meribah means quarreling.
  16. Exodus 17:16 Or to
  17. Exodus 17:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  18. Exodus 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.
  19. Exodus 18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper.
  20. Exodus 19:6 Or possession, for the whole earth is mine. You
  21. Exodus 19:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint and all the people
  22. Exodus 19:19 Or and God answered him with thunder
  23. Exodus 20:3 Or besides
  24. Exodus 21:6 Or before God
  25. Exodus 21:8 Or master so that he does not choose her
  26. Exodus 21:15 Or kills
  27. Exodus 21:18 Or with a tool
  28. Exodus 21:22 Or she has a miscarriage
  29. Exodus 21:32 That is, about 12 ounces or about 345 grams
  30. Exodus 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1 is numbered 21:37, and 22:2-31 is numbered 22:1-30.
  31. Exodus 22:8 Or before God, and he will
  32. Exodus 22:9 Or before God
  33. Exodus 22:9 Or whom God declares
  34. Exodus 22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.