Exodus 14-20

New American Standard Bible

Pharaoh in Pursuit

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp in front of ^(A)Pi-hahiroth, between ^(B)Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea. ³ For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ ⁴ And ^(C)I will ^[a]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and ^(D)he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and ^(E)the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, ^[b]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” ⁶ So he had horses harnessed to his chariot and took his people with him; ⁷ and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. ⁸ So ^(F)the Lord ^[c]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out ^[d](G)boldly. ⁹ Then ^(H)the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, ^(I)beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the sons of Israel ^[e]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were coming after them, and they became very frightened; ^(J)so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ Then ^(K)they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, ^[f]bringing us out of Egypt? ^12 (L)Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘^[g]Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”

The Sea Is Divided

¹³ But Moses said to the people, “^(M)Do not fear! ^[h]Stand by and see ^(N)the salvation of the Lord, which He will perform for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again, ever. ^14 (O)The Lord will fight for you, while ^(P)you keep silent.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. ¹⁶ As for you, lift up ^(Q)your staff and reach out with your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall ^[i]go through the midst of the sea on dry land. ¹⁷ And as for Me, behold, ^(R)I will ^[j]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ^18 (S)Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.”

¹⁹ Then ^(T)the angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. ²⁰ So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud ^[k]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Therefore the one did not approach the other all night.

^21 (U)Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord ^[l]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into ^(V)dry land, and ^(W)the waters were divided. ²² So ^(X)the sons of Israel ^[m]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and ^(Y)the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. ²³ Then ^(Z)the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. ²⁴ But at the morning watch, ^(AA)the Lord looked down on the ^[n]army of the Egyptians ^[o]through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the ^[p]army of the Egyptians into confusion. ²⁵ He ^[q]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, ^(AB)for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(AC)Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” ²⁷ So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and ^(AD)the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing ^[r]right into it; then the Lord ^[s](AE)overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; ^(AF)not even one of them remained. ²⁹ But the sons of Israel walked on ^(AG)dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.

^30 (AH)So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel ^(AI)saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹ When Israel saw the great ^[t]power which the Lord had ^[u]used against the Egyptians, the people ^[v]feared the Lord, and ^(AJ)they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses and Israel

15 ^(AK)Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, ^[w]saying:

^19 (CB)For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on ^(CC)dry land through the midst of the sea.

^20 (CD)Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the ^(CE)tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with ^[ah](CF)dancing. ²¹ And Miriam answered them,

The Lord Provides Water

^22 (CH)Then Moses ^[aj]led Israel from the ^[ak]Red Sea, and they went out into ^(CI)the wilderness of ^(CJ)Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. ²³ When they came to ^(CK)Marah, they could not drink the waters ^[al]of Marah, because they were ^[am]bitter; for that reason it was named ^[an]Marah. ²⁴ So the people ^(CL)grumbled at Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” ²⁵ Then he ^(CM)cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ^(CN)a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There He ^(CO)made for them a statute and regulation, and there He ^(CP)tested them. ²⁶ And He said, “^(CQ)If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and listen ^(CR)to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, ^(CS)I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, ^(CT)the Lord, am your healer.”

²⁷ Then they came to ^(CU)Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

The Lord Provides Manna

16 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of ^(CV)Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on ^(CW)the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. ² But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel ^(CX)grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The sons of Israel said to them, “^(CY)If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, ^(CZ)when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, ^(DA)I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may ^(DB)test them, whether or not they will walk in My ^[ao]instruction. ^5 (DC)On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” ⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening ^[ap](DD)you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; ⁷ and in the morning ^[aq]you will see ^(DE)the glory of the Lord, for ^(DF)He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and ^(DG)what are we, that you grumble against us?”

The Lord Provides Meat

⁸ And Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are ^(DH)not against us but against the Lord.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘^(DI)Come forward before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” ¹⁰ And it came about, as Aaron spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they ^[ar]looked toward the wilderness, and behold, ^(DJ)the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “^(DK)I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘^[as]At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and ^(DL)you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ So it came about at evening that ^(DM)the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning ^(DN)there was a layer of dew around the camp. ^14 (DO)When the layer of dew ^[at]evaporated, behold, on the ^[au]surface of the wilderness ^(DP)there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “^[av]What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “^(DQ)It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ This is ^[aw]what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone gather ^[ax]as much as he will eat; you shall take ^[ay](DR)an omer apiece according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’” ¹⁷ The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. ¹⁸ When they measured it by the ^[az]omer, ^(DS)the one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little; everyone gathered ^[ba]as much as he would eat. ¹⁹ Moses said to them, “^(DT)No one is to leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank; and Moses was angry with them. ²¹ They gathered it morning by morning, everyone ^[bb]as much as he would eat; but when the sun became hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath

^22 (DU)Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, ^[bc]two omers for each one. When all the ^(DV)leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³ then he said to them, “This is what the Lord ^[bd]meant: ^(DW)Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and ^(DX)all that is left over ^[be]put aside to be kept until morning.” ²⁴ So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and ^(DY)it did not stink nor was there a maggot in it. ²⁵ Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. ^26 (DZ)Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be ^[bf]none.”

²⁷ Yet it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(EA)How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My ^[bg]instructions? ²⁹ See, ^[bh]the Lord has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ And the house of ^(EB)Israel named the bread ^[bi]manna, and it was like ^(EC)coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. ³² Then Moses said, “This is ^[bj]what the Lord has commanded: ‘A ^[bk]full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that 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 jar and put a ^[bl]full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept safe throughout your generations.” ³⁴ As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before ^(EE)the Testimony, to be kept. ³⁵ And ^(EF)the sons of Israel ate the manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (Now ^(EG)an ^[bm]omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Water in the Rock

17 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by ^[bn]stages from the wilderness of ^(EH)Sin, according to the ^[bo]command of the Lord, and camped at ^(EI)Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. ² So the people ^(EJ)quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so that we may drink!” And Moses said to them, “^(EK)Why do you quarrel with me? ^(EL)Why do you test the Lord?” ³ But the people were thirsty for water there; and ^[bp]they ^(EM)grumbled against Moses and said, “Why is it that you have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill ^[bq]us and ^[br]our children and ^[bs](EN)our livestock with thirst?” ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What am I to do with this people? A ^(EO)little more and they will stone me!” ⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of ^(EP)the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which ^(EQ)you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at ^(ER)Horeb; and ^(ES)you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ Then he named the place ^[bt](ET)Massah and ^[bu](EU)Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they ^(EV)tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Miraculous Battle against Amalek

⁸ Then ^(EW)Amalek came and fought against Israel at ^(EX)Rephidim. ⁹ So Moses said to ^(EY)Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with ^(EZ)the staff of God in my hand.” ¹⁰ Joshua did just as Moses ^[bv]told him, ^[bw]and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and ^(FA)Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ So it came about, when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed; but when he let his hand ^[bx]down, Amalek prevailed. ¹² And Moses’ hands were heavy. So they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur ^(FB)supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. So his hands were steady until the sun set. ¹³ And Joshua ^[by]defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

¹⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “^(FC)Write this in ^[bz]a book as a memorial and ^[ca]recite it to Joshua, ^[cb]that ^(FD)I will utterly wipe out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ And Moses built an ^(FE)altar and named it ^(FF)The Lord is My Banner; ¹⁶ and he said, “^[cc](FG)Because the Lord has sworn, the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-law

18 Now ^(FH)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took in Moses’ wife ^(FI)Zipporah, after he had sent her away, ³ and her ^(FJ)two sons, ^[cd]one of whom was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have been ^(FK)a stranger in a foreign land.” ⁴ And ^[ce]the other was named ^[cf](FL)Eliezer, for he said, “^(FM)The God of my father was my help, and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

⁵ Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses ^[cg]in the wilderness where he was camped, at ^(FN)the mountain of God. ⁶ And he ^[ch]sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.” ⁷ Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and ^(FO)he bowed down and ^(FP)kissed him; and they ^(FQ)asked each other about their welfare, and went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians ^(FR)for Israel’s sake, all the ^(FS)hardship that had confronted them on the journey, and how ^(FT)the Lord had rescued them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced over all ^(FU)the goodness which the Lord had done for Israel, ^[ci]in rescuing ^[cj]them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ So Jethro said, “^(FV)Blessed be the Lord who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that ^(FW)the Lord is greater than all the gods; indeed, ^[ck](FX)it was proven when they acted insolently against ^[cl]the people.” ^12 (FY)Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat ^[cm]a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Jethro Counsels Moses

¹³ And it came about the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. ¹⁴ Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” ¹⁵ Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me ^(FZ)to inquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a ^[cn](GA)dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between someone and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.” ¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law then said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. ^18 (GB)You will surely wear out, both yourself and ^[co]these people who are with you, because the ^[cp]task is too heavy for you; ^(GC)you cannot do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to ^[cq]me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. ^[cr]You be the people’s representative before God, and you ^(GD)bring the ^[cs]disputes to God, ^20 (GE)then admonish them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them ^(GF)the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. ²¹ Furthermore, you shall ^[ct]select out of all the people ^(GG)able men ^(GH)who fear God, men of truth, those who ^(GI)hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, ^[cu]of hundreds, ^[cv]of fifties, and ^[cw]of tens. ²² Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be ^(GJ)that they will bring to you every major matter, but they will judge every minor matter themselves. So it will be easier for you, and ^(GK)they will carry the burden with you. ²³ If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to ^[cx]endure, and all ^[cy]these people also will go to ^[cz]their places in peace.”

²⁴ So Moses listened ^[da]to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose ^(GL)able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands, ^[db]of hundreds, ^[dc]of fifties, and ^[dd]of tens. ²⁶ Then they judged the people at all times; ^(GM)they would bring the difficult matter to Moses, but they would judge every minor matter themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses ^[de](GN)said goodbye to his father-in-law, and ^[df]Jethro went his way to his own land.

Moses on Sinai

19 ^(GO)In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, ^[dg]on that very day they came into the wilderness of ^(GP)Sinai. ² When they set out from ^(GQ)Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of ^(GR)the mountain. ³ And Moses went up to God, and ^(GS)the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: ⁴ ‘^(GT)You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on ^(GU)eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now then, ^(GV)if you will indeed obey My voice and ^(GW)keep My covenant, then you shall be ^(GX)My ^[dh]own possession among all the peoples, for ^(GY)all the earth is Mine; ⁶ and you shall be to Me ^(GZ)a kingdom of priests and ^(HA)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

^7 (HB)So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ Then ^(HC)all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in ^(HD)a thick cloud, so that the ^(HE)people may hear when I speak with you and may also trust in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰ The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and ^(HF)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them ^(HG)wash their garments; ¹¹ and have them ready for the third day, for on ^(HH)the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² But you shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘^[di]Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; ^(HI)whoever touches the mountain shall certainly be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch him, but ^(HJ)he shall certainly be stoned or ^[dj]shot through; whether animal or person, the violator shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to ^(HK)the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ He also said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

^16 (HL)So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were ^[dk]thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud over the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the ^[dl]foot of the mountain.

The Lord Visits Sinai

^18 (HM)Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it ^(HN)in fire; and its smoke ascended like ^(HO)the smoke of a furnace, and ^(HP)the entire mountain ^[dm]quaked violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and ^(HQ)God answered him with ^[dn]thunder. ²⁰ Then ^(HR)the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down, ^[do]warn the people, so that ^(HS)they do not break through to the Lord to stare, and many of them ^[dp]perish. ²² Also have the ^(HT)priests who approach the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You ^[dq]warned us, saying, ‘^(HU)Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “^[dr]Go down and come up again, ^(HV)you and Aaron with you; but do not let the ^(HW)priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

² “^(HX)I am the Lord your God, ^(HY)who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^[ds]slavery.

³ “^(HZ)You shall have no other ^(IA)gods ^[dt]before Me.

⁴ “^(IB)You shall not make for yourself ^[du]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. ^5 (IC)You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a ^(ID)jealous God, ^(IE)inflicting the ^[dv]punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing ^[dw]favor to ^(IF)thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷ “^(IG)You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not ^[dx]leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

⁸ “Remember ^(IH)the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ^9 (II)For six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it ^(IJ)you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your ^[dy]resident who ^[dz]stays with you. ^11 (IK)For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “^(IL)Honor your father and your mother, so that your ^(IM)days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you.

¹³ “^(IN)You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “^(IO)You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “^(IP)You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “^(IQ)You shall not ^[ea]give false testimony against your ^(IR)neighbor.

¹⁷ “^(IS)You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; ^(IT)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ And ^(IU)all the people were watching and hearing the ^[eb]thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance. ^19 (IV)Then they said to Moses, “Speak ^[ec]to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak ^[ed]to us, or we will die!” ²⁰ However, Moses said to the people, “^(IW)Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ^(IX)to test you, and in order that ^(IY)the fear of Him may ^[ee]remain with you, so that you will not sin.” ²¹ So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached ^(IZ)the thick darkness where God was.

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that ^(JA)I have spoken ^[ef]to you from heaven. ^23 (JB)You shall not make other gods besides Me; ^(JC)gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. ²⁴ You shall make ^(JD)an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your ^(JE)burnt offerings and your ^(JF)peace offerings, ^(JG)your sheep and your oxen; in every place ^(JH)where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ And if you make an altar of stone for Me, ^(JI)you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your chisel on it, you will profane it. ²⁶ And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ^(JJ)your nakedness will not be exposed on it.’