At Mount Sinai

19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt^(A)—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.^{(B) 2} After they set out from Rephidim,^(C) they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.^(D)

³ Then Moses went up to God,^(E) and the Lord called^(F) 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: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,^(G) and how I carried you on eagles’ wings^(H) and brought you to myself.^{(I) 5} Now if you obey me fully^(J) and keep my covenant,^(K) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.^(L) Although the whole earth^(M) is mine, ⁶ you^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests^(N) and a holy nation.’^(O) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses went back and summoned the elders^(P) of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.^{(Q) 8} The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”^(R) So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,^(S) so that the people will hear me speaking^(T) with you and will always put their trust^(U) 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^(V) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes^{(W) 11} and be ready by the third day,^(X) because on that day the Lord will come down^(Y) on Mount Sinai^(Z) in the sight of all the people.

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there was thunder^(A) and lightning, with a thick cloud^(B) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.^(C) Everyone in the camp trembled.^{(D) 17} Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.^{(E) 18} Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,^(F) because the Lord descended on it in fire.^(G) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,^(H) and the whole mountain^[a] trembled^(I) violently. ¹⁹ As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice^(J) of God answered^(K) him.^[b]

The Ten Commandments^(A)

20 And God spoke^(B) all these words:^(C)

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,^(A) Nadab and Abihu,^(B) and seventy of the elders^(C) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, ² but Moses alone is to approach^(D) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone^(A) with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

¹³ Then Moses set out with Joshua^(B) his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain^(C) of God. ¹⁴ He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur^(D) are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute^(E) can go to them.”

¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud^(F) covered it, ¹⁶ and the glory^(G) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.^(H) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.^{(I) 17} To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire^(J) on top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty^(K) days and forty nights.^(L)

¹⁸ When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,^(A) he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone^(B) inscribed by the finger of God.^(C)

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain,^(D) they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods^[a] who will go before^(E) us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”^(F)

² Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings^(G) that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took what they handed him and made it into an idol^(H) cast in the shape of a calf,^(I) fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,^[b](J) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”^(K)

⁵ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival^(L) to the Lord.” ⁶ So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings.^(M) Afterward they sat down to eat and drink^(N) and got up to indulge in revelry.^(O)

⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt,^(P) have become corrupt.^{(Q) 8} They have been quick to turn away^(R) from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol^(S) cast in the shape of a calf.^(T) They have bowed down to it and sacrificed^(U) to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’^(V)

⁹ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked^(W) people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone^(X) so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy^(Y) them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”^(Z)

¹¹ But Moses sought the favor^(AA) of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?^{(AB) 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’?^(AC) Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster^(AD) on your people. ¹³ Remember^(AE) your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self:^(AF) ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars^(AG) in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land^(AH) I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” ¹⁴ Then the Lord relented^(AI) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

¹⁵ Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law^(AJ) in his hands.^(AK) They were inscribed^(AL) on both sides, front and back. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.^(AM)

¹⁷ When Joshua^(AN) heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses replied:

¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf^(AO) and the dancing,^(AP) his anger burned^(AQ) and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces^(AR) at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ And he took the calf the people had made and burned^(AS) it in the fire; then he ground it to powder,^(AT) scattered it on the water^(AU) and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹ He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

²² “Do not be angry,^(AV) my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil.^{(AW) 23} They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’^{(AX) 24} So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”^(AY)