Yahweh Cuts His Covenant with Israel

24 Then He said to Moses, “^(A)Come up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, ^(B)Nadab and Abihu and ^(C)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you all shall worship at a distance. ² Moses alone, however, shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

³ Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “^(D)All the words which Yahweh has spoken we will do!” ^4 (E)And Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an ^(F)altar ^[a]at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, ^(G)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to Yahweh. ^6 (H)And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he ^[b]sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he took ^(I)the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “^(J)All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” ⁸ So ^(K)Moses took the blood and ^[c]sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold ^(L)the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has cut with you ^[d]in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses went up ^[e]with Aaron, ^(M)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and ^(N)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet ^[f](O)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, ^[g]as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and ^(P)they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

¹² Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and ^[h]remain there, and ^(Q)I will give you the stone tablets ^[i]with the ^[j]law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³ So Moses arose ^[k]with ^(R)Joshua his ^[l]attendant, and Moses went up to ^(S)the mountain of God. ¹⁴ But to the elders he said, “^(T)Remain here for us until we return to you. And behold, ^(U)Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever ^[m]has a legal matter, let him approach them.” ¹⁵ Then Moses went up to the mountain, and ^(V)the cloud covered the mountain. ^16 (W)And the glory of Yahweh dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He ^(X)called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. ^17 (Y)And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a ^(Z)consuming fire on the mountain top, in the eyes of the sons of Israel. ¹⁸ Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud ^[n]as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain ^(AA)forty days and forty nights.