²² Those are the words the Lord spoke to your entire assembly with a loud voice while on the mountain, from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick smoke. He added no more. God wrote them on two stone tablets, then gave them to me.

Moses’ intercessory role

²³ Now once you heard the voice from the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, you came to me—more specifically, all the chiefs of your tribes and your elders came— ²⁴ and you said: “Look here! The Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness. We’ve heard his voice come out of the very fire itself. We’ve seen firsthand that God can speak to a human being and they can survive! ²⁵ But why should we die? Surely this massive fire will consume us! If we hear any more of the Lord our God’s voice, we will die. ²⁶ Is there anyone who has heard the living God’s voice speaking out of the very fire itself, like we have, and survived? ²⁷ You go and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us all that the Lord our God speaks to you. We’ll listen and we’ll do it.”

²⁸ The Lord heard what you said, when you said this to me. The Lord then told me: I heard what the people said when they spoke with you. Everything they suggest is good. ²⁹ If only their minds were like this: always fearing me and keeping all my commandments so that things would go well for them and their children forever! ³⁰ Go and tell them: You may go back to your tents. ³¹ But you, Moses, must stay here with me. I will tell you all the commandments,^[a] the regulations, and the case laws that you must teach the Israelites to do in the land that I am giving them to possess.

³² So you must carefully do exactly what the Lord your God commands you. Don’t deviate even a bit! ³³ You must walk the precise path that the Lord your God indicates for you so that you will live, and so that things will go well for you, and so you will extend your time on the land that you will possess.