³ Then Moses went up to God,^(A) and the Lord called^(B) 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 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called^(A) to him from within the bush,^(B) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”^(C)

³⁸ He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel^(A) who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors;^(B) and he received living words^(C) to pass on to us.^(D)

⁵ (At that time I stood between^(A) the Lord and you to declare to you the word of the Lord, because you were afraid^(B) of the fire and did not go up the mountain.) And he said:

²² These are the commandments the Lord proclaimed in a loud voice to your whole assembly there on the mountain from out of the fire, the cloud and the deep darkness;^(AA) and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets^(AB) and gave them to me.

²³ When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders^(AC) came to me. ²⁴ And you said, “The Lord our God has shown us^(AD) his glory and his majesty,^(AE) and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that a person can live even if God speaks with them.^{(AF) 25} But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us, and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer.^{(AG) 26} For what mortal has ever heard the voice of the living God speaking out of fire, as we have, and survived?^{(AH) 27} Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says.^(AI) Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”^(AJ)

²⁸ The Lord heard you when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, “I have heard what this people said to you. Everything they said was good.^{(AK) 29} Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me^(AL) and keep all my commands^(AM) always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!^(AN)

³⁰ “Go, tell them to return to their tents. ³¹ But you stay here^(AO) with me so that I may give you all the commands, decrees and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”

¹⁵ When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud^(A) covered it, ¹⁶ and the glory^(B) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.^(C) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.^{(D) 17} To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire^(E) 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^(F) days and forty nights.^(G)

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

² Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.^(A) Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.