Exodus 19-20
1599 Geneva Bible
19 1 The Israelites come to Sinai. 5 Israel is chosen from among all other nations. 8 The people promise to obey God. 12 He that toucheth the hill, dieth. 16 God appeareth unto Moses upon the mount in thunder and lightning.
1 In the [a]third month, after the children of Israel were gone out of the land of Egypt, the same [b]day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 For they departed from Rephidim, and came to the desert of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness, even there Israel camped before the mount.
3 (A)But Moses went up unto God, for the Lord had called out of the mount unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of [c]Jacob, and tell the children of Israel.
4 (B)Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I carried you upon [d]eagle’s wings, and have brought you unto me.
5 Now therefore (C)if ye will hear my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be my chief treasure above all people, (D)though all the earth be mine.
6 Ye shall be unto me also a kingdom of (E)Priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
7 ¶ Moses then came and called for the Elders of the people, and proposed unto them all these things, which the Lord commanded him.
8 And the people answered all together, and said, (F)All that the Lord hath commanded, we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people unto the Lord.
9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear while I talk with thee, and that they may also believe thee forever. (For Moses had told the words of the people unto the Lord.)
10 Moreover the Lord said unto Moses, Go to the people, and [e]sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.
11 And let them be ready on the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai:
12 And thou shalt set marks unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up to the mount, nor touch the border of it, whosoever toucheth the (G)mount, shall surely die.
13 No hand shall touch it, but he shall be stoned to death, or stricken through with darts: whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the [f]horn bloweth long, they shall come up [g]into the mountain.
14 ¶ Then Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.
15 And he said unto the people, Be ready on the third day, and come not at your [h]wives.
16 And the third day, when it was morning, there was thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was in the camp was afraid.
17 Then Moses brought the people out of the tents to meet with God, and they stood in the nether part of the mount.
18 (H)And mount Sinai was all on smoke, because the Lord came down upon it in fire, and the smoke thereof ascended, as the smoke of a furnace, and all the mount [i]trembled exceedingly.
19 And when the sound of the trumpet blew long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by [j]voice.
20 (For the Lord came down upon mount Sinai on the top of the mount) and when the Lord called Moses up into the top of the mount, Moses went up.
21 Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, that they break not their bounds, to go up to the Lord to gaze, lest many of them perish.
22 And let the [k]Priests also which come to the Lord be sanctified, lest the Lord [l]destroy them.
23 And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up into the mount Sinai: for thou hast charged us, saying, Set marks on the mountain, and sanctify it.
24 And the Lord said unto him, Go, get thee down, and come up thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the [m]Priests and the people break their bounds to come up unto the Lord, lest he destroy them.
25 So Moses went down unto the people, and told them.
20 2 The Commandments of the first Table. 13 The Commandments of the second. 18 The people afraid are comforted by Moses. 23 Gods of silver and gold are again forbidden. 24 Of what sort the altar ought to be.
1 Then God [n]spake all these words, saying,
2 (I)I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [o]bondage.
3 Thou shalt have none other gods [p]before me.
4 (J)Thou shalt make thee no graven image, neither any similitude of things that are in heaven above, neither that are in the earth beneath, nor that are in the waters under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not [q]bow down to them, neither serve them: for I am the Lord thy God, a [r]jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third generation and upon the fourth of them that hate me:
6 And showing mercy unto [s]thousands to them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 (K)Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in [t]vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath day, [u]to keep it holy.
9 (L)Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work,
10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid, nor thy beast, nor thy stranger that is within thy [v]gates.
11 (M)For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ (N)Honor thy [w]father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
13 ¶ (O)Thou shalt not [x]kill.
14 Thou shalt not [y]commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not [z]steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false [aa]witness against thy neighbor.
17 (P)Thou shalt not [ab]covet thy neighbor’s house, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, neither anything that is thy neighbor’s.
18 ¶ And all the people [ac]saw the thunders: and the [ad]lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, and when the people saw it, they fled and stood afar off,
19 And said unto Moses, (Q)Talk thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God talk with us, lest we die.
20 Then Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to [ae]prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not.
21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near unto the darkness where God was.
22 ¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 Ye shall not make therefore with me gods of silver, nor gods of gold: you shall make you none.
24 (R)An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and thereon shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and thy (S)peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places, where I shall put the remembrance of my Name, I will come unto thee, and bless thee.
25 (T)But if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones: for if thou lift up thy tool upon them, thou hast polluted [af]them.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy [ag]filthiness be not discovered thereon.
Footnotes
- Exodus 19:1 Which was in the beginning of the month Sivan, containing part of May, and part of June.
- Exodus 19:1 That they departed from Rephidim.
- Exodus 19:3 God called Jacob, Israel: therefore the house of Jacob and the people of Israel signify only God’s people.
- Exodus 19:4 For the Eagle by flying high, is out of danger, and by carrying her birds rather on her wings than in her talons declareth her love.
- Exodus 19:10 Teach them to be pure in heart, as they show themselves outwardly clean by washing.
- Exodus 19:13 Or, trumpet.
- Exodus 19:13 Or, toward.
- Exodus 19:15 But give yourselves to prayer and abstinence, that you may at this time attend only upon the Lord, 1 Cor. 7:5.
- Exodus 19:18 God used these fearful signs, that his law should be had in greater reverence, and his majesty the more feared.
- Exodus 19:19 He gave authority to Moses by plain words, that the people might understand him.
- Exodus 19:22 Or, rulers.
- Exodus 19:22 Or, break out upon them.
- Exodus 19:24 Neither dignity nor multitude have authority to pass the bounds that God’s word prescribeth.
- Exodus 20:1 When Moses and Aaron were gone up, or had passed the bounds of the people, God spake thus out of the mount Horeb, that all the people heard.
- Exodus 20:2 Or, servants.
- Exodus 20:3 To whose eyes all things are open.
- Exodus 20:5 By this outward gesture, all kinds of service and worship to idols is forbidden.
- Exodus 20:5 And will be revenged on the contemners of mine honor.
- Exodus 20:6 So ready is he rather to show mercy than to punish.
- Exodus 20:7 Either by swearing falsely or rashly by his Name, or by contemning it.
- Exodus 20:8 Which is by meditating the spiritual rest, by hearing God’s word, and resting from worldly travails.
- Exodus 20:10 Or, city.
- Exodus 20:12 By the parents also is meant all that have authority over us.
- Exodus 20:13 But love and preserve thy brother’s life.
- Exodus 20:14 But be pure in heart, word and deed.
- Exodus 20:15 But study to save his goods.
- Exodus 20:16 But further his good name, and speak truth.
- Exodus 20:17 Thou mayst not so much as wish his hinderance in anything.
- Exodus 20:18 Or, heard.
- Exodus 20:18 Hebrew, fire brands.
- Exodus 20:20 Whether you will obey his precepts as you promised, Exod. 19:8.
- Exodus 20:25 Hebrew, it, that is, the stone.
- Exodus 20:26 Which might be by his stooping or flying abroad of his clothes.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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