Exodus 19:21-23

New Catholic Bible

²¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to gaze upon the Lord; otherwise many will die.

²² “Let the priests consecrate themselves before they approach the Lord. Otherwise the Lord will burst forth upon them.”

²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot climb up Mount Sinai, for you yourself have warned us saying, ‘Establish a boundary around the mountain and declare it to be holy.’ ”