The Covenant Ceremony

24 Then He said to Moses, “Go up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders,(A) and bow in worship at a distance. Moses alone is to approach the Lord, but the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.”

Moses came and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people responded with a single voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded.”(B) And Moses wrote(C) down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain. Then he sent out young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half the blood and set it in basins; the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. He then took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people. They responded, “We will do and obey everything that the Lord has commanded.”

Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.”(D)

Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders, 10 and they saw(E) the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire[a] stone, as clear as the sky itself.(F) 11 God did not harm[b] the Israelite nobles; they saw(G) Him, and they ate and drank.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 24:10 Or lapis lazuli
  2. Exodus 24:11 Lit not stretch out His hand against

Covenant at Sinai

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders, and worship from a distance. Only Moses may come near to the Lord. The others shouldn’t come near, while the people shouldn’t come up with him at all.”

Moses came and told the people all the Lord’s words and all the case laws. All the people answered in unison, “Everything that the Lord has said we will do.” Moses then wrote down all the Lord’s words. He got up early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up twelve sacred stone pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. He appointed certain young Israelite men to offer entirely burned offerings and slaughter oxen as well-being sacrifices to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls. The other half of the blood he threw against the altar. Then he took the covenant scroll and read it out loud for the people to hear. They responded, “Everything that the Lord has said we will do, and we will obey.”

Moses then took the blood and threw it over the people. Moses said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord now makes with you on the basis of all these words.”

Covenant meal with God

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw Israel’s God. Under God’s feet there was what looked like a floor of lapis-lazuli tiles, dazzlingly pure like the sky. 11 God didn’t harm the Israelite leaders, though they looked at God, and they ate and drank.

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The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,(A) Nadab and Abihu,(B) and seventy of the elders(C) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach(D) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,(E) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”(F) Moses then wrote(G) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar(H) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars(I) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings(J) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings(K) to the Lord. Moses(L) took half of the blood(M) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed(N) against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant(O) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”(P)

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people(Q) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant(R) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders(S) of Israel went up 10 and saw(T) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,(U) as bright blue as the sky.(V) 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw(W) God, and they ate and drank.(X)

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