Exodus 33
New American Standard Bible
The Journey Resumed
33 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which (A)I swore to Abraham, (B)Isaac, and (C)Jacob, saying, ‘(D)To your [a]descendants I will give it.’ 2 And I will send (E)an angel before you and (F)I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land (G)flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are [b](H)an obstinate people, and (I)I might destroy you on the way.”
4 When the people heard this [c]sad word, (J)they went into mourning, and none of them put on his jewelry. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are [d](K)an obstinate people; if I [e]were to go up in your midst for just one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your [f]jewelry that I may know what I shall do to you.’” 6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry, from Mount Horeb onward.
7 Now Moses used to take (L)the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And (M)everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, (N)the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; (O)and [g]the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would stand and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 So (P)the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When [h]Moses returned to the camp, (Q)his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Moses Intercedes
12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘(R)Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know (S)whom You will send with me. (T)Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please (U)let me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight. (V)Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “(W)My presence shall go with you, and (X)I will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “(Y)If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that (Z)we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are on the face of the [i]earth?”
17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; (AA)for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 (AB)Then Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “(AC)I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and (AD)I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, (AE)for mankind shall not see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place [j]by Me, and (AF)you shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and (AG)cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but (AH)My face shall not be seen.”
Footnotes
- Exodus 33:1 Lit seed
- Exodus 33:3 Or a stiff-necked
- Exodus 33:4 Lit evil
- Exodus 33:5 Or a stiff-necked
- Exodus 33:5 Or go up...I will destroy
- Exodus 33:5 Lit jewelry from you, that
- Exodus 33:9 Lit He
- Exodus 33:11 Lit he
- Exodus 33:16 Lit ground
- Exodus 33:21 Lit with
Exodus 33
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Command to Leave Sinai
33 The Lord said to Moses, “Go, leave this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’(A) 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.(B) 3 Go up[a] to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”(C)
4 When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments.(D) 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’ ” 6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
The Tent outside the Camp
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.(E) 8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent.(F) 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord[b] would speak with Moses.(G) 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, all of them, at the entrance of their tent. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp, but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent.(H)
Moses’s Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’(I) 13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider, too, that this nation is your people.”(J) 14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”(K) 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”(L)
17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have asked, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”(M) 18 Moses[c] said, “Please show me your glory.” 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord,’[d] and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.(N) 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.”(O) 21 And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”(P)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.