Israel at Mount Sinai

19 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they ^(A)came into the wilderness of Sinai. ² They set out from ^(B)Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before ^(C)the mountain, ³ while ^(D)Moses went up to God. ^(E)The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ^4 (F)‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how ^(G)I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be ^(H)my treasured possession among all peoples, for ^(I)all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you shall be to me a ^(J)kingdom of priests and ^(K)a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

⁷ So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. ^8 (L)All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you ^(M)in a thick cloud, that ^(N)the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also ^(O)believe you forever.”

When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, ¹⁰ the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and ^(P)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them ^(Q)wash their garments ¹¹ and be ready for the third day. For on the third day ^(R)the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹² And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. ^(S)Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. ¹³ No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot;^[a] whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When ^(T)the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses ^(U)went down from the mountain to the people and ^(V)consecrated the people; ^(W)and they washed their garments. ¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the ^(X)third day; ^(Y)do not go near a woman.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the ^(Z)third day there were ^(AA)thunders and lightnings and ^(AB)a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud ^(AC)trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp ^(AD)trembled. ¹⁷ Then ^(AE)Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now ^(AF)Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and ^(AG)the whole mountain trembled greatly. ¹⁹ And as the ^(AH)sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and ^(AI)God answered him in thunder. ²⁰ The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord ^(AJ)to look and many of them perish. ²² Also let the priests who come near to the Lord ^(AK)consecrate themselves, lest the Lord ^(AL)break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ^(AM)‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people ^(AN)break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Ezra Prays About Intermarriage

9 After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the ^(A)Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands ^(B)with their abominations, from the ^(C)Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. ^2 (D)For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the ^(E)holy race^[a] has ^(F)mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” ³ As soon as I heard this, I ^(G)tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and ^(H)sat appalled. ⁴ Then all who ^(I)trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat ^(J)appalled until the evening sacrifice. ⁵ And at the ^(K)evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment ^(L)and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees ^(M)and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, ⁶ saying:

“O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities ^(N)have risen higher than our heads, and our ^(O)guilt has ^(P)mounted up to the heavens. ^7 (Q)From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great ^(R)guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, ^(S)and to utter shame, as it is today. ⁸ But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a ^(T)remnant and to give us a ^(U)secure hold^[b] within his holy place, that our God may ^(V)brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. ^9 (W)For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, ^(X)but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection^[c] in Judea and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments, ¹¹ which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with ^(Y)their uncleanness. ^12 (Z)Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land ^(AA)and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’ ¹³ And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for ^(AB)our great guilt, seeing that you, our ^(AC)God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a ^(AD)remnant as this, ¹⁴ shall we break your commandments again and ^(AE)intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us ^(AF)until you consumed us, so that there should be no ^(AG)remnant, nor any to escape? ¹⁵ O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a ^(AH)remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our ^(AI)guilt, ^(AJ)for none can stand before you because of this.”

God's Sovereign Choice

9 ^(A)I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—