Exodus 19-32

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Israelites Reach Mount Sinai

19 On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. ² They journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.^{(A) 3} Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites:^{(B) 4} ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.^{(C) 5} Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,^{(D) 6} but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”^(E)

⁷ So Moses went, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ The people all answered as one, “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.^{(F) 9} Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.”

The People Consecrated

When Moses had told the words of the people to the Lord,^{(G) 10} the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes^{(H) 11} and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.^{(I) 12} You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death.^{(J) 13} No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows;^[a] whether animal or human being, they shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.” ¹⁴ So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled.^{(K) 17} Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Now all of Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently.^{(L) 19} As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.^{(M) 20} When the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the Lord; otherwise many of them will perish.^{(N) 22} Even the priests who approach the Lord must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”^{(O) 23} Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not permitted to come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and keep it holy.’ ”^{(P) 24} The Lord said to him, “Go down, then come back up and bring Aaron with you, but do not let either the priests or the people break through to come up to the Lord; otherwise he will break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words,^(Q)

² “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;^{(R) 3} you shall have no other gods before^[b] me.^(S)

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.^{(T) 5} You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me^{(U) 6} but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation^[c] of those who love me and keep my commandments.^(V)

⁷ “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.^(W)

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.^{(X) 9} Six days you shall labor and do all your work.^{(Y) 10} But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.^(Z)

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.^(AA)

¹³ “You shall not murder.^[d](AB)

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.^(AC)

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.^(AD)

¹⁶ “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.^(AE)

¹⁷ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female slave, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”^(AF)

¹⁸ When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid^[e] and trembled and stood at a distance^{(AG) 19} and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”^{(AH) 20} Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.”^{(AI) 21} Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.^(AJ)

The Law concerning the Altar

²² The Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I spoke with you from heaven.^{(AK) 23} You shall not make gods of silver alongside me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.^{(AL) 24} You need make for me only an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.^{(AM) 25} But if you make for me an altar of stone, do not build it of hewn stones, for if you use a chisel upon it you profane it.^{(AN) 26} You shall not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.

The Law concerning Slaves

21 “These are the ordinances that you shall set before them:^(AO)

² “When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt.^{(AP) 3} If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. ⁵ But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him for life.^(AQ)

⁷ “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.^{(AR) 8} If she does not please her master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt unfairly with her. ⁹ If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. ¹⁰ If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.^{[f](AS) 11} And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out without debt, without payment of money.

The Law concerning Violence

¹² “Whoever strikes a person mortally shall be put to death.^{(AT) 13} If it was not premeditated but came about by an act of God, then I will appoint for you a place to which the killer may flee.^{(AU) 14} But if someone willfully attacks and kills another by treachery, you shall take the killer from my altar for execution.^(AV)

¹⁵ “Whoever strikes father or mother shall be put to death.

¹⁶ “Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that person has been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death.^(AW)

¹⁷ “Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death.^(AX)

¹⁸ “When individuals quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is confined to bed ¹⁹ but recovers and walks around outside with the help of a staff, then the assailant shall be free of liability, except to pay for the loss of time and to arrange for full recovery.

²⁰ “When a slaveowner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. ²¹ But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment, for the slave is the owner’s property.^(AY)

²² “When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman so that there is a miscarriage and yet no further harm follows, the one responsible shall be fined what the woman’s husband demands, paying as much as the judges determine. ²³ If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,^{(AZ) 24} eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,^{(BA) 25} burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

²⁶ “When a slaveowner strikes the eye of a male or female slave, destroying it, the owner shall let the slave go, a free person, to compensate for the eye. ²⁷ If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the tooth.

Laws concerning Property

²⁸ “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.^{(BB) 29} If the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past and its owner has been warned but did not restrain it, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. ³⁰ If a ransom is imposed on the owner, then the owner shall pay whatever is imposed for the redemption of the victim’s life.^{(BC) 31} If it gores a boy or a girl, the owner shall be dealt with according to this same rule. ³² If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay to the slaveowner thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.^(BD)

³³ “If someone leaves a pit open or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,^{(BE) 34} the owner of the pit shall make restitution, giving money to its owner but keeping the dead animal.

³⁵ “If someone’s ox hurts the ox of another, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the price of it, and the dead animal they shall also divide. ³⁶ But if it was known that the ox was accustomed to gore in the past and its owner did not restrain it, the owner shall restore ox for ox but keep the dead animal.

Laws of Restitution

22 ^[g]“When someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, the thief shall pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. ^2 [h](If the thief is found breaking in and is struck dead, no bloodguilt is incurred;^{(BF) 3} but if it happens after sunrise, bloodguilt is incurred.) The thief shall make full restitution or, if unable to do so, shall be sold for the theft.^{(BG) 4} When the animal, whether ox or donkey or sheep, is found alive in the thief’s possession, the thief shall pay double.

⁵ “When someone causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets livestock loose to graze in someone else’s field, restitution shall be made from the best in the owner’s field or vineyard.

⁶ “When fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, the one who started the fire shall make full restitution.

⁷ “When someone delivers to a neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, then the thief, if caught, shall pay double.^{(BH) 8} If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall be brought before God, to determine whether or not the owner had laid hands on the neighbor’s goods.^(BI)

⁹ “In any case of disputed ownership involving ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or any other loss, of which one party says, ‘This is mine,’ the case of both parties shall come before God; the one whom God condemns shall pay double to the other.^(BJ)

¹⁰ “When someone delivers to another a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is carried off without anyone seeing it, ¹¹ an oath before the Lord shall decide between the two of them that the one has not laid hands on the property of the other; the owner shall accept the oath, and no restitution shall be made.^{(BK) 12} But if it was stolen, restitution shall be made to its owner.^{(BL) 13} If it was mangled by beasts, let it be brought as evidence; restitution shall not be made for the mangled remains.

¹⁴ “When someone borrows an animal from another and it is injured or dies, the owner not being present, full restitution shall be made. ¹⁵ If the owner was present, there shall be no restitution; if it was hired, only the hiring fee is due.

Social and Religious Laws

¹⁶ “When a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife.^{(BM) 17} But if her father refuses to give her to him, he shall pay an amount equal to the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁸ “You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live.^(BN)

¹⁹ “Whoever has intercourse with an animal shall be put to death.^(BO)

²⁰ “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord alone shall be devoted to destruction.^(BP)

²¹ “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.^{(BQ) 22} You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.^{(BR) 23} If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry;^{(BS) 24} my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.^(BT)

²⁵ “If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them.^{(BU) 26} If you take your neighbor’s cloak as guarantee, you shall restore it before the sun goes down, ²⁷ for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as a cover. In what else shall that person sleep? And when your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.

²⁸ “You shall not revile God or curse a leader of your people.^(BV)

²⁹ “You shall not delay to make offerings from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses.^[i]

“The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me.^{(BW) 30} You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall remain with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.^(BX)

³¹ “You shall be people consecrated to me, so you shall not eat any meat that is mangled by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.^(BY)

Justice for All

23 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness.^{(BZ) 2} You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice,^{[j](CA) 3} nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit.

⁴ “When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.^(CB)

⁵ “When you see the donkey of one who hates you struggling under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free.^(CC)

⁶ “You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.^{(CD) 7} Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty.^{(CE) 8} You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds officials and subverts the cause of those who are in the right.^(CF)

⁹ “You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.^(CG)

Sabbatical Year and Sabbath

¹⁰ “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield,^{(CH) 11} but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave the wild animals may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard and with your olive orchard.

¹² “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest so that your ox and your donkey may have relief and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.^{(CI) 13} Be attentive to all that I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

The Annual Festivals

¹⁴ “Three times in the year you shall hold a festival for me. ¹⁵ You shall observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt.

“No one shall appear before me empty-handed.^(CJ)

¹⁶ “You shall observe the Festival of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor.^{(CK) 17} Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.

¹⁸ “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened or let the fat of my festival remain until the morning.

¹⁹ “The choicest of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.

“You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.^(CL)

The Conquest of Canaan Promised

²⁰ “I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.^{(CM) 21} Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.^(CN)

²² “But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.^(CO)

²³ “When my angel goes in front of you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,^{(CP) 24} you shall not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces.^{(CQ) 25} You shall serve the Lord your God, and I^[k] will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.^{(CR) 26} No one shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.^{(CS) 27} I will send my terror in front of you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ And I will send swarms of hornets^[l] in front of you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.^{(CT) 29} I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals multiply against you.^{(CU) 30} Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. ³¹ I will set your borders from the Red Sea^[m] to the sea of the Philistines and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will hand over to you the inhabitants of the land, and you shall drive them out before you.^{(CV) 32} You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.^{(CW) 33} They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”^(CX)

The Blood of the Covenant

24 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship at a distance.^{(CY) 2} Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

³ Moses went and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances, and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”^{(CZ) 4} And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and set up twelve pillars, corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel.^{(DA) 5} He sent young men of the Israelites, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed oxen as offerings of well-being to the Lord. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.^{(DB) 7} Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”^{(DC) 8} Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people, and said, “Here is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”^(DD)

On the Mountain with God

⁹ Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,^{(DE) 10} and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.^{(DF) 11} God^[n] did not lay his hand on the chief men of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

¹² The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there; I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up onto the mountain of God. ¹⁴ To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.”

¹⁵ Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.^{(DG) 16} The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud.^{(DH) 17} Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the Israelites.^{(DI) 18} Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.^(DJ)

Offerings for the Tabernacle

25 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to take for me an offering; from all whose hearts prompt them to give you shall receive the offering for me.^{(DK) 3} This is the offering that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple, and crimson yarns and fine linen, goats’ hair, ⁵ tanned rams’ skins, fine leather,^[o] acacia wood, ⁶ oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,^{(DL) 7} onyx stones and gems to be set in the ephod and for the breastpiece.^{(DM) 8} And they shall make me a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them.^{(DN) 9} In accordance with all that I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.^(DO)

The Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “They shall make an ark of acacia wood; it shall be two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.^{(DP) 11} You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you shall overlay it, and you shall make a molding of gold upon it all around. ¹² You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on one side of it and two rings on the other side. ¹³ You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, for carrying the ark. ¹⁵ The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed. ¹⁶ You shall put the covenant that I am giving you into the ark.^(DQ)

¹⁷ “Then you shall make a cover of pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width.^{(DR) 18} You shall make two cherubim of gold; you shall make them of hammered work at the two ends of the cover. ¹⁹ Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other; of one piece with the cover you shall make the cherubim at its two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the cover with their wings. They shall face one to another; the faces of the cherubim shall be turned toward the cover.^{(DS) 21} You shall put the cover on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I am giving you.^{(DT) 22} There I will meet with you, and from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant, I will tell you all that I am commanding you for the Israelites.^(DU)

The Table for the Bread of the Presence

²³ “You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and a cubit and a half high.^{(DV) 24} You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. ²⁵ You shall make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and a molding of gold around the rim. ²⁶ You shall make for it four rings of gold and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs. ²⁷ The rings that hold the poles used for carrying the table shall be close to the rim. ²⁸ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. ²⁹ You shall make its plates and dishes and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.^{(DW) 30} And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me continually.^(DX)

The Lampstand

³¹ “You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The base and the shaft of the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its cups, its calyxes, and its petals shall be of one piece with it;^{(DY) 32} and there shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it;^{(DZ) 33} three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on one branch, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. ³⁴ On the lampstand itself there shall be four cups shaped like almond blossoms, each with its calyxes and petals.^{(EA) 35} There shall be a calyx of one piece with it under the first pair of branches, a calyx of one piece with it under the next pair of branches, and a calyx of one piece with it under the last pair of branches—so for the six branches that go out of the lampstand. ³⁶ Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it one hammered piece of pure gold. ³⁷ You shall make seven lamps for it, and the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.^{(EB) 38} Its snuffers and trays shall be of pure gold. ³⁹ It and all these utensils shall be made from a talent of pure gold. ⁴⁰ And see that you make them according to the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.^(EC)

The Tabernacle

26 “The tabernacle itself you shall make with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and crimson yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them.^{(ED) 2} The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be of the same size. ³ Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another.^{(EE) 4} You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. ⁵ You shall make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another.^{(EF) 6} You shall make fifty clasps of gold and join the curtains to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be one whole.

⁷ “You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains.^{(EG) 8} The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall be of the same size. ⁹ You shall join five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.

¹¹ “You shall make fifty clasps of bronze and put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together, so that it may be one whole.^{(EH) 12} The part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other side of what remains in the length of the curtains of the tent shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. ¹⁴ You shall make for the tent a covering of tanned rams’ skins and an outer covering of fine leather.^[p](EI)

The Framework

¹⁵ “You shall make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle.^{(EJ) 16} Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame and a cubit and a half the width of each frame. ¹⁷ There shall be two pegs in each frame to fit the frames together; you shall make these for all the frames of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; ¹⁹ and you shall make forty bases of silver under the twenty frames: two bases under the first frame for its two pegs and two bases under the next frame for its two pegs; ²⁰ and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames,^{(EK) 21} and their forty bases of silver: two bases under the first frame and two bases under the next frame; ²² and for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. ²³ You shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; ²⁴ they shall be separate beneath but joined at the top at the first ring; it shall be the same with both of them; they shall form the two corners. ²⁵ And so there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases: two bases under the first frame and two bases under the next frame.^(EL)

²⁶ “You shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the frames of one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. ²⁸ The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall pass through from end to end. ²⁹ You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold to hold the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.^(EM)

The Curtain

³¹ “You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns and of fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it.^{(EN) 32} You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, which have hooks of gold and rest on four bases of silver. ³³ You shall hang the curtain under the clasps and bring the ark of the covenant in there, within the curtain, and the curtain shall separate for you the holy place from the most holy place.^{(EO) 34} You shall put the cover on the ark of the covenant in the most holy place.^{(EP) 35} You shall set the table outside the curtain and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.^(EQ)

³⁶ “You shall make a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns and of fine twisted linen, embroidered with needlework.^{(ER) 37} You shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.^(ES)

The Altar of Burnt Offering

27 “You shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and it shall be three cubits high.^{(ET) 2} You shall make horns for it on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. ³ You shall make pots for its ashes and shovels and basins and forks and firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze.^{(EU) 4} You shall also make for it a grating, a network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. ⁵ You shall set it under the ledge of the altar so that the net shall extend halfway down the altar. ⁶ You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze; ⁷ the poles shall be put through the rings, so that the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. ⁸ You shall make it hollow, with boards. They shall be made just as you were shown on the mountain.^(EV)

The Court and Its Hangings

⁹ “You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side the court shall have hangings of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for that side;^{(EW) 10} its twenty pillars and their twenty bases shall be of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver.^{(EX) 11} Likewise for its length on the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, their pillars twenty and their bases twenty, of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. ¹² For the width of the court on the west side there shall be fifty cubits of hangings, with ten pillars and ten bases. ¹³ The width of the court on the front to the east shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ There shall be fifteen cubits of hangings on one side, with three pillars and three bases.^{(EY) 15} There shall be fifteen cubits of^[q] hangings on the other side, with three pillars and three bases. ¹⁶ For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns and of fine twisted linen, embroidered with needlework; it shall have four pillars and with them four bases.^{(EZ) 17} All the pillars around the court shall be banded with silver; their hooks shall be of silver and their bases of bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty, and the height five cubits, with hangings of fine twisted linen and bases of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils of the tabernacle for every use, and all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

The Oil for the Lamp

²⁰ “You shall further command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, so that a lamp may be set up to burn continually.^{(FA) 21} In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that is before the covenant, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening to morning before the Lord. It shall be a perpetual ordinance to be observed throughout their generations by the Israelites.^(FB)

Vestments for the Priesthood

28 “Then bring near to you your brother Aaron and his sons with him, from among the Israelites, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.^{(FC) 2} You shall make sacred vestments for the glorious adornment of your brother Aaron.^{(FD) 3} And you shall speak to all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with skill, so that they make Aaron’s vestments to consecrate him for my priesthood.^{(FE) 4} These are the vestments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, and a sash. When they make these sacred vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests,^{(FF) 5} they shall use gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns and fine linen.

The Ephod

⁶ “They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen, skillfully worked.^{(FG) 7} It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. ⁸ The decorated band on it shall be of the same workmanship and materials, of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen. ⁹ You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel,^{(FH) 10} six of their names on the one stone and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. ¹¹ As a gem cutter engraves signets, so you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall mount them in settings of gold filigree. ¹² You shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance.^{(FI) 13} You shall make settings of gold filigree ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

The Breastplate

¹⁵ “You shall make a breastpiece of judgment, in skilled work; you shall make it in the style of the ephod; of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen you shall make it.^{(FJ) 16} It shall be square and doubled, a span in length and a span in width. ¹⁷ You shall set in it four rows of stones. A row of carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald shall be the first row;^{(FK) 18} and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire,^[r] and a moonstone; ¹⁹ and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. ²¹ There shall be twelve stones with names corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they shall be like signets, each engraved with its name, for the twelve tribes.^{(FL) 22} You shall make for the breastpiece chains of pure gold, twisted like cords, ²³ and you shall make for the breastpiece two rings of gold and put the two rings on the two edges of the breastpiece. ²⁴ You shall put the two cords of gold in the two rings at the edges of the breastpiece;^{(FM) 25} the two ends of the two cords you shall attach to the two settings and so attach it in front to the shoulder pieces of the ephod. ²⁶ You shall make two rings of gold and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.^{[s](FN) 27} You shall make two rings of gold and attach them in front to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, at its joining above the decorated band of the ephod. ²⁸ The breastpiece shall be bound by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it may lie on the decorated band of the ephod and so that the breastpiece shall not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord.^{(FO) 30} In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; thus Aaron shall bear the judgment of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.^(FP)

Other Priestly Vestments

³¹ “You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.^{(FQ) 32} It shall have an opening for the head in the middle of it, with a woven binding around its edge, like the opening in a garment,^[t] so that it may not be torn. ³³ On its lower hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, all around the lower hem, with bells of gold between them all around— ³⁴ a golden bell and a pomegranate alternating all around the lower hem of the robe. ³⁵ Aaron shall wear it when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, so that he may not die.

³⁶ “You shall make a rosette of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’^{(FR) 37} You shall fasten it on the turban with a blue cord; it shall be on the front of the turban. ³⁸ It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall take on himself any guilt incurred in the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as their sacred donations; it shall always be on his forehead, in order that they may find favor before the Lord.^(FS)

³⁹ “You shall make the checkered tunic of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash embroidered with needlework.

⁴⁰ “For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics and sashes and headdresses; you shall make them for their glorious adornment.^{(FT) 41} You shall put them on your brother Aaron and on his sons with him and shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve me as priests.^{(FU) 42} You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh; they shall reach from the hips to the thighs;^{(FV) 43} They shall be worn by Aaron and his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, so that they do not bring guilt on themselves and die. This shall be a perpetual ordinance for him and for his descendants after him.^(FW)

The Ordination of the Priests

29 “Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to serve me as priests. Take one young bull and two rams without blemish,^{(FX) 2} and unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil. You shall make them of choice wheat flour.^{(FY) 3} You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket and bring the bull and the two rams. ⁴ You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water.^{(FZ) 5} Then you shall take the vestments and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod,^{(GA) 6} and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy diadem on the turban.^{(GB) 7} You shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.^{(GC) 8} Then you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them,^{(GD) 9} and you shall gird them, Aaron and his sons, with sashes and tie headdresses on them, and the priesthood shall be theirs by a perpetual ordinance. You shall then ordain Aaron and his sons.^(GE)

¹⁰ “You shall bring the bull in front of the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull,^{(GF) 11} and you shall slaughter the bull before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, ¹² and shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and all the rest of the blood you shall pour out at the base of the altar.^{(GG) 13} You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the appendage of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them and turn them into smoke on the altar.^{(GH) 14} But the flesh of the bull and its skin and its dung you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a purification offering.^(GI)

¹⁵ “Then you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram,^{(GJ) 16} and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and dash it against all sides of the altar. ¹⁷ Then you shall cut the ram into its parts and wash its entrails and its legs and put them with its parts and its head ¹⁸ and turn the rest of the ram into smoke on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord; it is a pleasing odor, an offering by fire^[u] to the Lord.^(GK)

¹⁹ “You shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram, ²⁰ and you shall slaughter the ram and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of the right ears of his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet and dash the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar. ²¹ Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his vestments and on his sons and his sons’ vestments with him; then he and his vestments shall be holy, as well as his sons and his sons’ vestments with him.^(GL)

²² “You shall also take the fat of the ram, the fatty tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the appendage of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), ²³ and one loaf of bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord,^{(GM) 24} and you shall place all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons and raise them as an elevation offering before the Lord.^{(GN) 25} Then you shall take them from their hands and turn them into smoke on the altar on top of the burnt offering for a pleasing odor before the Lord. It is an offering by fire^[v] to the Lord.^(GO)

²⁶ “You shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron’s ordination and raise it as an elevation offering before the Lord, and it shall be your portion.^{(GP) 27} You shall consecrate the breast that was raised as an elevation offering and the thigh that was lifted up as an offering from the ram of ordination, from that which belonged to Aaron and his sons.^{(GQ) 28} These things shall be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons from the Israelites, for this is an offering, and it shall be an offering by the Israelites from their sacrifice of offerings of well-being, their offering to the Lord.^(GR)

²⁹ “The sacred vestments of Aaron shall be passed on to his sons after him; they shall be anointed in them and ordained in them.^{(GS) 30} The son who is priest in his place shall wear them seven days when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.^(GT)

³¹ “You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place,^{(GU) 32} and Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket at the entrance of the tent of meeting.^{(GV) 33} They shall eat the food by which atonement is made, to ordain and consecrate them, but no one else shall eat of it, because it is holy.^{(GW) 34} If any of the flesh for the ordination or of the bread remains until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.^(GX)

³⁵ “Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, just as I have commanded you; through seven days you shall ordain them.^{(GY) 36} Also every day you shall offer a bull as a purification offering for atonement. Also you shall offer a sin offering for the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it, to consecrate it.^{(GZ) 37} Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become holy.^(HA)

The Daily Offerings

³⁸ “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old regularly each day.^{(HB) 39} One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, ⁴⁰ and with the first lamb one-tenth of a measure of choice flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. ⁴¹ And the other lamb you shall offer in the evening and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning, for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire^[w] to the Lord. ⁴² It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.^{(HC) 43} I will meet with the Israelites there, and it shall be sanctified by my glory;^{(HD) 44} I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests.^{(HE) 45} I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be their God.^{(HF) 46} And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.^(HG)

The Altar of Incense

30 “You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.^{(HH) 2} It shall be one cubit long and one cubit wide; it shall be square and shall be two cubits high; its horns shall be of one piece with it. ³ You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around and its horns, and you shall make for it a molding of gold all around. ⁴ And you shall make two golden rings for it; under its molding on two opposite sides of it you shall make them, and they shall hold the poles for carrying it. ⁵ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ You shall place it in front of the curtain that is above the ark of the covenant, in front of the cover that is over the covenant, where I will meet with you.^{(HI) 7} Aaron shall offer fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it,^{(HJ) 8} and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening, he shall offer it, a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ You shall not offer unholy incense on it or a burnt offering or a grain offering, and you shall not pour a drink offering on it.^{(HK) 10} Once a year Aaron shall perform the rite of atonement on its horns. Throughout your generations he shall perform the atonement for it once a year with the blood of the atoning purification offering. It is most holy to the Lord.”^(HL)

The Half Shekel for the Sanctuary

¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, ¹² “When you take a census of the Israelites to register them, at registration all of them shall give a ransom for their lives to the Lord, so that no plague may come upon them for being registered.^{(HM) 13} This is what each one who is registered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord.^{(HN) 14} Each one who is registered, from twenty years old and up, shall give the Lord’s offering. ¹⁵ The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than the half shekel, when you bring this offering to the Lord to make atonement for your lives.^{(HO) 16} You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and shall designate it for the service of the tent of meeting; before the Lord it will be a reminder to the Israelites of the ransom given for your lives.”^(HP)

The Bronze Basin

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses, ¹⁸ “You shall make a bronze basin with a bronze stand for washing. You shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it;^{(HQ) 19} with the water^[x] Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.^{(HR) 20} When they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister to make an offering by fire^[y] to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. ²¹ They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they may not die: it shall be a perpetual ordinance for them, for him and for his descendants throughout their generations.”^(HS)

The Anointing Oil and Incense

²² The Lord spoke to Moses, ²³ “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane, ²⁴ and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil, ²⁵ and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.^{(HT) 26} With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant^{(HU) 27} and the table and all its utensils and the lampstand and its utensils and the altar of incense ²⁸ and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin with its stand; ²⁹ you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy.^{(HV) 30} You shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve me as priests.^{(HW) 31} You shall say to the Israelites: This shall be my holy anointing oil throughout your generations. ³² It shall not be used in any ordinary anointing of the body, and you shall make no other like it in composition; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you.^{(HX) 33} Whoever blends any like it or whoever puts any of it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from the people.”^(HY)

³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an equal part of each), ³⁵ and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy,^{(HZ) 36} and you shall beat some of it into powder and put part of it before the covenant in the tent of meeting, where I shall meet with you; it shall be most holy for you.^{(IA) 37} When you make incense according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from the people.”

Bezalel and Oholiab

31 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,^{(IB) 3} and I have filled him with a divine spirit,^[z] with ability, intelligence, and knowledge, and every kind of skill, ⁴ to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every kind of craft. ⁶ Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you:^{(IC) 7} the tent of meeting, and the ark of the covenant, and the cover that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent,^{(ID) 8} the table and its utensils, and the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and the altar of incense,^{(IE) 9} and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, ¹⁰ and the finely worked vestments, the holy vestments for the priest Aaron and the vestments of his sons, for their service as priests, ¹¹ and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the holy place. They shall do just as I have commanded you.”^(IF)

The Sabbath Law

¹² The Lord said to Moses, ¹³ “You yourself are to speak to the Israelites, ‘You shall surely keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, given in order that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.^{(IG) 14} You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people.^{(IH) 15} Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.^{(II) 16} Therefore the Israelites shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ It is a sign forever between me and the Israelites that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”^(IJ)

The Two Tablets of the Covenant

¹⁸ When God^[aa] finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.^(IK)

The Golden Calf

32 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”^{(IL) 2} Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me.”^{(IM) 3} So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He took these from them, formed them in a mold,^[ab] and cast an image of a calf, and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”^{(IN) 5} When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” ⁶ They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being, and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.^(IO)

⁷ The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;^{(IP) 8} they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ”^{(IQ) 9} The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.^{(IR) 10} Now let me alone so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and of you I will make a great nation.”^(IS)

¹¹ But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?^{(IT) 12} Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.^{(IU) 13} Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ”^{(IV) 14} And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.^(IW)

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, tablets that were written on both sides, written on the front and on the back.^{(IX) 16} The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved upon the tablets.^{(IY) 17} When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” ¹⁸ But he said,

¹⁹ As soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses’s anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.^{(IZ) 20} He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.^(JA)

²¹ Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”^{(JB) 22} And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are wicked.^{(JC) 23} They said to me, ‘Make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’^{(JD) 24} So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”^(JE)

²⁵ When Moses saw that the people were out of control (for Aaron had lost control of them, prompting derision among their enemies), ²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.”^{(JF) 28} The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand of the people fell on that day. ²⁹ Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.”

³⁰ On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”^{(JG) 31} So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold.^{(JH) 32} But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of the book that you have written.”^{(JI) 33} But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.^{(JJ) 34} But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. Nevertheless, when the day for punishment comes, I will punish them for their sin.”^(JK)

³⁵ Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron had made.^(JL)