¹⁶ And^[a] on the third day, when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain and a very loud ram’s horn sound, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out from the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ And Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke because Yahweh went down on it in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a smelting furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. ¹⁹ And the sound of the ram’s horn became louder and louder,^[b] and Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice.

²⁰ And Yahweh went down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to see and many from them fall. ²² And even the priests who come near Yahweh must consecrate themselves, lest Yahweh break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to Yahweh, “The people are not able to go up to Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ And Yahweh said to him, “Go, go down, and come up, you and Aaron with you and the priests, but the people must not break through to go up to Yahweh, lest he break out against them.” ²⁵ And Moses went down to the people, and he told them.^[c]