Yahweh Cuts His Covenant with Israel

24 Then He said to Moses, “^(A)Come up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, ^(B)Nadab and Abihu and ^(C)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you all shall worship at a distance. ² Moses alone, however, shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

³ Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “^(D)All the words which Yahweh has spoken we will do!” ^4 (E)And Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an ^(F)altar ^[a]at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, ^(G)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to Yahweh. ^6 (H)And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he ^[b]sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ Then he took ^(I)the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “^(J)All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” ⁸ So ^(K)Moses took the blood and ^[c]sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold ^(L)the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has cut with you ^[d]in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Then Moses went up ^[e]with Aaron, ^(M)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and ^(N)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet ^[f](O)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, ^[g]as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and ^(P)they beheld God, and they ate and drank.