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.’ 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. 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.”

When the people heard this [c]sad word, (J)they went into mourning, and none of them put on his jewelry. 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.’” So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry, from Mount Horeb onward.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 33:1 Lit seed
  2. Exodus 33:3 Or a stiff-necked
  3. Exodus 33:4 Lit evil
  4. Exodus 33:5 Or a stiff-necked
  5. Exodus 33:5 Or go up...I will destroy
  6. Exodus 33:5 Lit jewelry from you, that

33 The Lord said to Moses, “Get going, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt. Go up to the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I told them, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ And I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to this land that flows with milk and honey. But I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I did, I would surely destroy you along the way.”

When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothes. For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.” So from the time they left Mount Sinai,[a] the Israelites wore no more jewelry or fine clothes.

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Footnotes

  1. 33:6 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.