Exodus 34:1-17

Common English Bible

A deeper revealing of God’s character

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones. I’ll write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke into pieces. ² Get ready in the morning and come up to Mount Sinai. Stand there on top of the mountain in front of me. ³ No one else can come up with you. Don’t allow anyone even to be seen anywhere on the mountain. Don’t even let sheep and cattle graze in front of the mountain.” ⁴ So Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning and climbed up Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him. He carried the two stone tablets in his hands. ⁵ The Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him, and proclaimed the name, “The Lord.” ⁶ The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:

⁸ At once Moses bowed to the ground and worshipped. ⁹ He said, “If you approve of me, my Lord, please go along with us.^[a] Although these are stubborn people, forgive our guilt and our sin and take us as your own possession.”

Renewing the broken covenant

¹⁰ The Lord said: I now make a covenant. In front of all your people, I’ll perform dramatic displays of power that have never been done before anywhere on earth or in any nation. All the people who are around you will see what the Lord does, because I will do an awesome thing with you.

¹¹ Be sure to obey what I command you today. I’m about to drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ¹² Be careful that you don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, or it will become a dangerous trap for you. ¹³ You must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stone pillars, and cut down their sacred poles. ¹⁴ You must not bow down to another god, because the Lord is passionate: the Lord’s name means “a passionate God.” ¹⁵ Don’t make a covenant with those who live in the land. When they prostitute themselves with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, they may invite you and you may end up eating some of the sacrifice. ¹⁶ Then you might go and choose their daughters as wives for your sons. And their daughters who prostitute themselves with their gods might lead your sons to prostitute themselves with their gods.

¹⁷ Don’t make metal gods for yourself.