34 1-3 God spoke to Moses: “Cut out two tablets of stone just like the originals and engrave on them the words that were on the original tablets you smashed. Be ready in the morning to climb Mount Sinai and get set to meet me on top of the mountain. Not a soul is to go with you; the whole mountain must be clear of people, even animals—not even sheep or oxen can be grazing in front of the mountain.”

4-7 So Moses cut two tablets of stone just like the originals. He got up early in the morning and climbed Mount Sinai as God had commanded him, carrying the two tablets of stone. God descended in the cloud and took up his position there beside him and called out the name, God. God passed in front of him and called out, “God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn’t ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father’s sins to the third and even fourth generation.”

8-9 At once, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, “Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us.”

10-12 And God said, “As of right now, I’m making a covenant with you: In full sight of your people I will work wonders that have never been created in all the Earth, in any nation. Then all the people with whom you’re living will see how tremendous God’s work is, the work I’ll do for you. Take careful note of all I command you today. I’m clearing your way by driving out Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Stay vigilant. Don’t let down your guard lest you make covenant with the people who live in the land that you are entering and they trip you up.

13-16 “Tear down their altars, smash their phallic pillars, chop down their fertility poles. Don’t worship any other god. God—his name is The-Jealous-One—is a jealous God. Be careful that you don’t make a covenant with the people who live in the land and take up with their sex-and-religion life, join them in meals at their altars, marry your sons to their women, women who take up with any convenient god or goddess and will get your sons to do the same thing.

17 “Don’t make molten gods for yourselves.

18 “Keep the Feast of Unraised Bread. Eat only unraised bread for seven days in the month of Abib—it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.

19 “Every firstborn from the womb is mine, all the males of your herds, your firstborn oxen and sheep.

20 “Redeem your firstborn donkey with a lamb. If you don’t redeem it you must break its neck.

“Redeem each of your firstborn sons.

“No one is to show up in my presence empty-handed.

21 “Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.

22 “Keep the Feast of Weeks with the first cutting of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

23-24 “All your men are to appear before the Master, the God of Israel, three times a year. You won’t have to worry about your land when you appear before your God three times each year, for I will drive out the nations before you and give you plenty of land. Nobody’s going to be hanging around plotting ways to get it from you.

25 “Don’t mix the blood of my sacrifices with anything fermented.

“Don’t leave leftovers from the Passover Feast until morning.

26 “Bring the finest of the firstfruits of your produce to the house of your God.

“Don’t boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”

27 God said to Moses: “Now write down these words, for by these words I’ve made a covenant with you and Israel.”

28 Moses was there with God forty days and forty nights. He didn’t eat any food; he didn’t drink any water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

29-30 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn’t know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.

31-32 Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them. Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.

33-35 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face, but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they would see Moses’ face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.

Stone Tablets like the Former Ones

34 Now Yahweh said to Moses, “Carve out for yourself (A)two stone tablets like the former ones, and (B)I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. So be prepared by morning, and come up in the morning to (C)Mount Sinai, and [a]present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. (D)And no man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen [b]anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.” So he carved out (E)two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. (F)Then Yahweh descended in the cloud and stood there with him, and [c]He called upon the name of Yahweh. Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, (G)compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and [d]truth; who (H)keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He (I)will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, (J)visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” And Moses made haste [e](K)to bow low toward the earth and worship. And he said, “(L)If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though [f](M)they are a stiff-necked people, and (N)pardon our iniquity and our sin, and (O)take us as Your own inheritance.”

Yahweh Cuts a Covenant with Israel

10 Then [g]God said, “Behold, (P)I am going to cut a covenant. Before all your people (Q)I will do wondrous deeds which have not been created in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people [h]among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to do with you.

11 [i]Be sure to keep what I am commanding you this day: behold, (R)I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12 (S)Beware lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, lest it become a snare in your midst. 13 (T)But rather, you are to tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and cut down their [j](U)Asherim 14 —for (V)you shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— 15 lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and (W)sacrifice to their gods, and one of them (X)invite you [k]to eat of his sacrifice, 16 and (Y)you take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. 17 (Z)You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

18 “You shall keep (AA)the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For (AB)seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time in the (AC)month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

19 (AD)The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, even of all your male livestock, the first offspring from [l]cattle and sheep. 20 (AE)And you shall redeem with a lamb the [m]first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem (AF)all the firstborn of your sons. [n](AG)None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

21 “You shall work (AH)six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest. 22 And you shall celebrate (AI)the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year. 23 (AJ)Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. 24 For I will (AK)dispossess nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before Yahweh your God.

25 (AL)You shall not [o]offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, (AM)and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover shall not [p]be left over until morning.

26 “You shall bring (AN)the very first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of Yahweh your God.

“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “(AO)Write [q]down these words, for in accordance with these words I have cut (AP)a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with Yahweh (AQ)forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And [r](AR)he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, (AS)the Ten [s]Commandments.

The Shining Face of Moses

29 Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the (AT)two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that (AU)the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30 Then Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and (AV)they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them everything that Yahweh had spoken [t]to him on Mount Sinai. 33 Then Moses finished speaking with them and (AW)put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with Him, (AX)he would take off the veil until he came out; and then he would come out and speak to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35 (AY)and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would return the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:2 Or place yourself before
  2. Exodus 34:3 Lit on all
  3. Exodus 34:5 Or possibly he (Moses), but cf. 33:19
  4. Exodus 34:6 Or faithfulness
  5. Exodus 34:8 Lit and bowed...worshiped
  6. Exodus 34:9 Lit it is
  7. Exodus 34:10 Lit He
  8. Exodus 34:10 Lit in whose midst you are
  9. Exodus 34:11 Lit Keep for yourself
  10. Exodus 34:13 Wooden symbols of a female deity
  11. Exodus 34:15 Lit and you eat
  12. Exodus 34:19 Or oxen
  13. Exodus 34:20 Lit first opening of
  14. Exodus 34:20 Lit They shall not
  15. Exodus 34:25 Lit slaughter
  16. Exodus 34:25 Lit remain overnight
  17. Exodus 34:27 Lit for yourself
  18. Exodus 34:28 Or He, Yahweh
  19. Exodus 34:28 Lit Words
  20. Exodus 34:32 Lit with

The New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,(A) and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets,(B) which you broke.(C) Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.(D) Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain;(E) not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

So Moses chiseled(F) out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.(G) Then the Lord came down in the cloud(H) and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord.(I) And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate(J) and gracious God, slow to anger,(K) abounding in love(L) and faithfulness,(M) maintaining love to thousands,(N) and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.(O) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;(P) he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”(Q)

Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor(R) in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us.(S) Although this is a stiff-necked(T) people, forgive our wickedness and our sin,(U) and take us as your inheritance.”(V)

10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant(W) with you. Before all your people I will do wonders(X) never before done in any nation in all the world.(Y) The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command(Z) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(AA) 12 Be careful not to make a treaty(AB) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare(AC) among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a](AD) 14 Do not worship any other god,(AE) for the Lord, whose name(AF) is Jealous, is a jealous God.(AG)

15 “Be careful not to make a treaty(AH) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute(AI) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.(AJ) 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives(AK) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,(AL) they will lead your sons to do the same.

17 “Do not make any idols.(AM)

18 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(AN) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,(AO) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(AP) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

19 “The first offspring(AQ) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(AR) Redeem all your firstborn sons.(AS)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(AT)

21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;(AU) even during the plowing season and harvest(AV) you must rest.

22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits(AW) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering(AX) at the turn of the year.[b] 23 Three times(AY) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations(AZ) before you and enlarge your territory,(BA) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,(BB) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.(BC)

26 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(BD) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”(BE)

27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(BF) down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant(BG) with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights(BH) without eating bread or drinking water.(BI) And he wrote on the tablets(BJ) the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.(BK)

The Radiant Face of Moses

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai(BL) with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands,(BM) he was not aware that his face was radiant(BN) because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community(BO) came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands(BP) the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil(BQ) over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant.(BR) Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:13 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  2. Exodus 34:22 That is, in the autumn