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10 The Lord replied, “Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the Lord—the awesome power I will display for you. 11 But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

12 “Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped. 13 Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

15 “You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. 16 Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods. 17 You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.

18 “You must celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib,[a] for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.

19 “The firstborn of every animal belongs to me, including the firstborn males[b] from your herds of cattle and your flocks of sheep and goats. 20 A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son.

“No one may appear before me without an offering.

21 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.

22 “You must celebrate the Festival of Harvest[c] with the first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest[d] at the end of the harvest season. 23 Three times each year every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out the other nations ahead of you and expand your territory, so no one will covet and conquer your land while you appear before the Lord your God three times each year.

25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And none of the meat of the Passover sacrifice may be kept over until the next morning.

26 “As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the Lord your God.

“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions, for they represent the terms of the covenant I am making with you and with Israel.”

28 Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord[e] wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments[f]—on the stone tablets.

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Footnotes

  1. 34:18 Hebrew appointed time in the month of Abib. This first month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar usually occurs within the months of March and April.
  2. 34:19 As in Greek version; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain.
  3. 34:22a Hebrew Festival of Weeks; compare 23:16. This was later called the Festival of Pentecost. It is celebrated today as Shavuot (or Shabuoth).
  4. 34:22b Or Festival of Ingathering. This was later called the Festival of Shelters or Festival of Tabernacles (see Lev 23:33-36). It is celebrated today as Sukkot (or Succoth).
  5. 34:28a Hebrew he.
  6. 34:28b Hebrew the ten words.

The Covenant Renewed

10 And he said, “Behold, (A)I am making a covenant. Before all your people (B)I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an (C)awesome thing that I will do with you.

11 “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, (D)I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 (E)Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a (F)snare in your midst. 13 You shall (G)tear down their altars and (H)break their pillars and cut down their (I)Asherim 14 (for (J)you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 (K)lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they (L)whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and (M)you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of (N)their daughters for your sons, and their daughters (O)whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

17 (P)“You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.

18 (Q)“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in (R)the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 (S)All that open the womb are mine, all your male[a] livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20 The (T)firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And (U)none shall appear before me empty-handed.

21 (V)“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. 22 (W)You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. 23 (X)Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will (Y)cast out nations before you and (Z)enlarge your borders; (AA)no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

25 (AB)“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, (AC)or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 26 (AD)The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. (AE)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

27 And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words (AF)I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 (AG)So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he (AH)wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:19 Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  2. Exodus 34:28 Hebrew the ten words