Water from the Rock(A)

17 Then (B)all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of (C)Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to (D)drink. (E)Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”

So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you (F)tempt the Lord?”

And the people thirsted there for water, and the people (G)complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our (H)livestock with thirst?”

So Moses (I)cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to (J)stone[a] me!”

And the Lord said to Moses, (K)“Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which (L)you struck the river, and go. (M)Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he called the name of the place (N)Massah[b] and [c]Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they [d]tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Victory over the Amalekites(O)

(P)Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with (Q)the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses (R)held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became [e]heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, (S)“Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that (T)I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, [f]The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; 16 for he said, “Because [g]the Lord has (U)sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro’s Advice(V)

18 And (W)Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that (X)God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took (Y)Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, with her (Z)two sons, of whom the name of one was [h]Gershom (for he said, (AA)“I have been a [i]stranger in a foreign land”) and the name of the other was [j]Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my (AB)help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”); and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at (AC)the mountain of God. Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”

So Moses (AD)went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and (AE)kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent. And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the Lord had (AF)delivered them. Then Jethro rejoiced for all the (AG)good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, (AH)“Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is (AI)greater than all the gods; (AJ)for in the very thing in which they [k]behaved (AK)proudly, He was above them.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, [l]took a burnt (AL)offering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel (AM)to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses (AN)sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. 14 So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone [m]sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”

15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because (AO)the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have (AP)a [n]difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

17 So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. 18 Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; (AQ)you are not able to perform it by yourself. 19 Listen now to my voice; I will give you [o]counsel, and God will be with you: Stand (AR)before God for the people, so that you may (AS)bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall (AT)teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and (AU)the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people (AV)able men, such as (AW)fear God, (AX)men of truth, (AY)hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. (AZ)Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for (BA)they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their (BB)place in peace.”

24 So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 And (BC)Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 So they judged the people at all times; the (BD)hard[p] cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and (BE)he went his way to his own land.

Israel at Mount Sinai

19 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, (BF)they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. For they had departed from (BG)Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before (BH)the mountain.

And (BI)Moses went up to God, and the Lord (BJ)called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: (BK)‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how (BL)I [q]bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now (BM)therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and (BN)keep My covenant, then (BO)you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is (BP)Mine. And you shall be to Me a (BQ)kingdom of priests and a (BR)holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

So Moses came and called for the (BS)elders of the people, and [r]laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then (BT)all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you (BU)in the thick cloud, (BV)that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”

So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and (BW)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. (BX)Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; (BY)do not come near your wives.”

16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were (BZ)thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp (CA)trembled. 17 And (CB)Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now (CC)Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon (CD)it in fire. (CE)Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and [s]the (CF)whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, (CG)Moses spoke, and (CH)God answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through (CI)to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the (CJ)priests who come near the Lord (CK)consecrate themselves, lest the Lord (CL)break out against them.”

23 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, (CM)‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

24 Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

The Ten Commandments(CN)

20 And God spoke (CO)all these words, saying:

(CP)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, (CQ)out of the house of [t]bondage.

(CR)“You shall have no other gods before Me.

(CS)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (CT)you shall not bow down to them nor [u]serve them. (CU)For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (CV)visiting[v] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but (CW)showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

(CX)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord (CY)will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

(CZ)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (DA)Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the (DB)seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, (DC)nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For (DD)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 (DE)“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be (DF)long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

13 (DG)“You shall not murder.

14 (DH)“You shall not commit (DI)adultery.

15 (DJ)“You shall not steal.

16 (DK)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 (DL)“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; (DM)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

18 Now (DN)all the people (DO)witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain (DP)smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, (DQ)“You speak with us, and we will hear; but (DR)let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

20 And Moses said to the people, (DS)“Do not fear; (DT)for God has come to test you, and (DU)that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near (DV)the thick darkness where God was.

The Law of the Altar

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you (DW)from heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be (DX)with Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of (DY)earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, (DZ)your sheep and your oxen. In every (EA)place where I [w]record My name I will come to you, and I will (EB)bless you. 25 And (EC)if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you (ED)use your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your (EE)nakedness may not be exposed on it.’

The Law Concerning Servants(EF)

21 “Now these are the [x]judgments which you shall (EG)set before them: (EH)If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. (EI)But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to the (EJ)judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

“And if a man (EK)sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she [y]does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, (EL)and her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

The Law Concerning Violence

12 (EM)“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, (EN)if he did not lie in wait, but God (EO)delivered him into his hand, then (EP)I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14 “But if a man acts with (EQ)premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, (ER)you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.

15 “And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

16 (ES)“He who kidnaps a man and (ET)sells him, or if he is (EU)found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

17 “And (EV)he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, 19 if he rises again and walks about outside (EW)with his staff, then he who struck him shall be [z]acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.

20 “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his (EX)property.

22 “If men [aa]fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that [ab]she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall (EY)pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 (EZ)eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.

Animal Control Laws

28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then (FA)the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be [ac]acquitted. 29 But if the ox [ad]tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay (FB)to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. 31 Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. 32 If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master (FC)thirty shekels of silver, and the (FD)ox shall be stoned.

33 “And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.

35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide. 36 Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.

Responsibility for Property

22 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall (FE)restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. If the thief is found (FF)breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be (FG)no guilt for his bloodshed. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be (FH)sold[ae] for his theft. If the theft is certainly (FI)found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall (FJ)restore double.

“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

“If fire breaks out and catches in thorns, so that stacked grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

“If a man (FK)delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, (FL)if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the (FM)judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor’s goods.

“For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox, a donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or for any kind of lost thing which another claims to be his, the (FN)cause of both parties shall come before the judges; and whomever the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor. 10 If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep, and it dies, is hurt, or driven away, no one seeing it, 11 then an (FO)oath of the Lord shall be between them both, that he has not put his hand into his neighbor’s goods; and the owner of it shall accept that, and he shall not make it good. 12 But (FP)if, in fact, it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner of it. 13 If it is (FQ)torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.

14 “And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor, and it becomes injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall surely make it good. 15 If its owner was with it, he shall not make it good; if it was hired, it came for its hire.

Moral and Ceremonial Principles

16 (FR)“If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the (FS)bride-price of virgins.

18 (FT)“You shall not permit a sorceress to live.

19 (FU)“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

20 (FV)“He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.

21 (FW)“You shall neither mistreat a [af]stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22 (FX)“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they (FY)cry at all to Me, I will surely (FZ)hear their cry; 24 and My (GA)wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; (GB)your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

25 (GC)“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him (GD)interest. 26 (GE)If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am (GF)gracious.

28 (GG)“You shall not revile God, nor curse a (GH)ruler of your people.

29 “You shall not delay to offer (GI)the first of your ripe produce and your juices. (GJ)The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 (GK)Likewise you shall do with your oxen and your sheep. It shall be with its mother (GL)seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

31 “And you shall be (GM)holy men to Me: (GN)you shall not eat meat torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Justice for All

23 “You (GO)shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an (GP)unrighteous witness. (GQ)You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; (GR)nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall not show partiality to a (GS)poor man in his dispute.

(GT)“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. (GU)If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.

(GV)“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. (GW)Keep yourself far from a false matter; (GX)do not kill the innocent and righteous. For (GY)I will not justify the wicked. And (GZ)you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.

“Also (HA)you shall not oppress a [ag]stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Law of Sabbaths

10 (HB)“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your [ah]olive grove. 12 (HC)Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

13 “And in all that I have said to you, (HD)be circumspect and (HE)make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.

Three Annual Feasts(HF)

14 (HG)“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 (HH)You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; (HI)none shall appear before Me empty); 16 (HJ)and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and (HK)the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.

17 (HL)“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord [ai]God.

18 (HM)“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened (HN)bread; nor shall the fat of My [aj]sacrifice remain until morning. 19 (HO)The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. (HP)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Angel and the Promises

20 (HQ)“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; (HR)do not provoke Him, for He will (HS)not pardon your transgressions; for (HT)My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then (HU)I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 (HV)For My Angel will go before you and (HW)bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will [ak]cut them off. 24 You shall not (HX)bow down to their gods, nor serve them, (HY)nor do according to their works; (HZ)but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.

25 “So you shall (IA)serve the Lord your God, and (IB)He will bless your bread and your water. And (IC)I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 (ID)No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will (IE)fulfill the number of your days.

27 “I will send (IF)My fear before you, I will (IG)cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And (IH)I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29 (II)I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 31 And (IJ)I will set your [al]bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the [am]River. For I will (IK)deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32 (IL)You shall make no [an]covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33 They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, (IM)it will surely be a snare to you.”

Israel Affirms the Covenant

24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, (IN)Nadab and Abihu, (IO)and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the [ao]judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, (IP)“All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” And Moses (IQ)wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve (IR)pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered (IS)burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses (IT)took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. Then he (IU)took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is (IV)the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

On the Mountain with God

Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10 and they (IW)saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of (IX)sapphire stone, and it was like the (IY)very[ap] heavens in its clarity. 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He (IZ)did not [aq]lay His hand. So (JA)they saw God, and they (JB)ate and drank.

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, (JC)“Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you (JD)tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

13 So Moses arose with (JE)his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and (JF)Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.” 15 Then Moses went up into the mountain, and (JG)a cloud covered the mountain.

16 Now (JH)the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 The sight of the glory of the Lord was like (JI)a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 18 So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And (JJ)Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Offerings for the Sanctuary(JK)

25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an [ar]offering. (JL)From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ram skins dyed red, [as]badger skins, and acacia wood; (JM)oil for the light, and (JN)spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the (JO)ephod and in the breastplate. And let them make Me a (JP)sanctuary,[at] that (JQ)I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Testimony(JR)

10 (JS)“And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of (JT)gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 (JU)The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark (JV)the Testimony which I will give you.

17 (JW)“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And (JX)the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 (JY)You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and (JZ)in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And (KA)there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from (KB)between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

The Table for the Showbread(KC)

23 (KD)“You shall also make a table of acacia wood; two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a molding of gold all around. 25 You shall make for it a frame of a handbreadth all around, and you shall make a gold molding for the frame all around. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings on the four corners that are at its four legs. 27 The rings shall be close to the frame, as holders for the poles to bear the table. 28 And you shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them. 29 You shall make (KE)its dishes, its pans, its pitchers, and its bowls for pouring. You shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the (KF)showbread on the table before Me always.

The Gold Lampstand(KG)

31 (KH)“You shall also make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be of hammered work. Its shaft, its branches, its bowls, its ornamental knobs, and flowers shall be of one piece. 32 And six branches shall come out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side. 33 (KI)Three bowls shall be made like almond blossoms on one branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower, and three bowls made like almond blossoms on the other branch, with an ornamental knob and a flower—and so for the six branches that come out of the lampstand. 34 (KJ)On the lampstand itself four bowls shall be made like almond blossoms, each with its ornamental knob and flower. 35 And there shall be a knob under the first two branches of the same, a knob under the second two branches of the same, and a knob under the third two branches of the same, according to the six branches that extend from the lampstand. 36 Their knobs and their branches shall be of one piece; all of it shall be one hammered piece of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it, and (KK)they shall arrange its lamps so that they (KL)give light in front of it. 38 And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40 And (KM)see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.

The Tabernacle(KN)

26 “Moreover (KO)you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them. The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits. And every one of the curtains shall have [au]the same measurements. Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. And you shall make loops of blue yarn on the edge of the curtain on the selvedge of one set, and likewise you shall do on the outer edge of the other curtain of the second set. Fifty loops you shall make in the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is on the end of the second set, that the loops may be clasped to one another. And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle.

(KP)“You shall also make curtains of goats’ hair, to be a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains. The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; and the eleven curtains shall all have the same measurements. And you shall couple five curtains by themselves and six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the forefront of the tent. 10 You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain of the second set. 11 And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. 12 The remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13 And a cubit on one side and a cubit on the other side, of what remains of the length of the curtains of the tent, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and on that side, to cover it.

14 (KQ)“You shall also make a covering of ram skins dyed red for the tent, and a covering of badger skins above that.

15 “And for the tabernacle you shall (KR)make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright. 16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board. 17 Two [av]tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side. 19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons. 20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards 21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards. 22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards. 23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle. 24 They shall be [aw]coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners. 25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver—sixteen sockets—two sockets under each of the boards.

26 “And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle, 27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward. 28 The (KS)middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end. 29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold. 30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle (KT)according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.

31 (KU)“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring (KV)the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between (KW)the holy place and the Most Holy. 34 (KX)You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. 35 (KY)You shall set the table outside the veil, and (KZ)the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

36 (LA)“You shall make a screen for the door of the tabernacle, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. 37 And you shall make for the screen (LB)five pillars of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold; their hooks shall be gold, and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

The Altar of Burnt Offering(LC)

27 “You shall make (LD)an altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide—the altar shall be square—and its height shall be three cubits. You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it. And you shall overlay it with bronze. Also you shall make its pans to receive its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. You shall make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the network you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. You shall put it under the rim of the altar beneath, that the network may be midway up the altar. And you shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. The poles shall be put in the rings, and the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar to bear it. You shall make it hollow with boards; (LE)as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.

The Court of the Tabernacle(LF)

(LG)“You shall also make the court of the tabernacle. For the south side there shall be hangings for the court made of fine woven linen, one hundred cubits long for one side. 10 And its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets shall be bronze. The hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be silver. 11 Likewise along the length of the north side there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, with its twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of bronze, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands of silver.

12 “And along the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits, with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. 13 The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings on one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets. 15 And on the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three sockets.

16 “For the gate of the court there shall be a screen twenty cubits long, woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, made by a weaver. It shall have four pillars and four sockets. 17 All the pillars around the court shall have bands of silver; their (LH)hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18 The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits, made of fine woven linen, and its sockets of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tabernacle for all its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

The Care of the Lampstand(LI)

20 “And (LJ)you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to [ax]burn continually. 21 In the tabernacle of meeting, (LK)outside the veil which is before the Testimony, (LL)Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. (LM)It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

Garments for the Priesthood(LN)

28 “Now take (LO)Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to Me as (LP)priest, Aaron and Aaron’s sons: (LQ)Nadab, Abihu, (LR)Eleazar, and Ithamar. And (LS)you shall make [ay]holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So (LT)you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, (LU)whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest. And these are the garments which they shall make: (LV)a breastplate, (LW)an [az]ephod, (LX)a robe, (LY)a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and (LZ)a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.

The Ephod

“They shall take the gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and the fine linen, (MA)and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, artistically worked. It shall have two shoulder straps joined at its two edges, and so it shall be joined together. And the [ba]intricately woven band of the ephod, which is on it, shall be of the same workmanship, made of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen.

“Then you shall take two onyx (MB)stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: 10 six of their names on one stone and six names on the other stone, in order of their (MC)birth. 11 With the work of an (MD)engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall set them in settings of gold. 12 And you shall put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. So (ME)Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders (MF)as a memorial. 13 You shall also make settings of gold, 14 and you shall make two chains of pure gold like braided cords, and fasten the braided chains to the settings.

The Breastplate(MG)

15 (MH)“You shall make the breastplate of judgment. Artistically woven according to the workmanship of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen, you shall make it. 16 It shall be doubled into a square: a span shall be its length, and a span shall be its width. 17 (MI)And you shall put settings of stones in it, four rows of stones: The first row shall be a [bb]sardius, a topaz, and an emerald; this shall be the first row; 18 the second row shall be a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond; 19 the third row, a [bc]jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; 20 and the fourth row, a [bd]beryl, an [be]onyx, and a jasper. They shall be set in gold settings. 21 And the stones shall have the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, each one with its own name; they shall be according to the twelve tribes.

22 “You shall make chains for the breastplate at the end, like braided cords of pure gold. 23 And you shall make two rings of gold for the breastplate, and put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24 Then you shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate; 25 and the other two ends of the two braided chains you shall fasten to the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in the front.

26 “You shall make two rings of gold, and put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on the edge of it, which is on the inner side of the ephod. 27 And two other rings of gold you shall make, and put them on the two shoulder straps, underneath the ephod toward its front, right at the seam above the [bf]intricately woven band of the ephod. 28 They shall bind the breastplate by means of its rings to the rings of the ephod, using a blue cord, so that it is above the intricately woven band of the ephod, and so that the breastplate does not come loose from the ephod.

29 “So Aaron shall (MJ)bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place, as a memorial before the Lord continually. 30 And (MK)you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the [bg]Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord continually.

Other Priestly Garments(ML)

31 (MM)“You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32 There shall be an opening for his head in the middle of it; it shall have a woven binding all around its opening, like the opening in a coat of mail, so that it does not tear. 33 And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: 34 a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. 35 And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die.

36 (MN)“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet:

HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

37 And you shall put it on a blue cord, that it may be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. 38 So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may (MO)bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their [bh]holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be (MP)accepted before the Lord.

39 “You shall (MQ)skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.

40 (MR)“For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make [bi]hats for them, for glory and (MS)beauty. 41 So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall (MT)anoint them, (MU)consecrate them, and [bj]sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. 42 And you shall make (MV)for them linen trousers to cover their [bk]nakedness; they shall [bl]reach from the waist to the thighs. 43 They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near (MW)the altar to minister in the holy place, that they (MX)do not incur [bm]iniquity and die. (MY)It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.

Aaron and His Sons Consecrated(MZ)

29 “And this is what you shall do to them to hallow them for ministering to Me as priests: (NA)Take one young bull and two rams without blemish, and (NB)unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil (you shall make them of wheat flour). You shall put them in one basket and bring them in the basket, with the bull and the two rams.

“And Aaron and his sons you shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, (NC)and you shall wash them with water. (ND)Then you shall take the garments, put the tunic on Aaron, and the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with (NE)the intricately woven band of the ephod. (NF)You shall put the turban on his head, and put the holy crown on the turban. And you shall take the anointing (NG)oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. Then (NH)you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the hats on them. (NI)The priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. So you shall (NJ)consecrate Aaron and his sons.

10 “You shall also have the bull brought before the tabernacle of meeting, and (NK)Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the bull. 11 Then you shall kill the bull before the Lord, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 12 You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on (NL)the horns of the altar with your finger, and (NM)pour all the blood beside the base of the altar. 13 And (NN)you shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them on the altar. 14 But (NO)the flesh of the bull, with its skin and its offal, you shall burn with fire outside the camp. It is a sin offering.

15 (NP)“You shall also take one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall (NQ)put their hands on the head of the ram; 16 and you shall kill the ram, and you shall take its blood and (NR)sprinkle it all around on the altar. 17 Then you shall cut the ram in pieces, wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and with its head. 18 And you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a (NS)burnt offering to the Lord; it is a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.

19 (NT)“You shall also take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands on the head of the ram. 20 Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tip of the right ear of his sons, on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar. 21 And you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar, and some of (NU)the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments, on his sons and on the garments of his sons with him; and (NV)he and his garments shall be hallowed, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

22 “Also you shall take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the fatty lobe attached to the liver, the two kidneys and the fat on them, the right thigh (for it is a ram of consecration), 23 (NW)one loaf of bread, one cake made with oil, and one wafer from the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the Lord; 24 and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and you shall (NX)wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. 25 (NY)You shall receive them back from their hands and burn them on the altar as a burnt offering, as a sweet aroma before the Lord. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord.

26 “Then you shall take (NZ)the breast of the ram of Aaron’s consecration and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord; and it shall be your portion. 27 And from the ram of the consecration you shall consecrate (OA)the breast of the wave offering which is waved, and the thigh of the heave offering which is raised, of that which is for Aaron and of that which is for his sons. 28 It shall be from the children of Israel for Aaron and his sons (OB)by a statute forever. For it is a heave offering; (OC)it shall be a heave offering from the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, that is, their heave offering to the Lord.

29 “And the (OD)holy garments of Aaron (OE)shall be his sons’ after him, (OF)to be anointed in them and to be consecrated in them. 30 (OG)That son who becomes priest in his place shall put them on for (OH)seven days, when he enters the tabernacle of meeting to minister in the [bn]holy place.

31 “And you shall take the ram of the consecration and (OI)boil its flesh in the holy place. 32 Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the (OJ)bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 33 (OK)They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; (OL)but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34 And if any of the flesh of the consecration offerings, or of the bread, remains until the morning, then (OM)you shall burn the remainder with fire. It shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

35 “Thus you shall do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you. (ON)Seven days you shall consecrate them. 36 And you (OO)shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for atonement. (OP)You shall cleanse the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to sanctify it. 37 Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and sanctify it. And the altar shall be most holy. (OQ)Whatever touches the altar must be holy.

The Daily Offerings(OR)

38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: (OS)two lambs of the first year, (OT)day by day continually. 39 One lamb you shall offer (OU)in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer [bo]at twilight. 40 With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb you shall (OV)offer [bp]at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord. 42 This shall be (OW)a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, (OX)where I will meet you to speak with you. 43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle (OY)shall be sanctified by My glory. 44 So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also (OZ)consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. 45 (PA)I will dwell among the children of Israel and will (PB)be their God. 46 And they shall know that (PC)I am the Lord their God, who (PD)brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 17:4 Put me to death by stoning
  2. Exodus 17:7 Lit. Tempted
  3. Exodus 17:7 Lit. Contention
  4. Exodus 17:7 tested
  5. Exodus 17:12 Weary of being held up
  6. Exodus 17:15 Heb. YHWH Nissi
  7. Exodus 17:16 Lit. a hand is upon the throne of the Lord
  8. Exodus 18:3 Lit. Stranger There
  9. Exodus 18:3 sojourner, temporary resident
  10. Exodus 18:4 Lit. My God Is Help
  11. Exodus 18:11 acted presumptuously
  12. Exodus 18:12 So with MT, LXX; Syr., Tg., Vg. offered
  13. Exodus 18:14 Sit as judge
  14. Exodus 18:16 dispute
  15. Exodus 18:19 advice
  16. Exodus 18:26 difficult matters
  17. Exodus 19:4 sustained
  18. Exodus 19:7 set
  19. Exodus 19:18 LXX all the people
  20. Exodus 20:2 slaves
  21. Exodus 20:5 worship
  22. Exodus 20:5 punishing
  23. Exodus 20:24 cause My name to be remembered
  24. Exodus 21:1 ordinances
  25. Exodus 21:8 Lit. is evil in the eyes of
  26. Exodus 21:19 exempt from punishment
  27. Exodus 21:22 struggle
  28. Exodus 21:22 Lit. her children come out
  29. Exodus 21:28 exempt from punishment
  30. Exodus 21:29 was inclined
  31. Exodus 22:3 Sold as a slave
  32. Exodus 22:21 sojourner
  33. Exodus 23:9 sojourner
  34. Exodus 23:11 olive yards
  35. Exodus 23:17 Heb. YHWH, usually translated Lord
  36. Exodus 23:18 feast
  37. Exodus 23:23 annihilate them
  38. Exodus 23:31 boundaries
  39. Exodus 23:31 Heb. Nahar, the Euphrates
  40. Exodus 23:32 treaty
  41. Exodus 24:3 ordinances
  42. Exodus 24:10 Lit. substance of heaven
  43. Exodus 24:11 stretch out His
  44. Exodus 25:2 heave offering
  45. Exodus 25:5 Or dolphin
  46. Exodus 25:8 sacred place
  47. Exodus 26:2 Lit. one measure
  48. Exodus 26:17 Projections for joining, lit. hands
  49. Exodus 26:24 Lit. doubled
  50. Exodus 27:20 Lit. ascend
  51. Exodus 28:2 sacred
  52. Exodus 28:4 Ornamented vest
  53. Exodus 28:8 ingenious work of
  54. Exodus 28:17 Or ruby
  55. Exodus 28:19 Or amber
  56. Exodus 28:20 Or yellow jasper
  57. Exodus 28:20 Or carnelian
  58. Exodus 28:27 ingenious work of
  59. Exodus 28:30 Lit. Lights and the Perfections
  60. Exodus 28:38 sacred
  61. Exodus 28:40 headpieces or turbans
  62. Exodus 28:41 set them apart
  63. Exodus 28:42 bare flesh
  64. Exodus 28:42 Lit. be
  65. Exodus 28:43 guilt
  66. Exodus 29:30 sanctuary
  67. Exodus 29:39 Lit. between the two evenings
  68. Exodus 29:41 Lit. between the two evenings

Water From the Rock

17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,(A) traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,(B) but there was no water(C) for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water(D) to drink.”(E)

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”(F)

But the people were thirsty(G) for water there, and they grumbled(H) against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die(I) of thirst?”

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone(J) me.”

The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff(K) with which you struck the Nile,(L) and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.(M) Strike(N) the rock, and water(O) will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah[a](P) and Meribah[b](Q) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Amalekites Defeated

The Amalekites(R) came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.(S) Moses said to Joshua,(T) “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff(U) of God in my hands.”

10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur(V) went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,(W) but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.(X) 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite(Y) army with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(Z) this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out(AA) the name of Amalek(AB) from under heaven.”

15 Moses built an altar(AC) and called(AD) it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[c] the throne of the Lord,[d] the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites(AE) from generation to generation.”(AF)

Jethro Visits Moses

18 Now Jethro,(AG) the priest of Midian(AH) and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.(AI)

After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,(AJ) his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two sons.(AK) One son was named Gershom,[e] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;(AL) and the other was named Eliezer,[f](AM) for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;(AN) he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain(AO) of God. Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down(AP) and kissed(AQ) him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships(AR) they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved(AS) them.

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things(AT) the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord,(AU) who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,(AV) for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”(AW) 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,(AX) brought a burnt offering(AY) and other sacrifices(AZ) to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal(BA) with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence(BB) of God.

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.(BC) 16 Whenever they have a dispute,(BD) it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”(BE)

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.(BF) 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.(BG) You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes(BH) to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,(BI) and show them the way they are to live(BJ) and how they are to behave.(BK) 21 But select capable men(BL) from all the people—men who fear(BM) God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain(BN)—and appoint them as officials(BO) over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case(BP) to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share(BQ) it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders(BR) of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.(BS) 26 They served as judges(BT) for the people at all times. The difficult cases(BU) they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.(BV)

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.(BW)

At Mount Sinai

19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt(BX)—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.(BY) After they set out from Rephidim,(BZ) they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.(CA)

Then Moses went up to God,(CB) and the Lord called(CC) to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,(CD) and how I carried you on eagles’ wings(CE) and brought you to myself.(CF) Now if you obey me fully(CG) and keep my covenant,(CH) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.(CI) Although the whole earth(CJ) is mine, you[g] will be for me a kingdom of priests(CK) and a holy nation.’(CL) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

So Moses went back and summoned the elders(CM) of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.(CN) The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”(CO) So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,(CP) so that the people will hear me speaking(CQ) with you and will always put their trust(CR) in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate(CS) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes(CT) 11 and be ready by the third day,(CU) because on that day the Lord will come down(CV) on Mount Sinai(CW) in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limits(CX) for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stoned(CY) or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn(CZ) sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”(DA)

14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.(DB) 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain(DC) from sexual relations.”

16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder(DD) and lightning, with a thick cloud(DE) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.(DF) Everyone in the camp trembled.(DG) 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.(DH) 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,(DI) because the Lord descended on it in fire.(DJ) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,(DK) and the whole mountain[h] trembled(DL) violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice(DM) of God answered(DN) him.[i]

20 The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai(DO) and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see(DP) the Lord and many of them perish.(DQ) 22 Even the priests, who approach(DR) the Lord, must consecrate(DS) themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”(DT)

23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai,(DU) because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits(DV) around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron(DW) up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”(DX)

25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments(DY)

20 And God spoke(DZ) all these words:(EA)

“I am the Lord your God,(EB) who brought you out(EC) of Egypt,(ED) out of the land of slavery.(EE)

“You shall have no other gods before[j] me.(EF)

“You shall not make for yourself an image(EG) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship(EH) them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(EI) punishing the children for the sin of the parents(EJ) to the third and fourth generation(EK) of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand(EL) generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.(EM)

“Remember the Sabbath(EN) day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,(EO) 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath(EP) to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,(EQ) the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested(ER) on the seventh day.(ES) Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother,(ET) so that you may live long(EU) in the land(EV) the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.(EW)

14 “You shall not commit adultery.(EX)

15 “You shall not steal.(EY)

16 “You shall not give false testimony(EZ) against your neighbor.(FA)

17 “You shall not covet(FB) your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet(FC) and saw the mountain in smoke,(FD) they trembled with fear.(FE) They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak(FF) to us or we will die.”(FG)

20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.(FH) God has come to test(FI) you, so that the fear(FJ) of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”(FK)

21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness(FL) where God was.

Idols and Altars

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:(FM) 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me;(FN) do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.(FO)

24 “‘Make an altar(FP) of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings(FQ) and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name(FR) to be honored, I will come to you and bless(FS) you. 25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool(FT) on it. 26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts(FU) may be exposed.’

21 “These are the laws(FV) you are to set before them:

Hebrew Servants(FW)(FX)

“If you buy a Hebrew servant,(FY) he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free,(FZ) without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’(GA) then his master must take him before the judges.[k](GB) He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce(GC) his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.(GD)

“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself,[l] he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. 10 If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights.(GE) 11 If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Personal Injuries

12 “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death.(GF) 13 However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place(GG) I will designate. 14 But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,(GH) that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.(GI)

15 “Anyone who attacks[m] their father or mother is to be put to death.

16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death,(GJ) whether the victim has been sold(GK) or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

17 “Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.(GL)

18 “If people quarrel and one person hits another with a stone or with their fist[n] and the victim does not die but is confined to bed, 19 the one who struck the blow will not be held liable if the other can get up and walk around outside with a staff; however, the guilty party must pay the injured person for any loss of time and see that the victim is completely healed.

20 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, 21 but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property.(GM)

22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely[o] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands(GN) and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life,(GO) 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth,(GP) hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

26 “An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. 27 And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.

28 “If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death,(GQ) and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. 29 If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up(GR) and it kills a man or woman, the bull is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death. 30 However, if payment is demanded, the owner may redeem his life by the payment of whatever is demanded.(GS) 31 This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. 32 If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels[p](GT) of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull is to be stoned to death.

33 “If anyone uncovers a pit(GU) or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the one who opened the pit must pay the owner for the loss and take the dead animal in exchange.

35 “If anyone’s bull injures someone else’s bull and it dies, the two parties are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. 36 However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up,(GV) the owner must pay, animal for animal, and take the dead animal in exchange.

Protection of Property

22 [q]“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back(GW) five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

“If a thief is caught breaking in(GX) at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;(GY) but if it happens after sunrise, the defender is guilty of bloodshed.

“Anyone who steals must certainly make restitution,(GZ) but if they have nothing, they must be sold(HA) to pay for their theft. If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession(HB)—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.(HC)

“If anyone grazes their livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in someone else’s field, the offender must make restitution(HD) from the best of their own field or vineyard.

“If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks(HE) of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.(HF)

“If anyone gives a neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping(HG) and they are stolen from the neighbor’s house, the thief, if caught, must pay back double.(HH) But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges,(HI) and they must[r] determine whether the owner of the house has laid hands on the other person’s property. In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, ‘This is mine,’ both parties are to bring their cases before the judges.[s](HJ) The one whom the judges declare[t] guilty must pay back double to the other.

10 “If anyone gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to their neighbor for safekeeping(HK) and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, 11 the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath(HL) before the Lord that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person’s property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. 12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, restitution(HM) must be made to the owner. 13 If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the neighbor shall bring in the remains as evidence and shall not be required to pay for the torn animal.(HN)

14 “If anyone borrows an animal from their neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, they must make restitution.(HO) 15 But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.(HP)

Social Responsibility

16 “If a man seduces a virgin(HQ) who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price,(HR) and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

18 “Do not allow a sorceress(HS) to live.

19 “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal(HT) is to be put to death.

20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god(HU) other than the Lord must be destroyed.[u](HV)

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner,(HW) for you were foreigners(HX) in Egypt.

22 “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.(HY) 23 If you do and they cry out(HZ) to me, I will certainly hear their cry.(IA) 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.(IB)

25 “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.(IC) 26 If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,(ID) return it by sunset, 27 because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in?(IE) When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.(IF)

28 “Do not blaspheme God[v](IG) or curse(IH) the ruler of your people.(II)

29 “Do not hold back offerings(IJ) from your granaries or your vats.[w]

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons.(IK) 30 Do the same with your cattle and your sheep.(IL) Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.(IM)

31 “You are to be my holy people.(IN) So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts;(IO) throw it to the dogs.

Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.(IP) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.(IQ)

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice(IR) by siding with the crowd,(IS) and do not show favoritism(IT) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

“If you come across your enemy’s(IU) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.(IV) If you see the donkey(IW) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

“Do not deny justice(IX) to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge(IY) and do not put an innocent(IZ) or honest person to death,(JA) for I will not acquit the guilty.(JB)

“Do not accept a bribe,(JC) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

“Do not oppress a foreigner;(JD) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

10 “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.(JE) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 “Six days do your work,(JF) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.(JG)

13 “Be careful(JH) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;(JI) do not let them be heard on your lips.(JJ)

The Three Annual Festivals

14 “Three times(JK) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

15 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;(JL) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(JM) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

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

16 “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest(JO) with the firstfruits(JP) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering(JQ) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.(JR)

17 “Three times(JS) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

18 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.(JT)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.(JU)

19 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(JV) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

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

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

20 “See, I am sending an angel(JX) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.(JY) 21 Pay attention to him and listen(JZ) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive(KA) your rebellion,(KB) since my Name(KC) is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do(KD) all that I say, I will be an enemy(KE) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,(KF) and I will wipe them out. 24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship(KG) them or follow their practices.(KH) You must demolish(KI) them and break their sacred stones(KJ) to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God,(KK) and his blessing(KL) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness(KM) from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren(KN) in your land. I will give you a full life span.(KO)

27 “I will send my terror(KP) ahead of you and throw into confusion(KQ) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.(KR) 28 I will send the hornet(KS) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites(KT) out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals(KU) too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession(KV) of the land.

31 “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea[x] to the Mediterranean Sea,[y] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.(KW) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out(KX) before you. 32 Do not make a covenant(KY) with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare(KZ) to you.”

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,(LA) Nadab and Abihu,(LB) and seventy of the elders(LC) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach(LD) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,(LE) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”(LF) Moses then wrote(LG) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar(LH) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars(LI) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings(LJ) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings(LK) to the Lord. Moses(LL) took half of the blood(LM) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed(LN) against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant(LO) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”(LP)

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people(LQ) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant(LR) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders(LS) of Israel went up 10 and saw(LT) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,(LU) as bright blue as the sky.(LV) 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw(LW) God, and they ate and drank.(LX)

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone(LY) with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

13 Then Moses set out with Joshua(LZ) his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain(MA) of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur(MB) are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute(MC) can go to them.”

15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud(MD) covered it, 16 and the glory(ME) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.(MF) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.(MG) 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire(MH) on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty(MI) days and forty nights.(MJ)

Offerings for the Tabernacle(MK)

25 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts(ML) them to give. These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn(MM) and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[z];(MN) acacia wood;(MO) olive oil(MP) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;(MQ) and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod(MR) and breastpiece.(MS)

“Then have them make a sanctuary(MT) for me, and I will dwell(MU) among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern(MV) I will show you.

The Ark(MW)

10 “Have them make an ark[aa](MX) of acacia wood—two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.[ab] 11 Overlay(MY) it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings(MZ) on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.(NA) 14 Insert the poles(NB) into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.(NC) 16 Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law,(ND) which I will give you.

17 “Make an atonement cover(NE) of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim(NF) out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim(NG) are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing(NH) the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21 Place the cover on top of the ark(NI) and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law(NJ) that I will give you. 22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim(NK) that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet(NL) with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.(NM)

The Table(NN)

23 “Make a table(NO) of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.[ac] 24 Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. 25 Also make around it a rim a handbreadth[ad] wide and put a gold molding on the rim. 26 Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. 27 The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table. 28 Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold(NP) and carry the table with them. 29 And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.(NQ) 30 Put the bread of the Presence(NR) on this table to be before me at all times.

The Lampstand(NS)

31 “Make a lampstand(NT) of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 35 One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.(NU)

37 “Then make its seven lamps(NV) and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. 38 Its wick trimmers and trays(NW) are to be of pure gold.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 17:7 Massah means testing.
  2. Exodus 17:7 Meribah means quarreling.
  3. Exodus 17:16 Or to
  4. Exodus 17:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  5. Exodus 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for a foreigner there.
  6. Exodus 18:4 Eliezer means my God is helper.
  7. Exodus 19:6 Or possession, for the whole earth is mine. You
  8. Exodus 19:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint and all the people
  9. Exodus 19:19 Or and God answered him with thunder
  10. Exodus 20:3 Or besides
  11. Exodus 21:6 Or before God
  12. Exodus 21:8 Or master so that he does not choose her
  13. Exodus 21:15 Or kills
  14. Exodus 21:18 Or with a tool
  15. Exodus 21:22 Or she has a miscarriage
  16. Exodus 21:32 That is, about 12 ounces or about 345 grams
  17. Exodus 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1 is numbered 21:37, and 22:2-31 is numbered 22:1-30.
  18. Exodus 22:8 Or before God, and he will
  19. Exodus 22:9 Or before God
  20. Exodus 22:9 Or whom God declares
  21. Exodus 22:20 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
  22. Exodus 22:28 Or Do not revile the judges
  23. Exodus 22:29 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  24. Exodus 23:31 Or the Sea of Reeds
  25. Exodus 23:31 Hebrew to the Sea of the Philistines
  26. Exodus 25:5 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals
  27. Exodus 25:10 That is, a chest
  28. Exodus 25:10 That is, about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high or about 1.1 meters long and 68 centimeters wide and high; similarly in verse 17
  29. Exodus 25:23 That is, about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/4 feet high or about 90 centimeters long, 45 centimeters wide and 68 centimeters high
  30. Exodus 25:25 That is, about 3 inches or about 7.5 centimeters