Bible in 90 Days

¹⁹ When the horses^[a] of Pharaoh came into the sea with his chariots^[b] and with his charioteers, Yahweh brought back upon them the waters of the sea, and the Israelites^[c] traveled on dry ground through the middle of the sea. ²⁰ And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took her^[d] tambourine in her hand, and all of the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. ²¹ And Miriam answered,^[e] “Sing to Yahweh because he is highly exalted; the horse and its rider he hurled into the sea.”

Yahweh Provides Water at Marah

²² And Moses caused Israel to set out from the Red Sea,^[f] and they went out into the desert of Shur, and they traveled three days in the desert, and they did not find water. ²³ And they came to Marah, and they were not able to drink water from Marah because it was bitter. Therefore it was named^[g] Marah. ²⁴ And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” ²⁵ And he cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a piece of wood, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There he made a rule and regulation for them, and there he tested them. ²⁶ And he said, “If you carefully listen to the voice of Yahweh your God and you do what is right in his eyes and give heed to his commands and you keep all his rules, then I will not bring about on you any of the diseases^[h] that I brought about on Egypt, because I am Yahweh your healer.

²⁷ And they came to Elim, and twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees were there, and they encamped there at the water.

Yahweh Provides Food in the Desert

16 And they set out from Elim, and all the community of the Israelites^[i] came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai,^[j] in the fifteenth day of the second month of their going out from the land of Egypt. ² And all the community of the Israelites^[k] grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the desert. ³ And the Israelites^[l] said to them, “If only we had died^[m] by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots^[n] of meat, when we ate bread until we were full,^[o] because you have brought us out to this desert to kill all of this assembly with hunger.” ⁴ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from the heavens, and the people will go out and gather enough for the day on its day; in that way I will test them: Will they go according to my law or not? ⁵ And then on the sixth day, they will prepare what they bring, and it will be twice over what they will gather every other day.”

⁶ And Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites,^[p] “In the evening, you will know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning, you will see the glory of Yahweh, for he hears^[q] your grumblings against Yahweh, and what are we that you grumble against us?” ⁸ And Moses said, “When in the evening Yahweh gives you meat to eat and bread in the morning to fill up on,^[r] for he hears^[s] your grumblings that you grumble against him—and what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Yahweh.” ⁹ And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the Israelites,^[t] ‘Come near before Yahweh because he has heard your grumblings.’”

¹⁰ And at the moment of Aaron’s speaking to all the community of the Israelites,^[u] they turned to the desert, and just then^[v] the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹² “I have heard the grumblings of the Israelites.^[w] Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight^[x] you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be full with bread, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’”

¹³ And so it was, in the evening, the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning, a layer of dew was all around the camp. ¹⁴ And the layer of dew came up, and there^[y] on the face of the desert was a fine granular substance, fine like frost on the ground. ¹⁵ And the Israelites^[z] saw, and they said to each other,^[aa] “What is this?” because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread that Yahweh has given to you as food. ¹⁶ This is the word that Yahweh commanded, ‘Gather from it, each according to what he can eat,^[ab] an omer per person^[ac] according to the number of you.^[ad] You each shall take enough for whoever is in his tent.’”

¹⁷ And the Israelites^[ae] did so, and they gathered, some more and some less. ¹⁸ And when they measured with the omer, the one gathering more had no surplus, and the one gathering less had no lack; they gathered each according to what he could eat.^{[af] 19} And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But they did not listen to Moses. Some people^[ag] left some of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. ²¹ And they gathered it morning by morning, each according to what he could eat,^[ah] and it melted when the sun was hot.^[ai]

²² And when it was the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. ²³ And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said. Tomorrow is a rest period, a holy Sabbath for Yahweh. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Put aside all the surplus for yourselves for safekeeping until the morning.” ²⁴ And they put it aside until the morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not make a stench, and not a maggot was in it. ²⁵ And Moses said, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath for Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the field. ²⁶ Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be present on it.”

²⁷ And on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they did not find any. ²⁸ And Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you^[aj] refuse to keep my commands and my laws? ²⁹ See, because Yahweh has given to you the Sabbath, therefore he is giving to you on the sixth day bread for two days. Stay, each in his location;^[ak] let no one go from his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰ And the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ And the house of Israel called its name “manna.” And it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like a wafer with honey. ³² And Moses said, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded. ‘A full omer of it is for safekeeping for your generations so that they will see the bread that I fed you in the desert when I brought you from the land of Egypt.’” ³³ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one jar and put there a full omer of manna. Leave it before Yahweh for safekeeping for your generations.” ³⁴ As Yahweh had commanded Moses, so Aaron left it before the testimony for safekeeping. ³⁵ And the Israelites^[al] ate the manna forty years, until their coming to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until their coming to the border of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ (And an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Water from a Rock

17 And all the community of the Israelites^[am] set out from the desert of Sin for their journeys according to the command of Yahweh, and they camped in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. ² And the people quarreled with Moses, and they said, “Give us water so that we can drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” ³ And the people thirsted for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why ever^[an] did you bring us up from Egypt to kill me^[ao] and my sons and my cattle with thirst?”

⁴ And Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, “What will I do with this people? A little longer and they will stone me.” ⁵ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go on before the people and take with you some from the elders of Israel, and the staff with which you struck the Nile take in your hand, and go. ⁶ Look, I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out from it, and the people will drink.”

And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the Israelites^[ap] and because of their testing Yahweh by saying, “Is Yahweh in our midst or not?”

Battle with the Amalekites

⁸ And Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. ⁹ And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek tomorrow. I will be standing on the top of the hill, and the staff of God will be in my hand.”

¹⁰ And Joshua did as Moses had said to him to fight with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ And^[aq] when Moses raised his hand, Israel would prevail, but when he rested his hand, Amalek would prevail. ¹² But the hands of Moses were heavy, and they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it; Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on each side,^[ar] and his hands were steady until sundown.^{[as] 13} And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.^[at]

¹⁴ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the scroll and recite it in the hearing of^[au] Joshua, because I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.”

¹⁵ And Moses built an altar, and he called its name Yahweh Is My Banner. ¹⁶ And he said, “Because a hand was against the throne of Yah,^[av] a war will be for Yahweh with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro’s Visit to Moses at the Mountain of God

18 And Jethro, the priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people, that Yahweh had brought Israel out from Egypt. ² And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took Zipporah the wife of Moses after her sending away, ³ and her two sons—the one whose name was Gershom, for he had said, “I have been an alien in a foreign land,” ⁴ and the one whose name was Eliezer, for “the God of my father was my help, and he delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.” ⁵ And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came and his sons and his wife to Moses, to the desert where he was camping there at the mountain of God. ⁶ And he said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you and your wife and her two sons with her.” ⁷ And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed, and he kissed him, and they each asked about the other’s welfare,^[aw] and they came into the tent.

⁸ And Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt on account of Israel, all the hardship that had found them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Yahweh had done for Israel when he delivered them from the hand of Egypt. ¹⁰ And Jethro said, “Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh—who has delivered the people from under the hand of Egypt. ¹¹ Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all the gods, even in the matter where they the Egyptians dealt arrogantly against the Israelites.”^{[ax] 12} And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread with the father-in-law of Moses before God.

¹³ And^[ay] the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before Moses from the morning until the evening. ¹⁴ And the father-in-law of Moses saw all that he was doing for the people, and he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why are you sitting alone and all the people are standing by you from morning until evening?” ¹⁵ And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to seek God. ¹⁶ When they have an issue,^[az] it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make known God’s rule and his instructions.”

¹⁷ And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ Surely you will wear out, both you and this people who are with you, because the thing is too difficult^[ba] for you. You are not able to do it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to my voice; I will advise you, and may God be with you. You be for the people before God, and you bring the issues to God. ²⁰ And you warn them of the rules and the instructions, and you make known to them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do. ²¹ And you will select from all the people men of ability, fearers of God, trustworthy men, haters of dishonest gain,^[bb] and you will appoint such men over them as commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. ²² And let them judge the people all the time, and^[bc] every major issue they will bring to you, and every minor issue they will judge themselves. And so lighten it for yourself, and they will bear it with you. ²³ If you will do this thing and God will command you, then you will be able to endure, and also each of the people will go to his home^[bd] in peace.”

²⁴ And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said. ²⁵ And Moses chose men of ability from all Israel, and he appointed them as heads over the people, as commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. ²⁶ And they judged the people all the time; the difficult issues^[be] they would bring to Moses, and every minor issue they would judge themselves. ²⁷ And Moses let his father-in-law go, and he went to his land.

Preparation for Receiving the Covenant at Mount Sinai

19 In the third month after the Israelites^[bf] went out from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the Sinai desert. ² They set out from Rephidim, and they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

³ And Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you will say to the house of Jacob and you will tell the Israelites,^{[bg] 4} ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and I brought you to me. ⁵ And now if you will carefully listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be a treasured possession for me out of all the peoples, for all the earth is mine,^{[bh] 6} but you, you will belong to me as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”^[bi]

⁷ And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he placed before them all these words that Yahweh had commanded him. ⁸ And all the people together answered and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” And Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh. ⁹ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to come to you in a thick cloud^[bj] in order that the people will hear when I speak with you and will also trust in you forever.” And Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh.

¹⁰ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes, ¹¹ and they must be prepared for the third day, because on the third day, Yahweh will go down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people. ¹² And you must set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Guard yourselves against^[bk] going up to the mountain and touching its edge. Anyone touching the mountain will certainly be put to death. ¹³ Not a hand will touch it, because he will certainly be stoned or certainly be shot; whether an animal or a man, he will not live.’ At the blowing of the ram’s horn they may go up to the mountain.”

¹⁴ And Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and he consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day.^[bl] Do not go near to a woman.”

¹⁶ And^[bm] on the third day, when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain and a very loud ram’s horn sound, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out from the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ And Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke because Yahweh went down on it in the fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a smelting furnace, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. ¹⁹ And the sound of the ram’s horn became louder and louder,^[bn] and Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice.

²⁰ And Yahweh went down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ And Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to see and many from them fall. ²² And even the priests who come near Yahweh must consecrate themselves, lest Yahweh break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to Yahweh, “The people are not able to go up to Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ And Yahweh said to him, “Go, go down, and come up, you and Aaron with you and the priests, but the people must not break through to go up to Yahweh, lest he break out against them.” ²⁵ And Moses went down to the people, and he told them.^[bo]

Ten Commandments

20 And God spoke all these words, saying, ² “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves.

³ “There shall be for you no other gods before me.

⁴ “You shall not make for yourself a divine image with any form that is in the heavens above or that is in the earth below or that is in the water below the earth. ⁵ You will not bow down to them, and you will not serve them, because I am Yahweh your God, a jealous God, punishing the guilt of the parents on the children on the third and on the fourth generations^[bp] of those hating me, ⁶ and showing loyal love to thousands of generations^[bq] of those loving me and of those keeping my commandments.

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God,^[br] because Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who misuses his name.^[bs]

⁸ “Remember the day of the Sabbath, to consecrate it. ⁹ Six days you will work, and you will do all your work. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God; you will not do any work—you or your son or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your animal, or your alien who is in your gates— ¹¹ because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and on the seventh day he rested. Therefore Yahweh blessed the seventh day and consecrated it.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days can be long on the land that Yahweh your God is giving you.

¹³ “You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “You shall not testify against your neighbor with a false witness.

¹⁷ “You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; you will not covet the wife of your neighbor or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

¹⁸ And all the people were seeing the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the ram’s horn and the mountain smoking, and the people saw, and they trembled, and they stood at a distance. ¹⁹ And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” ²⁰ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that his fear will be before you so that you do not sin.” ²¹ And the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the very thick cloud where God was.

Instructions for Building Altars

²² And Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you will say to the Israelites,^[bt] ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens. ²³ You will not make alongside me gods of silver, and gods of gold you will not make for yourselves. ²⁴ An altar of earth you will make for me, and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered,^[bu] I will come to you, and I will bless you. ²⁵ And if you make an altar of stones for me, you will not build them as hewn stone, because if you use your chisel on it, you have defiled it. ²⁶ You will not go up with steps onto my altar, that your nakedness not be exposed on it.’

Regulations Regarding Hebrew Slaves

21 “And these are the regulations that you will set before them.

² ‘If you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve six years, and in the seventh he will go out as free for nothing.^{[bv] 3} If he comes in single, he will go out single. If he is the husband of a wife, his wife will go out with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears for him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the slave will go out single. ⁵ But if the slave explicitly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” ⁶ his master will present him to God^[bw] and bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve him forever.

⁷ “‘And if a man sells his daughter as a slave woman, she will not go out as male slaves go out. ⁸ If she does not please her master^[bx] who selected her, he will allow her to be redeemed; he has no authority to sell her to foreign people, since he has dealt treacherously with her. ⁹ And if he selects her for his son, he shall do for her according to the regulations for daughters. ¹⁰ If he takes for himself another, he will not reduce her food, her clothing, or her right of cohabitation. ¹¹ And if he does not do for her these three, she shall go out for nothing; there will not be silver^[by] paid for her.

Regulations Regarding Murder, Manslaughter, and Various Injuries

¹² “‘Whoever strikes someone^[bz] and he dies will surely be put to death. ¹³ But if he did not lie in wait and it was an accident,^[ca] I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. ¹⁴ But if a man schemes against his neighbor to kill him by treachery,^[cb] you will take him from my altar to die. ¹⁵ And whoever strikes^[cc] his father or his mother will surely be put to death.

¹⁶ “‘And whoever kidnaps someone^[cd] and sells him, or he is found in his possession,^[ce] he will surely be put to death.

¹⁷ “‘And one who curses his father or his mother will surely be put to death.

¹⁸ “‘And if men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist and he does not die, but he is confined to bed,^{[cf] 19} if he stands and walks about in the outside on his staff, the striker will be unpunished; he will only pay for his inactivity^[cg] toward his full recovery.”^{[ch] 20} And if a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with the rod and he dies under his hand, he will surely be avenged. ²¹ Yet if he survives a day or two days, he will not be avenged, because he is his money.^[ci]

²² “‘And if men fight and they injure a pregnant woman, and her children go out and there is not serious injury, he will surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands concerning him and as the judges determine.^{[cj] 23} And if there is serious injury, you will give life in place of life, ²⁴ eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot, ²⁵ burn in place of burn, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.

²⁶ “‘And if a man strikes the eye of his male slave or the eye of his female slave and destroys it, he shall release him as free in place of his eye. ²⁷ And if he causes the tooth of his male slave or the tooth of his female slave to fall out, he will release him as free in place of his tooth.

²⁸ “‘And if an ox gores a man or a woman and he dies, the ox will surely be stoned, and its meat will not be eaten, and the owner of the ox is innocent. ²⁹ But if it was a goring ox before^[ck] and its owner was warned and did not restrain it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox will be stoned, and the owner also will be put to death. ³⁰ If a ransom is set on him, he will pay the redemption money for his life according to all that is set on him. ³¹ If it gores a son or it gores a daughter, according to this regulation it shall be done to him. ³² If the ox gores a male slave or a female slave, he will give thirty shekels of silver to his master, and the ox will be stoned.

³³ “‘If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead animal will be for him.^{[cl] 35} And if a man’s ox injures the ox of his neighbor and it dies, they will sell the living ox and divide the money,^[cm] and they will also divide the dead one. ³⁶ Or if it was known that it was a goring ox before^[cn] and its owner did not restrain it, he will surely make restitution, an ox in place of the ox, and the dead one will be for him.

Regulations Regarding Theft, Borrowing, and Accidental Damage or Loss

22 ^[co] “‘If a man steals an ox or small livestock and slaughters it or sells it, he will make restitution with five cattle in place of the ox and with four sheep or goats in place of the small livestock. ² “‘If a thief is found in the act of breaking in and he is struck and he dies, there is not bloodguilt for him. ³ (If the sun has risen over him, there is bloodguilt for him. He will make full restitution. If he does not have enough,^[cp] he will be sold for his theft. ⁴ If indeed the stolen item is found in his possession^[cq] alive, from ox to donkey to small livestock, he will make double restitution.

⁵ “‘If a man grazes his livestock in a field or a vineyard and he releases his livestock and it grazes in the field of another, he will make restitution from the best of his field and the best of his vineyard.

⁶ “‘If a fire is started and finds thorn bushes and a stack of sheaves or the standing grain or the field is consumed, the one who started the fire will surely make restitution.

⁷ “‘If a man gives to his neighbor money or objects to watch over and it is stolen from the house of the man, if the thief is found, he will make double restitution. ⁸ If the thief is not found, the owner of the house will be brought to the sanctuary^[cr] to learn whether or not he reached out his hand to his neighbor’s possession. ⁹ Concerning every account of transgression—concerning an ox, concerning a donkey, concerning small livestock, concerning clothing, concerning all lost property—where someone says, “This belongs to me,” the matter of the two of them will come to God;^[cs] whomever God declares guilty will make double restitution to his neighbor.

¹⁰ “‘If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or small livestock or any beast to watch over and it dies or is injured or is captured when there is no one who sees, ¹¹ the oath of Yahweh will be between the two of them concerning whether or not he has reached out his hand to his neighbor’s possession, and its owner will accept this, and he will not make restitution. ¹² But if indeed it was stolen from him, he will make restitution to its owner. ¹³ If indeed it was torn to pieces, he will bring it as evidence—the mangled carcass; he will not make restitution.

¹⁴ “‘If a man borrows from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he will make restitution. ¹⁵ If its owner was with it, he will not make restitution; if it was hired, it came with its hiring fee.

Regulations Regarding Various Offences

¹⁶ “‘If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged and he lies with her, he surely will give her bride price to have her as his wife.^{[ct] 17} If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he will weigh out money according to the bride price for the virgin.

¹⁸ “‘You will not let a witch live.

¹⁹ “‘Anyone lying with an animal will surely be put to death.

²⁰ “‘Whoever sacrifices to the gods—not to Yahweh, to him alone—will be destroyed.

Regulations Regarding Foreigners and the Poor

²¹ “‘You will not mistreat an alien, and you will not oppress him, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

²² “‘You will not afflict any widow or orphan. ²³ If you indeed afflict him, yes, if he cries out at all to me, I will certainly hear his cry of distress. ²⁴ And I will become angry,^[cu] and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.

²⁵ “‘If you lend money to my people, to the needy with you, you will not be to him as a creditor; you will not charge him interest.^{[cv] 26} If indeed you require the cloak of your neighbor as a pledge, you will return it to him at sundown, ²⁷ because it is his only garment; it is his cloak for his skin. In what will he sleep? And^[cw] when he cries out to me, I will hear, because I am gracious.

Regulations Regarding Tribute and Holiness

²⁸ “‘You will not curse God,^[cx] and you will not curse a leader among your people.

²⁹ “‘You will not delay the fullness of your harvest and the juice from your press; you will give me the firstborn of your sons. ³⁰ You will do likewise for your ox and for your sheep and goats; seven days it will be with its mother; on the eighth, you will give it to me. ³¹ And you will be men of holiness for me; and you will not eat meat from a carcass mangled in the field; you will throw it to the dog.

Regulations Regarding Justice

23 “‘You will not spread^[cy] a false report. Do not lift your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness. ² You will not follow^[cz] a majority^[da] for evil, and you will not testify concerning a legal dispute to turn aside after a majority^[db] to pervert justice. ³ You will not be partial to a powerless person^[dc] in his legal dispute.

⁴ “‘If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of your enemy lying down under its burden, you will refrain from abandoning him. You will surely arrange^[dd] it with him.

⁶ “‘You will not pervert the justice of your poor in his legal dispute. ⁷ You will stay far from a false charge,^[de] and do not kill the innocent and the righteous, because I will not declare the wicked righteous.^{[df] 8} And you will not take a bribe, because the bribe makes the sighted blind and ruins the words of the righteous. ⁹ And you will not oppress an alien; you yourselves know the feelings^[dg] of the alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.

Regulations Regarding Work and Festivals

¹⁰ “‘And six years you will sow your land and gather its yield. ¹¹ But the seventh you will let it rest and leave it fallow, and the poor of your people will eat, and their remainder the animals^[dh] of the field will eat. You will do likewise for your vineyard and for your olive trees.

¹² “‘Six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you will stop so that your ox and your donkey will rest and the son of your slave woman and the alien will be refreshed.

¹³ “‘And you will be attentive to all that I have said to you, and you will not profess^[di] the name of other gods; it will not be heard in your mouth.

¹⁴ “‘Three times in the year you will hold a festival for me. ¹⁵ You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you at the appointed time, the month of Abib, because in it you came out from Egypt, and no one will^[dj] appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶ And you will keep the Feast of Harvest, with the firstfruits of your work, what you sow in the field. And you will keep the Feast of Harvest Gathering when the year goes out, when you gather your work from the field. ¹⁷ Three times in the year all your men will appear before the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁸ “‘You will not sacrifice the blood of my sacrifice together with food with yeast, and you will not leave the fat of my feast overnight until morning.

¹⁹ “‘The best of the firstfruits of your land you will bring to the house of Yahweh your God.

“‘You will not boil a young goat^[dk] in its mother’s milk.

Reasons for Loyal Obedience

²⁰ “‘Look, I am about to send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹ Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, because he will not forgive your transgression, for my name is in him. ²² But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. ²³ When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites^[dl] and the Hittites^[dm] and the Perizzites^[dn] and the Canaanites^[do] and the Hivites^[dp] and the Jebusites,^[dq] I will wipe them out.

²⁴ “‘You will not bow to their gods, and you will not serve them, and you will not act according to their actions, because you will utterly demolish them, and you will utterly break their stone pillars. ²⁵ And you will serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove sickness from among you. ²⁶ There will be no one suffering miscarriage or infertile in your land. I will make full the number of your days.^[dr]

²⁷ “‘I will release my terror before you, and I will throw into confusion all the people against whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their back to you.^{[ds] 28} And I will send the hornet before you, and it will drive out the Hivites,^[dt] the Canaanites,^[du] and the Hittites^[dv] from before you. ²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become a desolation and the wild animals^[dw] multiply against you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you are fruitful and take possession of the land.

³¹ “‘And I will set your boundary from the Red Sea^[dx] and up to the sea of the Philistines and from the desert up to the river,^[dy] because I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out from before you. ³² You will not make a covenant with them and with their gods. ³³ They will not live in your land, lest they cause you to sin against me when you serve their gods, for it will be a snare to you.’”

Confirming the Covenant

24 And to Moses he said, “Go up to Yahweh—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel—and you will worship at a distance. ² And Moses alone^[dz] will come near to Yahweh, and they will not come near, and the people will not go up with him.”

³ And Moses came, and he told the people all the words of Yahweh and all the regulations. And all the people answered with one voice, and they said, “All the words that Yahweh has spoken we will do.”

⁴ And Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh, and he rose early in the morning, and he built an altar at the base of the mountain and set up twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ And he sent young men from the Israelites,^[ea] and they offered burnt offerings, and they sacrificed sacrifices as fellowship offerings to Yahweh using bulls. ⁶ And Moses took half of the blood, and he put it in bowls, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ And he took the scroll of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will listen.”^{[eb] 8} And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and he said, “Look, the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ And Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel went up. ¹⁰ And they saw the God of Israel, and what was under his feet was like sapphire tile work and like the very heavens for clearness. ¹¹ And toward the leaders of the Israelites^[ec] he did not stretch out his hand, and they beheld God, and they ate, and they drank.

The Start of Forty Days and Nights on Mount Sinai

¹² And Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and be there, and I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and the commandments that I have written to instruct them.” ¹³ And Moses got up, and Joshua, his assistant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.

¹⁴ And to the elders he said, “Wait for us here until we return to you. And look, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute^[ed] will bring it to you.”

¹⁵ And Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶ And the glory of Yahweh settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days, and he called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. ¹⁷ And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain to the eyes of^[ee] the Israelites.^{[ef] 18} And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and he went up the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Instruction to Collect Materials

25 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the Israelites,^[eg] and let them bring to me a contribution. You will receive my contribution from every man whose heart prompts him. ³ And this is the contribution that you will receive from them—gold and silver and bronze, ⁴ blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine linen and goat hair, ⁵ and red-dyed ram skins, and fine leather,^[eh] and acacia wood, ⁶ oil for the lamp, balsam oils for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, ⁷ onyx stones and stones for mountings on the ephod and the breast piece. ⁸ And make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell in the midst of them, ⁹ according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its equipment—and so you will do.

Instructions for Making the Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “And they will make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width and a cubit and a half its height. ¹¹ And you will overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside you will overlay it, and you will make on it a gold molding all around. ¹² And you will cast for it four gold rings, and you will put them on its four feet, with two rings on its one side and two rings on its second side. ¹³ And you will make poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ And you will put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark with them. ¹⁵ In the rings of the ark will be the poles; they will not be removed from it.^{[ei] 16} And you will put into the ark the testimony that I will give to you.

¹⁷ “And you will make an atonement cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits its length and a cubit and a half its width. ¹⁸ And you will make two cherubim of gold; you will make them of hammered work at the two ends of the atonement cover. ¹⁹ And make one cherub at one end^[ej] and one cherub at the other end^[ek] of the atonement cover; you will make the cherubim on its two ends. ²⁰ And the cherubim will be with outspread wings above, covering with their wings over the atonement cover and facing each other;^[el] the faces of the cherubim will be toward the atonement cover. ²¹ And you will put the atonement cover above onto the ark, and into the ark you will put the testimony that I will give you. ²² And I will meet you there, and I will speak with you from over the atonement cover, from between the two cherubim that are to be on the ark of the testimony—all that I will command you to the Israelites.^[em]

Instructions for Making a Table and a Lampstand

²³ “And you will make a table of acacia wood, two cubits its length and a cubit its width and a cubit and a half its height. ²⁴ And you will overlay it with pure gold, and you will make for it a gold molding all around. ²⁵ And you will make for it a handbreadth rim all around, and you will make a gold molding for its rim all around. ²⁶ And you will make four gold rings for it, and you will put the rings on the four corners where its four legs^[en] are. ²⁷ The rings will be near the rim as holders^[eo] for poles to carry the table. ²⁸ And you will make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, and the table will be carried with them. ²⁹ And you will make its plates and its ladles^[ep] and its pitchers and its bowls with which libations will be poured; of pure gold you will make them. ³⁰ And you will put on the table the bread of presence to be before me continually.

³¹ “And you will make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand will be made of hammered work—its base and its branch,^[eq] its cups, its buds, and its blossoms will be from it. ³² And six branches will be going out from its sides, three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its second side. ³³ Three almond-flower cups will be on the one branch with a bud and a blossom, and three almond-flower cups will be on the one branch with a bud and a blossom—likewise for the six branches going out from the lampstand. ³⁴ And on the lampstand will be four almond-flower cups, with its buds and its blossoms. ³⁵ And a bud will be under the two branches that come from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, and a bud under the two branches from it, likewise for the six branches coming out from the lampstand. ³⁶ Their buds and their branches will be from it, all of it one piece of pure gold hammered work. ³⁷ And you will make its seven lamps, and its lamps will be set up, and it will give light in the space in front of it.^{[er] 38} And its snuffers and its fire pans will be pure gold. ³⁹ It will be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these pieces of equipment. ⁴⁰ And see and make all according to their pattern, which you were shown in the mountain.

Instructions for Making the Tabernacle

26 “And the tabernacle you will make with ten curtains; you will make them of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, with cherubim, the work of a skilled craftsman. ² The length of the one curtain will be twenty-eight cubits, and the width will be four cubits for the one curtain; one measure will be for all the curtains. ³ Five curtains will be joined to one another,^[es] and five curtains joined to one another.^{[et] 4} And you will make loops of blue on the edge of the one curtain, at the end in the set; and you will do so on the edge of the end curtain in the second set. ⁵ You will make fifty loops on the one curtain, and you will make fifty loops on the end of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops are to be opposite^[eu] to one another.^{[ev] 6} And you will make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains to one another^[ew] with the clasps, so that the tabernacle will be one.

⁷ “And you will make curtains of goat hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you will make them eleven curtains. ⁸ The length of the one curtain will be thirty cubits, and the width will be four cubits for the one curtain; one measure will be for the eleven curtains. ⁹ And you will join five curtains together and six curtains together, and you will fold double the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. ¹⁰ And you will make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain at the end of the first set and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain in the second set. ¹¹ And you will make fifty bronze clasps, and you will put the clasps in the loops and join the tent, so that it will be one.

¹² “And the surplus in the curtains of the tent will be an overhang; the surplus half curtain will hang over the back of the tabernacle. ¹³ And a cubit from one side^[ex] and a cubit from the other side^[ey] in the surplus in the length of the curtains of the tent will be hung over the sides of the tabernacle equally^[ez] to cover it.

¹⁴ “And you will make a covering for the tent of red-dyed ram skins and a covering of fine leather to go above.

¹⁵ “And you will make the frames^[fa] for the tabernacle of acacia wood as uprights.^{[fb] 16} The length of the frame^[fc] will be ten cubits, and the width of the one frame^[fd] will be one and a half cubits. ¹⁷ You will make two pegs^[fe] for the one frame^[ff] for joining each to another^[fg] and likewise for all the frames^[fh] of the tabernacle. ¹⁸ And you will make the frames^[fi] for the tabernacle with twenty frames^[fj] for the south^[fk] side. ¹⁹ And you will make forty silver bases under the twenty frames,^[fl] with two bases under the one frame^[fm] for its two pegs^[fn] and two bases under the next^[fo] frame^[fp] for its two pegs.^{[fq] 20} And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there will be twenty frames^{[fr] 21} and their forty silver bases, with two bases under the one frame^[fs] and two bases under the next^[ft] frame.^[fu]

²² “And for the rear of the tabernacle on the west^[fv] you will make six frames.^{[fw] 23} And you will make two frames^[fx] for the tabernacle corners at the rear. ²⁴ They will be double at the bottom, and they will be completely together on its top to the one ring; it will be likewise for the two of them; they will be for the two corners. ²⁵ And there will be eight frames^[fy] and their silver bases, sixteen bases, with two bases under the one frame^[fz] and two bases under the next^[ga] frame.^[gb]

²⁶ “You will make five bars of acacia wood for the frames^[gc] on the one side of the tabernacle, ²⁷ and five bars for the frames^[gd] on the second side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames^[ge] on the side of the tabernacle at the rear on the west.^{[gf] 28} And the bar in the middle, in the midst of the frames^[gg] will run from end to end. ²⁹ And you will overlay the frames^[gh] with gold, and you will make their rings of gold as holders^[gi] for the bars, and you will overlay the bars with gold. ³⁰ And you will erect the tabernacle according to its plan, which you have been shown on the mountain.

³¹ “And you will make a curtain of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman; he will make it with cherubim. ³² And you will put it on four acacia pillars overlaid with gold with their gold hooks on four silver bases. ³³ And you will put the curtain under the clasps, and you will bring the ark of the testimony there inside the curtain, and the curtain will separate for you between the holy and the most holy place.^{[gj] 34} And you will put the atonement cover on the ark of the testimony in the most holy place.^{[gk] 35} And you will place the table outside the curtain and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle, and you will put the table on the north side.

³⁶ “And you will make for the entrance of the tent a screen of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷ And you will make for the screen five acacia pillars, and you will overlay them with gold with their gold hooks, and you will cast for them five bronze bases.

Instructions for Making the Bronze Altar

27 “And you will make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar will be square, and its height will be three cubits. ² And you will make its horns on its four corners; its horns will be of one piece with it,^[gl] and you will overlay it with bronze. ³ And you will make its pots for removing its fat-soaked ashes and its shovels and its sprinkling bowls and its forks^[gm] and its fire pans; you will make all its equipment with bronze. ⁴ And you will make for it a grating, a work of bronze network, and you will make on the network four bronze rings on its four ends. ⁵ And you will put it under the ledge of the altar, below, and the network will be up to the middle of the altar. ⁶ And you will make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you will overlay them with bronze. ⁷ And the poles will be put into the rings, and the poles will be on the two sides of the altar when carrying it. ⁸ You will make it hollow with boards. As it was shown you on the mountain, so they will do.

Instructions for Making the Courtyard

⁹ “You will make the courtyard of the tabernacle; for the south^[gn] side will be hangings for the courtyard of finely twisted linen, one hundred cubits long for the one side. ¹⁰ And its twenty pillars and their twenty bases will be bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands will be silver. ¹¹ And likewise for the north side along the length will be hangings one hundred cubits long; and its twenty pillars and their bases will be bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands will be silver. ¹² And the width of the courtyard for the west^[go] side will be hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars and their ten bases. ¹³ And the width of the courtyard for the east side, toward sunrise, will be fifty cubits. ¹⁴ And hangings for the shoulder^[gp] will be fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁵ And fifteen cubits of hangings will be for the second shoulder^[gq] with their three pillars and their three bases. ¹⁶ And for the gate of the courtyard there will be a screen of twenty cubits of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer; with their four pillars and their four bases.

¹⁷ “All the pillars of the courtyard all around will be banded with silver, and their hooks will be silver, and their bases will be bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard will be one hundred cubits and the width fifty cubits^[gr] and the height five cubits, of finely twisted linen, with their bronze bases. ¹⁹ Bronze will be for all the equipment of the tabernacle in all its service and all its pegs^[gs] and all the pegs^[gt] of the courtyard.

Instructions for Making Oil for the Lampstand

²⁰ “And you will command the Israelites,^[gu] and they will bring to you pure, beaten olive oil for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually. ²¹ In the tent of assembly outside the curtain that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons will arrange it, from evening until morning, before Yahweh as a lasting statute throughout their generations from the Israelites.^[gv]

Instructions for Making Garments for Priests

28 “And bring near to you Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him from the midst of the Israelites^[gw] to serve as priests for me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron. ² And you will make holy garments^[gx] for Aaron, your brother, for glory and for splendor.^{[gy] 3} And you will speak to all the skilled of heart, whom I have given a gift of skill,^[gz] and they will make the garments of Aaron to consecrate him for his serving as my priest. ⁴ And these are the garments that they will make: A breast piece and an ephod and a robe and a tunic of specially woven fabric,^[ha] a turban and a sash. And they will make holy garments^[hb] for Aaron your brother, and for his sons to serve as priests for me.

⁵ “And they will take the gold and the blue and the purple and the crimson yarns and the fine linen, ⁶ and they will make the ephod of gold, blue and purple, and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman. ⁷ It will have two joining shoulder pieces at its two edges, so that it can be fastened. ⁸ And the waistband of his ephod, which is on it, will be of like work to it—gold, blue, and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen.

⁹ “And you will take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the Israelites,^{[hc] 10} with six of their names on the one stone and the remaining six on the second, according to their genealogies.^{[hd] 11} As the work of a skilled stone craftsman, with seal engravings you will engrave on the two stones the names of the Israelites;^[he] you will make them mounted in gold filigree settings. ¹² And you will set the two stones on the ephod’s shoulder pieces as stones of remembrance for the Israelites,^[hf] and Aaron will bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulder pieces for remembrance.

¹³ “And you will make gold filigree settings. ¹⁴ And you will make two braided chains of pure gold ornamental cord work, and you will put the chains of the ornamental cords on the filigree settings. ¹⁵ And you will make a breast piece of judgment, a work of a skilled craftsman; you will make it like the work of the ephod; you will make it of gold, blue and purple and crimson yarns, and finely twisted linen. ¹⁶ It will be squared, doubled, a span its length and a span its width. ¹⁷ And you will fill it with stone mounting, four rows of stone, a row of carnelian, topaz, and emerald is the first row; ¹⁸ and the second row is a malachite, a sapphire, and a moonstone; ¹⁹ and the third row is a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst; ²⁰ and the fourth row is a turquoise and an onyx and a jasper. Their settings will be woven with gold. ²¹ The stones will be according to the names of the Israelites,^[hg] twelve according to their names, with seal engravings, each according to its name they will be for the twelve tribes.

²² “And you will make on the breast piece braided chains, a work of pure gold ornamental cord. ²³ And you will make on the breast piece two gold rings, and you will put the two rings on the two edges of the breast piece. ²⁴ And you will put the two gold ornamental cords on the two rings on the edges of the breast piece. ²⁵ And you will put the two ends of the two ornamental cords on the two filigree settings, and you will put them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front of it. ²⁶ And you will make two gold rings, and you will place them on the two ends of the breast piece, on its edge that is on the other side^[hh] of the ephod, to the inside.^{[hi] 27} And you will make two rings and put them on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod below at its front near its seam above the waistband of the ephod. ²⁸ And they will tie the breast piece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord to be on the waistband of the ephod, and the breast piece will not come loose from the ephod. ²⁹ And Aaron will bear the names of the Israelites^[hj] in the breast piece of judgment on his heart, when he comes to the sanctuary, for a remembrance before Yahweh continually. ³⁰ And you will put the Urim and the Thummim on the breast piece of judgment, and they will be on the heart of Aaron when he comes before Yahweh, and Aaron will bear the judgment of the Israelites^[hk] on his heart before Yahweh continually.

³¹ “And you will make the robe of the ephod totally of blue yarn. ³² And the opening for his head will be in the middle of it; its opening will have an edge all around, the work of a weaver; it will be like the opening of a sturdy garment for it, so that it will not be torn. ³³ And you will make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and crimson yarns on its hem all around and bells of gold in the midst of them all around, ³⁴ a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵ And it will be on Aaron for serving, and its sound will be heard at his coming into the sanctuary before Yahweh and at his going out, so that he will not die.

³⁶ “And you will make a pure gold rosette,^[hl] and you will engrave on it with seal engravings: “A holy object for Yahweh.” ³⁷ And you will place it on a blue cord, and it will be on the turban, at the front of the turban it will be. ³⁸ And it will be on the forehead of Aaron, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the holy objects that the Israelites^[hm] will consecrate for all their holy gifts, and it will be on his forehead continually for acceptance for them before Yahweh.

³⁹ “And you will weave the tunic of fine linen, and you will make a turban of fine linen, and you will make a sash, the work of an embroiderer. ⁴⁰ And for the sons of Aaron you will make tunics, and you will make for them sashes and headdresses; you will make them for glory and for splendor.^{[hn] 41} And you will clothe them—Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him—and you will anoint them and ordain them^[ho] and consecrate them, and they will serve as priests for me. ⁴² And make for them undergarments of linen to cover naked flesh; they will be from loins to thigh. ⁴³ And they will be on Aaron and on his sons when they come to the tent of assembly or when they approach the altar to serve in the sanctuary, so that they will not bear guilt and die. It is a lasting statute for him and for his offspring after him.