Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
17 But time and again, they sinned against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 To test God was in their minds,
when they demanded food to satisfy their cravings.[a]
19 They spoke against God by asking,
“Is God able to prepare a feast[b] in the desert?
20 It’s true that[c] Moses[d] struck the rock so that water flowed forth
and torrents of water gushed out,
but is he also able to give bread
or to supply meat for his people?”
52 Yet he led out his people like sheep,
guiding them like a flock in the desert.
53 He led them to safety so they would not fear.
As for their enemies, the sea covered them.
54 He brought the people[a] to the border of his holy mountain,
which he acquired by his might.
55 He drove out nations before them
and allotted their tribal inheritance,
settling the tribes of Israel in their tents.
God’s Presence at the Tent of Meeting
7 Moses used to take the tent and set it up outside the camp at a distance from the camp, and he called it the Tent of Meeting. When anyone sought the Lord, he would go out to the Tent of Meeting which was outside the camp. 8 When Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would get up, and each would stand in the doorway of his tent, watching Moses until he entered the tent. 9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the doorway of the tent while God[a] spoke with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the doorway of the tent, all of them[b] would get up and prostrate themselves in worship, each one at the doorway of his tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face just as a man speaks with his friend. When Moses[c] returned to the camp, Nun’s son Joshua, his young servant, would not leave the tent.
The Promise of God’s Presence on the Journey
12 Moses told the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name,’ and also, ‘You have found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now, if I’ve found favor in your sight, please show me your ways so I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. And remember,[d] this nation is your people.”
14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I’ll give you rest.” 15 Then Moses[e] told the Lord,[f] “If your presence does not go with us,[g] don’t bring us up from here. 16 Otherwise,[h] how shall it be known that your people and I have received favor from you, unless you go with us and that we, your people and I, are distinguished from all the people on the surface of the earth?”
Moses Sees God’s Glory
17 The Lord told Moses, “I’ll do the very[i] thing that you have said, because you have found favor in my sight and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses[j] said, “Please show me your glory.”
19 God[k] said, “I’ll cause all my goodness to pass before you, and I’ll proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I’ll be gracious to whom I’ll be gracious, and I’ll show compassion on whom I’ll show compassion. 20 But,” he said, “You cannot see my face, because a man cannot see me and live.”
21 The Lord said, “Look, there is a place near[l] me where you can stand on the rock; 22 and as my glory passes by, I’ll put you in a crevice in the rock, and cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. 23 Then I’ll remove my hand so you may see my back, but my face must not be seen.”
30 “After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush[a] to look at it, the voice of the Lord said,[b] 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’[c] Moses became terrified and didn’t dare to look. 33 Then the Lord told him, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I’ve heard their groans, and I’ve come down to rescue them. Now come, I’ll send you to Egypt.’[d]
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