Exodus 33

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’

And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, go up from here, thou and the people that thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it; —

2 And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

And I will send before thee an angel; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Emorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; —

3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”

Unto a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee, because thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee on the way.

4 When the people heard these bad tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry.

And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no man did put his ornaments on him.

5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’”

For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people; should I go up one moment in the midst of thee, I would consume thee; now therefore put off thy ornaments from thee, and I shall know what I will do unto thee.

6 So the Israelites stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.

The children of Israel then stripped themselves of their ornaments [they wore] from [the time they were at] mount Horeb.

7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it at a distance outside the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting, and anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp.

And Moses took the tent, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it, Tabernacle of the congregation; and it came to pass, that every one who sought [instruction of] the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.

8 Then, whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand at the entrances to their own tents and watch Moses until he entered the tent.

And it came to pass, that when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people would rise up, and stand every man at the door of his tent, and look after Moses, until he was gone into the tent.

9 As Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance, and the LORD would speak with Moses.

And it came to pass, that as Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and spoke with Moses.

10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up and worship, each one at the entrance to his own tent.

And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the tent: then all the people rose up and prostrated themselves, every man at the door of his tent.

11 Thus the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young assistant Joshua son of Nun would not leave the tent.

And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and then he returned into the camp; but his servant, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent.

12 Then Moses said to the LORD, “Look, You have been telling me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found favor in My sight.’

And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; but thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me: and yet thou hast said, I have chosen thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my eyes.

13 Now if indeed I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know Your ways, that I may know You and find favor in Your sight. Remember that this nation is Your people.”

Now, therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy eyes, do make me know thy way, that I may know thee, in order that I may find grace in thy eyes; and consider that this nation is thy people.

14 And the LORD answered, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

And he said, My presence shall go in advance, and I will give thee rest.

15 “If Your Presence does not go with us,” Moses replied, “do not lead us up from here.

And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with us, ] carry us not up from here.

16 For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

For wherein shall it be known in any wise that I have found grace in thy eyes, I with thy people? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be distinguished, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.

17 So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”

And the Lord said unto Moses, Also this thing that thou hast spoken will I do; for thou hast found grace in my eyes, and I have chosen thee by name.

18 Then Moses said, “Please show me Your glory.”

And he said, Let me see, I beseech thee, thy glory.

19 “I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

And he said, I will cause all my goodness to pass before thy face, and I will proclaim, by name, the Lord before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.

20 But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”

And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for no man can see me, and live.

21 The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock,

And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:

22 and when My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand, until I have passed by.

23 Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”

And then I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen.