Exodus 34

1 The Lord told Moses, “Cut out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them again the same words that were on the first tablets—the ones you broke.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2 Get ready in the morning, and then come up Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the mountain top.

Be ready in the morning, and come up on Mount Sinai to present yourself before Me on the mountaintop.

3 Nobody else can come up with you—I don't want to see anyone anywhere on the mountain, and no flocks or herds should graze at the foot of the mountain.”

No one may go up with you; in fact, no one may be seen anywhere on the mountain—not even the flocks or herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

4 So Moses cut out two stone tablets like the previous ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning as the Lord had ordered him, taking with him the two stone tablets.

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.

5 The Lord descended in a cloud, stood there with him, and called out the name “Yahweh.”

And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.

6 The Lord passed in front of him, calling out, “Yahweh! Yahweh! I am the God of grace and mercy! I am slow to become angry, full of trustworthy love and always faithful.

Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,

7 I go on showing my trustworthy love to thousands, forgiving guilt, rebellion, and sin. But I will not leave the guilty unpunished—the impact of sin will affect not only the parents, but also their children and grandchildren, up until the third and fourth generation.”

maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

8 Moses quickly bowed down to the ground, and worshiped.

Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped.

9 He said, “Lord, if it's true that you're happy with me, please accompany us. Admittedly this is a rebellious people, but please forgive our guilt and sin. Accept us as specially belonging to you.”

“O Lord,” he said, “if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our iniquity and sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”

10 The Lord said, “Look, I'm making an agreement with you. Right in front of all of you I will do miracles that have never been done before—not among anyone anywhere on earth. Everyone here and those around will see the Lord at work, for what I'm going to do for you will be incredible.

And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you.

11 But you must carefully follow what I tell you to do today. Pay attention! I'm going to drive out ahead of you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Observe what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

12 Make sure you don't agree to a peace treaty with the people living in the land where you are going. Otherwise they will become a trap for you.

Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.

13 For you must tear down their altars, knock down their idolatrous pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles,

Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.

14 because you must not worship any other gods than the Lord. His name stands for being exclusive, because he is a God who demands an exclusive relationship.

For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

15 Make sure you don't agree to a peace treaty with the people living in the land, for when they prostitute themselves by worshiping and sacrificing to their gods, they will invite you to join them, and you will eat from their pagan sacrifices.

Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.

16 When you have their daughters marry your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will make your sons worship their gods in the same way.

And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.

17 Don't make any idols for yourselves.

You shall make no molten gods for yourselves.

18 Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast, as I ordered you to do. You are to do this at the specified time in the month of Abib, because that was the month when you left Egypt.

You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you. For in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

19 Every firstborn is mine. That includes all the firstborn males of your livestock from your cattle herds, and flocks.

The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep.

20 You can redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb, but if you don't, you must break its neck. All your firstborn sons must be redeemed. No one is to come before me without an offering.

You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.

21 You shall work for six days, but you shall rest on the seventh day. Even during the times of sowing and harvest you shall rest.

Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and harvesting, you must rest.

22 Observe the Festival of Weeks when you offer the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Harvest Festival at the end of the agricultural year.

And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

23 Three times every year all your males must appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

24 I will drive out the nations ahead of you and expand your borders, and no one will come and take your land when you go three times a year to appear before the Lord your God.

For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

25 Don't offer bread made with yeast when you present a sacrifice to me, don't keep any sacrifice from the Passover Feast until the morning.

Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to Me along with anything leavened, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.

26 When you harvest your crops, bring the firstfruits to the house of the Lord your God. Don't cook a young goat in milk from its mother.”

Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27 Then the Lord told Moses, “Write down these words, because these are the basis for the agreement I have made with you and with Israel.”

The LORD also said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

28 Moses spent forty days and forty nights there with the Lord without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote down on the tablets the words of the agreement, the Ten Commandments.

So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two tablets of the Law, he didn't realize that his face was shining brightly because he had been speaking with the Lord.

And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the LORD.

30 When Aaron and the Israelites saw Moses with his face shining so brightly they were frightened to approach him.

Aaron and all the Israelites looked at Moses, and behold, his face was radiant. And they were afraid to approach him.

31 But Moses called out to them, so Aaron and all the community leaders went over to him, and he talked with them.

But Moses called out to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them.

32 Afterwards all the Israelites came over and he gave them all the Lord's instructions he'd received on Mount Sinai.

And after this all the Israelites came near, and Moses commanded them to do everything that the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai.

33 After Moses finished talking with them, he put a veil over his face.

When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

34 However, whenever Moses went in to talk with the Lord, he would take off the veil until he came out again. Then he would tell the Israelites the Lord's instructions,

But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out. And when he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded,

35 and the Israelites would see his face shining brightly. So he would put the veil over his face until the next time he went to talk with the Lord.

and the Israelites would see that the face of Moses was radiant. So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.