Exodus 34

1 And the Lord saide vnto Moses, Hewe thee two Tables of stone, like vnto the first, and I will write vpon the Tables the wordes that were in the first Tables, which thou brakest in pieces.

Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Cut two slabs of stone that will be like the first slabs, the ones that you broke. Then I will engrave on them the words that were on the first slabs.

2 And be ready in ye morning, that thou mayest come vp earely vnto the mount of Sinai, and waite there for me in the top of the mount.

Get ready tomorrow morning, and come up to the top of Sinai Mountain again to talk with me there.

3 But let no man come vp with thee, neither let any man be seene throughout all the mount, neyther let the sheepe nor cattell feede before this mount.

Do not allow anyone to come up with you. I do not want anyone [else] to be anywhere on the mountain. Do not allow any sheep or cattle to graze (at the base of/near) the mountain.”

4 Then Moses hewed two Tables of stone like vnto the first, and rose vp earely in the morning, and went vp vnto the mount of Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and tooke in his hande two Tables of stone.

So Moses/I cut two slabs of stone that were like the first ones. He/I arose early the next morning. He/I took the slabs and carried them in his/my hands up to the top of Sinai Mountain, as Yahweh had commanded.

5 And the Lord descended in the cloude, and stoode with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

Then Yahweh descended in the [tall] cloud and stood with Moses/me there. He proclaimed that it was he, Yahweh, [who was going to speak to Moses/me].

6 So the Lord passed before his face, and cried, The Lord, the Lord, strong, mercifull, and gracious, slowe to anger, and abundant in goodnesse and trueth,

Then Yahweh passed in front of him/me and proclaimed, “I am Yahweh God. I always act mercifully and kindly [toward people]. I do not get angry quickly. I [truly] love [people] and I do what I promise to do for them, without changing.

7 Reseruing mercy for thousands, forgiuing iniquitie, and transgression and sinne, and not making the wicked innocent, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon ye children, and vpon childrens children, vnto the third and fourth generation.

I love people for thousands of generations. I forgive people for all kinds of sins [TRI]. But I will certainly punish [LIT] those who are guilty. I will punish not only them, but I will punish (their descendants, down to the third and fourth generation/their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren).”

8 Then Moses made haste and bowed him selfe to the earth, and worshipped,

Moses/I quickly prostrated himself/myself on the ground and worshiped [Yahweh].

9 And sayde, O Lord, I pray thee, If I haue founde grace in thy sight, that the Lord woulde nowe goe with vs (for it is a stiffe necked people) and pardon our iniquitie and our sinne, and take vs for thine inheritance.

He/I said, “Yahweh, if you are now pleased with me, I ask that you go with us. These people are very stubborn [IDM], but forgive us for all our sins [DOU], and accept us to be people who belong to you [forever].”

10 And he answered, Behold, I will make a couenant before all thy people, and will do marueiles, such as haue not bene done in all the worlde, neyther in all nations: and all the people among whom thou art, shall see the worke of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

Yahweh replied, “Note this: I am going to make a solemn agreement [with the Israeli people]. As they are watching, I will perform great miracles. They will be miracles that no one has ever done on the earth in any nation. All the people who are near you will see the great things that I, Yahweh, will do. I will do awesome things for you [all].

11 Keepe diligently that which I commande thee this day: Beholde, I will cast out before thee the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Hiuites, and the Iebusites.

[Each Israeli] person must obey what I am commanding you this day. Do not forget that [if you obey me], I will expel the Amor, Canaan, Heth, Periz, Hiv, and Jebus people-groups [from the land]. But be careful that you do not make any [peace] agreements with any of the people who live in the land into which you are going, because if you do that, [you will begin to do the evil things that they do]. It will be [like] falling into a trap.

12 Take heede to thy selfe, that thou make no compact with ye inhabitantes of the land whither thou goest, least they be the cause of ruine among you:

13 But yee shall ouerthrowe their altars, and breake their images in pieces, and cut downe their groues,

You must tear down their altars, destroy their sacred pillars, and cut down [the poles that they use to worship their female goddess] Asherah.

14 (For thou shalt bow downe to none other god, because the Lord, whose Name is Ielous, is a ielous God)

You must worship only me, [and] not worship any other god, because I, Yahweh, cannot endure any rivals.

15 Lest thou make a compact with the inhabitantes of the lande, and when they goe a whoring after their gods, and doe sacrifice vnto their gods, some man call thee, and thou eate of his sacrifice:

Do not make peace agreements with [any group] that lives in that land. When they worship their gods and offer sacrifices to their gods, and they invite you to join them, do not join them. If [you join them], you will eat the food that they sacrifice to their gods, and [you will not be faithful to me. You will be like people who] commit adultery, [who are not being faithful to their spouses] [MET].

16 And least thou take of their daughters vnto thy sonnes, and their daughters goe a whoring after their gods, and make thy sonnes goe a whoring after their gods.

If you take some of their women to be wives for your sons, and these women worship their own gods, they will persuade your sons also to worship their gods.

17 Thou shalt make thee no gods of metall.

Do not pour melted metal into molds to make statues for you to worship.

18 The feast of vnleauened bread shalt thou keepe: seuen dayes shalt thou eate vnleauened bread, as I commanded thee, in ye time of the moneth of Abib: for in the moneth of Abib thou camest out of Egypt.

[Each year], during the month [of/named] Abib, celebrate the Festival of Eating Bread Made Without Yeast. [During that festival], for seven days you must not eat bread made with yeast, as I commanded you, because it was in that month that you left Egypt.

19 Euery male, that first openeth the wombe, shalbe mine: also all the first borne of thy flocke shalbe rekoned mine, both of beeues and sheepe.

Your firstborn sons and the firstborn [male] animals of your cattle and sheep [and goats] belong to me.

20 But ye first of ye asse thou shalt bie out with a lambe: and if thou redeeme him not, then thou shalt breake his necke: all the first borne of thy sonnes shalt thou redeeme, and none shall appeare before me emptie.

The firstborn of your [male] donkeys [also belong to me]. But you may buy them back by [offering to me] lambs [in their place]. If you do not do that, you must [kill these animals by] breaking their necks. You must also buy back your firstborn sons. You must bring an offering to me [LIT] each time you come to [worship] me.

21 Six dayes shalt thou worke, and in the seuenth day thou shalt rest: both in earing time, and in the haruest thou shalt rest.

[Each week] you may work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest. [Even] during the times when you plow [the ground] and harvest [your crops], you must rest [on the seventh day].

22 Thou shalt also obserue the feast of weekes in the time of ye first fruits of wheate haruest, and the feast of gathering fruites in the ende of the yere.

[Each year] celebrate the Harvest Festival, when you begin to harvest the first crop of wheat, and also celebrate the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters, when you finish harvesting [the grain and fruit].

23 Thrise in a yere shall all your men children appeare before the Lord Iehouah God of Israel.

Three times each year all the men must come to worship me, Yahweh, the God of the Israeli people.

24 For I wil cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy coasts, so that no man shall desire thy land, whe thou shalt come vp to appeare before the Lord thy God thrise in the yeere.

I will expel the people-groups that live in the land [where you will be], and I will cause your territory to become very large. As a result, no group will try to conquer your country if you come to worship me each year during those three festivals.

25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leauen, neither shall ought of the sacrifice of the feast of Passeouer be left vnto the morning.

When you sacrifice an animal [MTY] to me, do not offer with it bread that is made with yeast. And during the Passover Festival, when you sacrifice lambs, do not keep any of the meat until the next morning.

26 The first ripe fruites of thy land thou shalt bring vnto the house of the Lord thy God: yet shalt thou not seethe a kid in his mothers milke.

I am Yahweh God. You must bring to my Sacred Tent the first part of the grain that you harvest each year. When you kill a young animal/kid [either a lamb or a calf], do not [prepare to eat it by] boiling it in its mother’s milk.”

27 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenour of these words I haue made a couenant with thee and with Israel.

Yahweh also said to Moses/me, “Write down the words that I have told you. By giving you these commands, I have made a solemn agreement with you and with the [other] Israeli people.”

28 So hee was there with the Lord fourtie dayes and fourtie nights, and did neither eat bread nor drinke water: and hee wrote in the Tables the wordes of the couenant, euen the tenne commandements.

Moses/I was there [on the top of the mountain] with Yahweh for 40 days and nights. During that time he/I did not eat or drink anything [SYN]. He/I engraved on the stone slabs the words of the Ten Commandments, [which were part of Yahweh’s] solemn agreement.

29 So when Moses came downe from mount Sinai, the two Tables of the Testimonie were in Moses hande, as hee descended from the mount: (nowe Moses wist not that the skinne of his face shone bright, after that God had talked with him.

When Moses/I came back down the mountain, carrying in his/my hand the two stone slabs on which were written the Ten Commandments, his/my face was shining because he/I had been talking with Yahweh, but he/I did not know that his/my face was shining.

30 And Aaron and all the children of Israel looked vpon Moses, and beholde, the skin of his face shone bright, and they were afraid to come neere him)

When Aaron and the [other] Israeli people saw Moses/me, they were amazed/surprised that his/my face was shining. So they were afraid to come near him/me.

31 But Moses called them: and Aaron and all the chiefe of the congregation returned vnto him: and Moses talked with them.

But Moses/I called to them. Then Aaron and the other Israeli leaders came to him/me, and he/I talked with them.

32 And afterwarde all the children of Israel came neere, and he charged them with al that the Lord had said vnto him in mount Sinai.

Afterwards, all the other Israeli people came near, and he/I told them all the laws that Yahweh had given to him/me on Sinai Mountain.

33 So Moses made an end of comuning with them, and had put a couering vpon his face.

When Moses/I finished talking to the people, he/I put a veil over his/my face.

34 But, when Moses came before the Lord to speake with him, he tooke off the couering vntill he came out: then he came out, and spake vnto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

But whenever Moses/I entered the Sacred Tent to talk with Yahweh, he/I removed the veil. When he/I came back out, he/I would always tell to the Israeli people everything that Yahweh had commanded him/me [to tell them].

35 And the children of Israel sawe the face of Moses, howe the skin of Moses face shone bright: therefore Moses put the couering vpon his face, vntill he went to speake with God.

The Israeli people would see that Moses’/my face was [still] shining. Then he/I would put the veil back on his/my face again until the next time that he/I went into [the Sacred Tent] to talk with Yahweh.