Exodus 24

1 And to Moses he said, Go up to the Lord, you and Aaron and Nadab and Abiud, and seventy of the elders of Israel: and they shall worship the Lord from a distance.

The Lord told Moses, “Come up to the Lord—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders. You are to worship at a distance.

2 And Moses alone shall draw near to God; and they shall not draw near, and the people shall not come up with them.

Only Moses may approach the Lord—the others must not come near. The people may not go up the mountain with him.”

3 And Moses went in and related to the people all the words of God and the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, All the words which the Lord has spoken, we will do and be obedient.

Moses went and told the people all the Lord's instructions and regulations. They all responded together: “We will do everything the Lord says!”

4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and [set up] twelve stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Moses wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the following morning and built an altar at the bottom of the mountain, and set up twelve pillars for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

5 And he sent forth the young men of the children of Israel, and they offered whole burnt offerings, and they sacrificed young calves as a peace-offering to God.

Then he sent out some young Israelite men who went and offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.

6 And Moses took half the blood and poured it into bowls, and half the blood he poured out upon the altar.

Moses put half of the blood into bowls, and sprinkled the other half on the altar.

7 And he took the book of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people, and they said, All things whatever the Lord has spoken we will do and listen therein.

Then he picked up the Book of the Agreement and read it to the people. They replied, “We will do everything the Lord says. We will obey.”

8 And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.

So Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the agreement that the Lord has made with you following these terms.”

9 And Moses went up, and Aaron, and Nadab and Abiud, and seventy of the elders of Israel.

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders climbed up the mountain,

10 And they saw the place where the God of Israel stood; and under his feet was as it were a work of sapphire slabs, and as it were the appearance of the firmament of heaven in its purity.

and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a tiled pavement made of lapis lazuli, as clear blue as the sky itself.

11 And of the chosen ones of Israel there was not even one missing, and they appeared in the place of God, and did eat and drink.

But God did not harm the leaders of Israel—they saw him, and they ate and drank a sacred meal.

12 And the Lord said to Moses, Come up to me into the mountain, and be there; and I will give you the tables of stone, the law and the commandments, which I have written to give them laws.

Then the Lord told Moses, “Come up the mountain to me, and stay here, so I can give you the stone tablets, with the instructions and commands I have written for them to learn.”

13 And Moses rose up and Joshua his attendant, and they went up into the mount of God.

So Moses left with Joshua his attendant and climbed up the mountain of God.

14 And to the elders they said, Rest there till we return to you; and behold, Aaron and Or are with you: if any man have a cause to be tried, let them go to them.

He told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us to return. Aaron and Hur are with you. If anyone has a problem, they can talk with them.”

15 And Moses and Joshua went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

As Moses climbed up on the mountain, the cloud covered it

16 And the glory of God came down upon the mount Sina, and the cloud covered it six days; and the Lord called Moses on the seventh day out of the midst of the cloud.

The Lord's glory came down on Mount Sinai, covering it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.

17 And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was as burning fire on the top of the mountain, before the children of Israel.

To the Israelites the Lord's glory looked like a burning fire on the top of the mountain.

18 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and went up to the mountain, and was there in the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Moses went into the cloud as he climbed up on the mountain, and he stayed on the mountain for forty days and nights.