Exodus 24

1 And He said to Moses, “Come up to YHWH, you, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy from [the] elderly of Israel, and you have bowed yourselves far off”;

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 has drawn near to YHWH by himself; and they do not draw near, and the people do not go up with him.

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 comes in, and recounts to the people all the words of YHWH, and all the judgments, and all the people answer [with] one voice, and say, “All the words which YHWH has spoken we do.”

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 writes all the words of YHWH, and rises early in the morning, and builds an altar under the hill, and twelve standing pillars 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 sends the youths of the sons of Israel, and they cause burnt-offerings to ascend, and sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings to YHWH—calves.

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 takes half of the blood and puts [it] in basins, and he has sprinkled half of the blood on the altar;

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

7 and he takes the Scroll of the Covenant, and proclaims [it] in the ears of the people, and they say, “All that which YHWH has spoken we do, and we obey.”

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 takes the blood and sprinkles [it] on the people, and says, “Behold, the blood of the covenant which YHWH has made with you, concerning all these things.”

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 goes up, Aaron also, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy from [the] elderly of Israel,

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

10 and they see the God of Israel, and under His feet [is] as the work of a pavement of sapphire, and as the substance of the heavens for 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 He has not put forth His hand to those of the sons of Israel who are near, and they see God, and 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 YHWH says to Moses, “Come up to Me [on] the mountain and be there, and I give to you the tablets of stone, and the Law, and the command, which I have written to direct them.”

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 rises—his minister Joshua also—and Moses goes up to the mountain of God;

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

14 and he has said to the elderly, “Abide for us in this [place] until we return to you, and behold, Aaron and Hur [are] with you—he who has matters comes near 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 goes up to the mountain, and the cloud covers the mountain;

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

16 and the glory of YHWH dwells on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covers it [for] six days, and He calls to Moses on the seventh day from 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 YHWH [is] as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain, before the eyes of the sons of Israel;

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

18 and Moses goes into the midst of the cloud, and goes up to the mountain, and Moses is on 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.