Exodus 33

1 And YHWH speaks to Moses, “Go, ascend from this [place], you and the people, whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, I give it to your seed.

And the Lord said to Moses, Go forward from this place, you and the people whom you have taken up out of the land of Egypt, to that land about which I made an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your seed will I give it.

2 And I have sent a Messenger before you, and have cast out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

And I will send an angel before you, driving out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite:

3 [Go up] to a land flowing with milk and honey, for I do not go up in your midst, for you [are] a stiff-necked people—lest I consume you in the way.”

Go up to that land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, for fear that I send destruction on you while you are on the way.

4 And the people hear this sad thing, and mourn; and none puts his ornaments on him.

Hearing this bad news the people were full of grief, and no one put on his ornaments.

5 And YHWH says to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel: You [are] a stiff-necked people; [in] one moment I could come up into your midst and could have consumed you; and now, put down your ornaments from off you, and I know what I do to you”;

And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, You are a stiff-necked people: if I come among you, even for a minute, I will send destruction on you; so take off all your ornaments, so that I may see what to do with you.

6 and the sons of Israel take off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.

So the children of Israel took off their ornaments at Mount Horeb, and did not put them on again.

7 And Moses takes the tent, and has stretched it out at the outside of the camp, far off from the camp, and has called it, “Tent of Meeting”; and it has come to pass, everyone seeking YHWH goes out to the Tent of Meeting, which [is] at the outside of the camp.

Now it was Moses' way to put up the Tent of meeting outside the tent-circle, at some distance away; giving it the name of The Tent of meeting. And everyone desiring to make his prayer to the Lord went to the Tent of meeting outside the tent-circle.

8 And it has come to pass, at the going out of Moses to the tent, all the people rise, and have stood, each at the opening of his tent, and have looked expectingly after Moses, until his going into the tent.

And whenever Moses went out to the Tent of meeting, all the people got up and everyone went to the door of his tent, looking after Moses till he went inside the Tent.

9 And it has come to pass, at the going in of Moses to the tent, the pillar of the cloud comes down, and has stood at the opening of the tent, and He has spoken with Moses;

And whenever Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud came down, and took its place by the door of the Tent, as long as the Lord was talking with Moses.

10 and all the people have seen the pillar of the cloud standing at the opening of the tent, and all the people have risen and bowed themselves, each at the opening of his tent.

And all the people saw the cloud at the door of the Tent, and they went down on their faces, everyone at the door of his tent.

11 And YHWH has spoken to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend; and he has turned back to the camp, and his minister Joshua, son of Nun, a youth, does not depart out of the tent.

And the Lord had talk with Moses face to face, as a man may have talk with his friend. And when Moses came back to the tents, his servant, the young man Joshua, the son of Nun, did not come away from the Tent.

12 And Moses says to YHWH, “See, You are saying to me, Bring up this people, and You have not caused me to know whom You send with me; and You have said, I have known you by name, and you have also found grace in My eyes.

And Moses said to the Lord, See, you say to me, Be this people's guide on their journey, but you have not made clear to me whom you will send with me. But you have said, I have knowledge of you by name, and you have grace in my eyes.

13 And now, if, please, I have found grace in Your eyes, please cause me to know Your way, and I know You, so that I find grace in Your eyes, and consider that this nation [is] Your people”;

If then I have grace in your eyes, let me see your ways, so that I may have knowledge of you and be certain of your grace; and my prayer is that you will keep in mind that this nation is your people.

14 and He says, “My presence goes, and I have given rest to you.”

And he said, I myself will go with you and give you rest.

15 And he says to Him, “If Your presence is not going—do not take us up from this [place];

And Moses said, If you yourself are not going with us, do not send us on from here.

16 and in what is it known now, that I have found grace in Your eyes—I and Your people—is it not in Your going with us? And we have been distinguished—I and Your people—from all the people who [are] on the face of the ground.”

For is not the fact of your going with us the sign that I and this people have grace in your eyes, so that we, that is, I and your people, are separate from all other people on the face of the earth?

17 And YHWH says to Moses, “Even this thing which you have spoken I do; for you have found grace in My eyes, and I know you by name.”

And the Lord said to Moses, I will do as you say: for you have grace in my eyes, and I have knowledge of you by your name.

18 And he says, “Please show me Your glory”;

And Moses said, O Lord, let me see your glory.

19 and He says, “I cause all My goodness to pass before your face, and have called concerning the Name of YHWH before you, and favored him whom I favor, and loved him whom I love.”

And he said, I will make all the light of my being come before you, and will make clear to you what I am; I will be kind to those to whom I will be kind, and have mercy on those on whom I will have mercy.

20 He also says, “You are unable to see My face, for man does not see Me and live”;

But it is not possible for you to see my face, for no man may see me and still go on living.

21 YHWH also says, “Behold, a place [is] by Me, and you have stood on the rock,

And the Lord said, See, there is a place near me, and you may take your place on the rock:

22 and it has come to pass, in the passing by of My glory, that I have set you in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My hands over you until My passing by,

And when my glory goes by, I will put you in a hole in the rock, covering you with my hand till I have gone past:

23 and I have turned aside My hands, and you have seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.”

Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back: but my face is not to be seen.