Exodus 34

1 YHWH said to Moses, "Chisel two stone tablets like the first: and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

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.

2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and station yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.

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

3 No one shall come up with you; neither let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mountain."

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.”

4 He chiseled two tablets of stone like the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to Mount Sinai, as YHWH had commanded him, and took in his hand two stone tablets.

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.

5 YHWH descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of YHWH.

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

6 YHWH passed by before him, and proclaimed, "YHWH, YHWH, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,

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.

7 keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth [generation]."

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.”

8 Moses hurried and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

Moses quickly bowed down to the ground, and worshiped.

9 He said, "If now I have found favor in your sight, please let my Lord go in the midst of us; although this is a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance."

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.”

10 He said, "Look, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which you are shall see the work of YHWH; for it is an awesome thing that I do with you.

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.

11 Observe that which I command you this day. Look, I drive out before you the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hethite, and the Girgashite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

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.

12 Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you:

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.

13 but you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherim;

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

14 for you shall worship no other god: for YHWH, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

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.

15 Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;

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.

16 and you take of their daughters to your sons, and their daughters play the prostitute after their gods, and make your sons play the prostitute after their gods.

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.

17 You shall make no cast idols for yourselves.

Don't make any idols for yourselves.

18 "You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.

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.

19 All firstborn of the womb are mine, and all your male cattle, the firstborn of ox or sheep.

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

20 The firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb: and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. No one shall appear before me empty.

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.

21 "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

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.

22 You shall observe the feast of weeks with the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of harvest at the year's end.

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

23 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before Lord YHWH, the God of Israel.

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

24 For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before YHWH, your God, three times in the year.

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.

25 "You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover be left to the morning.

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.

26 You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of YHWH your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."

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.”

27 YHWH said to Moses, "Write you these words: for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

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.”

28 He was there with YHWH forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

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.

29 It happened, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mountain, that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.

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.

30 When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, look, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.

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

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

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

32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them all of the commandments that YHWH had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.

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

33 When Moses was done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

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

34 But when Moses went in before YHWH to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

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,

35 The children of Israel saw Moses' face, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

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.