Exodus 24

1 And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar 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 alone shall come near unto the LORD; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people 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 came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath spoken will 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 wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to 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 young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

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 of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on 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 in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and be obedient.

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 on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath 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 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, 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 God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness.

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 upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: and they beheld 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 unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach 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 rose up, and Joshua his minister: and Moses went up into the mount of God.

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

14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: whosoever hath a cause, let him come near unto 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 went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount.

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

16 And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses 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 like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of 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 entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount 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.