Exodus 19
1 The Israeli people then left Rephidim, and exactly two months after leaving Egypt, they/we came to the desert near Sinai [Mountain]. They/We set up their/our tents at the base of the mountain.
| בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לְצֵאת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה בָּאוּ מִדְבַּר סִינָֽי׃ |
| וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרְפִידִים וַיָּבֹאוּ מִדְבַּר סִינַי וַֽיַּחֲנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָֽר׃ |
3 Moses/I climbed up the mountain [to talk with] God. Yahweh called to [him/me] from [the top of] the mountain and said, “This is what I want you to say to the Israeli people, the descendants of Jacob:
| וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה מִן־הָהָר לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב וְתַגֵּיד לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You have seen [what I did for all of you] and how I brought you here to me. It was as though I [lifted you up as] an eagle [carries its young eaglets] on its wings [MET].
| אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי לְמִצְרָיִם וָאֶשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם עַל־כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים וָאָבִא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָֽי׃ |
5 So now, if you will do what I tell you and obey all that I command you, you will be my own people. All the people-groups on the earth are mine, but you will be (dearer/more special) to me than all the other people-groups.
| וְעַתָּה אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת־בְּרִיתִי וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכׇּל־הָעַמִּים כִּי־לִי כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ |
6 You will be people over whom I will rule, and you will all (be like priests/represent me to other nations as priests represent me to one nation) [MET], and you will be completely dedicated to me.’ That is what you must tell the Israeli people.”
| וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר תְּדַבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ |
7 So Moses/I went [down the mountain] and summoned the elders/leaders of the people. He/I told them everything that Yahweh had told him/me to tell them.
| וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וַיִּקְרָא לְזִקְנֵי הָעָם וַיָּשֶׂם לִפְנֵיהֶם אֵת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ יְהֹוָֽה׃ |
8 The people all said, “We will do everything that Yahweh has told us to do.” Then Moses/I [climbed back up the mountain and] reported to Yahweh what the people had said.
| וַיַּעֲנוּ כׇל־הָעָם יַחְדָּו וַיֹּאמְרוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה נַעֲשֶׂה וַיָּשֶׁב מֹשֶׁה אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הָעָם אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃ |
9 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “[Listen carefully]: I am going to appear to you from inside a thick cloud. When I am speaking to you, the people will hear it, and they will always trust in you.” Then Moses/I went [down the mountain and reported to the people what Yahweh said. Then he/I went back up the mountain and] told Yahweh what the people replied.
| וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָּא אֵלֶיךָ בְּעַב הֶֽעָנָן בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ וְגַם־בְּךָ יַאֲמִינוּ לְעוֹלָם וַיַּגֵּד מֹשֶׁה אֶת־דִּבְרֵי הָעָם אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃ |
10 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Go [back down] to the people [again]. [Tell them to] purify themselves today and tomorrow. [Tell them to] wash their clothes, too.
| וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה לֵךְ אֶל־הָעָם וְקִדַּשְׁתָּם הַיּוֹם וּמָחָר וְכִבְּסוּ שִׂמְלֹתָֽם׃ |
11 They must do that to be ready on the day after tomorrow. On that day I will come down to Sinai Mountain to where all the people can see me.
| וְהָיוּ נְכֹנִים לַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי כִּי ׀ בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִשִׁי יֵרֵד יְהֹוָה לְעֵינֵי כׇל־הָעָם עַל־הַר סִינָֽי׃ |
12 You must make a boundary around the base of the mountain, and tell them, ‘Be sure that you do not climb the mountain or even go near it. Anyone who even touches the base of the mountain must be executed.’
| וְהִגְבַּלְתָּ אֶת־הָעָם סָבִיב לֵאמֹר הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם עֲלוֹת בָּהָר וּנְגֹעַ בְּקָצֵהוּ כׇּל־הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהָר מוֹת יוּמָֽת׃ |
13 Do not let anyone touch any person or any animal that touches the mountain. You must [kill any person or animal that touches the mountain] by throwing stones at it or shooting it [with arrows]. But when you hear a long [loud] trumpet sound, the people can come close to the [base of the] mountain.”
| לֹא־תִגַּע בּוֹ יָד כִּֽי־סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל אוֹ־יָרֹה יִיָּרֶה אִם־בְּהֵמָה אִם־אִישׁ לֹא יִחְיֶה בִּמְשֹׁךְ הַיֹּבֵל הֵמָּה יַעֲלוּ בָהָֽר׃ |
14 So Moses/I went down the mountain [again] and told the people to purify themselves. They did what Moses/I told them to do, and they also washed their clothes.
| וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה מִן־הָהָר אֶל־הָעָם וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־הָעָם וַֽיְכַבְּסוּ שִׂמְלֹתָֽם׃ |
15 Then Moses/I said to the people, “Be ready on the day after tomorrow. And [you men] must not have sex with [EUP] [your wives] until after then.”
| וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־הָעָם הֱיוּ נְכֹנִים לִשְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים אַֽל־תִּגְּשׁוּ אֶל־אִשָּֽׁה׃ |
16 Two days later, during the morning, there was thunder and lightning, and a very dark cloud on the mountain. A trumpet sounded very loudly, with the result that the people in the camp shook/trembled because they [were very afraid].
| וַיְהִי בַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בִּֽהְיֹת הַבֹּקֶר וַיְהִי קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים וְעָנָן כָּבֵד עַל־הָהָר וְקֹל שֹׁפָר חָזָק מְאֹד וַיֶּחֱרַד כׇּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ |
17 Then Moses/I led the people outside the camp to meet with God. They stood at the base of the mountain.
| וַיּוֹצֵא מֹשֶׁה אֶת־הָעָם לִקְרַאת הָֽאֱלֹהִים מִן־הַֽמַּחֲנֶה וַיִּֽתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָֽר׃ |
18 All of Sinai Mountain was covered in smoke, because Yahweh had descended on it, surrounded by a fire. The smoke rose up like the smoke from [the chimney of] a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
| וְהַר סִינַי עָשַׁן כֻּלּוֹ מִפְּנֵי אֲשֶׁר יָרַד עָלָיו יְהֹוָה בָּאֵשׁ וַיַּעַל עֲשָׁנוֹ כְּעֶשֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁן וַיֶּחֱרַד כׇּל־הָהָר מְאֹֽד׃ |
19 As the sound of the trumpet continued to become louder, Moses/I spoke [to Yahweh], and Yahweh answered [him/me] in [a loud voice that sounded like] thunder.
| וַיְהִי קוֹל הַשֹּׁפָר הוֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק מְאֹד מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקֽוֹל׃ |
20 Then Yahweh came down [again] onto the top of Sinai Mountain, and he summoned Moses/me to come up to the top of the mountain. So Moses/I went up.
| וַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה עַל־הַר סִינַי אֶל־רֹאשׁ הָהָר וַיִּקְרָא יְהֹוָה לְמֹשֶׁה אֶל־רֹאשׁ הָהָר וַיַּעַל מֹשֶֽׁה׃ |
21 Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Go down again and warn the people not to cross the boundary in order to look [at me]. If they [do] that, many of them will die.
| וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה רֵד הָעֵד בָּעָם פֶּן־יֶהֶרְסוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה לִרְאוֹת וְנָפַל מִמֶּנּוּ רָֽב׃ |
22 Also, the priests who habitually come near me must purify themselves. If they do not do that, I will punish them.”
| וְגַם הַכֹּהֲנִים הַנִּגָּשִׁים אֶל־יְהֹוָה יִתְקַדָּשׁוּ פֶּן־יִפְרֹץ בָּהֶם יְהֹוָֽה׃ |
23 Then Moses/I said to Yahweh, “The people will not climb the mountain, because you commanded them, saying, ‘Set a boundary around the mountain, to make it sacred/taboo.’”
| וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהֹוָה לֹא־יוּכַל הָעָם לַעֲלֹת אֶל־הַר סִינָי כִּֽי־אַתָּה הַעֵדֹתָה בָּנוּ לֵאמֹר הַגְבֵּל אֶת־הָהָר וְקִדַּשְׁתּֽוֹ׃ |
24 Yahweh replied, “Go down the mountain, and bring Aaron back up with you. But do not allow the priests or other people to cross the boundary to come up to me. If they cross it, I will punish them.”
| וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה לֶךְ־רֵד וְעָלִיתָ אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן עִמָּךְ וְהַכֹּהֲנִים וְהָעָם אַל־יֶֽהֶרְסוּ לַעֲלֹת אֶל־יְהֹוָה פֶּן־יִפְרׇץ־בָּֽם׃ |
25 So Moses/I went down the mountain [again] and told the people [what Yahweh had said].
| וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶֽם׃ |
