< Exodus 24 >
1 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me—you, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders, and worship me at a distance.
And to Moses he said, Go up to the Lord, you and Aaron and Nadab and Abiud, and seventy of the elders of Israel: and they shall worship the Lord from a distance.
2 Moses alone may come near to me. The others must not come near, nor may the people come up with him.”
And Moses alone shall draw near to God; and they shall not draw near, and the people shall not come up with them.
3 Moses went and told the people all of Yahweh's words and decrees. All the people answered with one voice and said, “We will do all the words that Yahweh has said.”
And Moses went in and related to the people all the words of God and the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, All the words which the Lord has spoken, we will do and be obedient.
4 Then Moses wrote down all of Yahweh's words. Early in the morning, Moses built an altar at the foot of the mountain and arranged twelve stone pillars, so that the stones would represent the twelve tribes of Israel.
And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and built an altar under the mountain, and [set up] twelve stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5 He sent some Israelite young men to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice fellowship offerings of oxen to Yahweh.
And he sent forth the young men of the children of Israel, and they offered whole burnt offerings, and they sacrificed young calves as a peace-offering to God.
6 Moses took half of the blood and put it into basins; he sprinkled the other half onto the altar.
And Moses took half the blood and poured it into bowls, and half the blood he poured out upon the altar.
7 He took the book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. They said, “We will do all that Yahweh has spoken. We will be obedient.”
And he took the book of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people, and they said, All things whatever the Lord has spoken we will do and listen therein.
8 Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it onto the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant that Yahweh has made with you by giving you this promise with all these words.”
And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders went up the mountain.
And Moses went up, and Aaron, and Nadab and Abiud, and seventy of the elders of Israel.
10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself.
And they saw the place where the God of Israel stood; and under his feet was as it were a work of sapphire slabs, and as it were the appearance of the firmament of heaven in its purity.
11 God did not lay a hand on the Israelite leaders. They saw God, and they ate and drank.
And of the chosen ones of Israel there was not even one missing, and they appeared in the place of God, and did eat and drink.
12 Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay there. I will give you the tablets of stone and the law and commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.”
And the Lord said to Moses, Come up to me into the mountain, and be there; and I will give you the tables of stone, the law and the commandments, which I have written to give them laws.
13 So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God.
And Moses rose up and Joshua his attendant, and they went up into the mount of God.
14 Moses had said to the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. If anyone has a dispute, let him go to them.”
And to the elders they said, Rest there till we return to you; and behold, Aaron and Or are with you: if any man have a cause to be tried, let them go to them.
15 So Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.
And Moses and Joshua went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16 Yahweh's glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from within the cloud.
And the glory of God came down upon the mount Sina, and the cloud covered it six days; and the Lord called Moses on the seventh day out of the midst of the cloud.
17 The appearance of Yahweh's glory was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the Israelites.
And the appearance of the glory of the Lord was as burning fire on the top of the mountain, before the children of Israel.
18 Moses entered the cloud and went up the mountain. He was up the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and went up to the mountain, and was there in the mountain forty days and forty nights.