Exodus 24

1 He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship from a distance.

Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Come to me, up [on top of this mountain], you and Aaron and [his sons] Nadab and Abihu. Also [take along] 70 of the Israeli elders/leaders. While you are still some distance [from the top of the mountain], prostrate yourselves [on the ground] and worship me.

2 Moses alone shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near. The people shall not go up with him.”

Moses, [I will allow] you alone to come near to me. The others must not come near, and the [rest of the] people must not come up the mountain.”

3 Moses came and told the people all the LORD’s words, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken will we do.”

Moses/I went and told the people everything that Yahweh had said and all that he had commanded. The people all replied together, saying, “We will do everything that Yahweh has told us [to do].”

4 Moses wrote all the LORD’s words, then rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the base of the mountain, with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

Then Moses/I wrote down everything that Yahweh had commanded. Early the next morning Moses/I built a [stone] altar. He/I also set up twelve stones, one for each of the Israeli tribes.

5 He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to the LORD.

He/I also selected some young men. They burned sacrifices to Yahweh and they also sacrificed some cattle [that they did not burn completely], for the purpose of maintaining fellowship with Yahweh.

6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

Moses/I took half of the blood of the animals that were slaughtered and put it in bowls. The other half of the blood [he/I] threw/splashed against the altar.

7 He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that the LORD has said, and be obedient.”

Then he/I took the scroll on which he/I had written [everything that Yahweh had commanded in] the agreement that he had made, and he/I read it [aloud], while all the people were listening. Then all the people said, “We will do all that Yahweh has told us to do. We will obey [everything].”

8 Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.”

Then Moses/I took the blood [that was in the bowls] and threw/splashed it on the people. He/I said, “This is the blood [that (confirms/puts into effect)] the agreement that Yahweh made with you when he gave you all these commands.”

9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.

Then Moses/I, along with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 Israeli elders/leaders, went up [the mountain],

10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.

and they/we saw God, the one whom the Israeli people worship. Under his feet was something like a pavement [made of expensive blue stones called] sapphires. They were as clear as the sky is [when there are no clouds].

11 He didn’t lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.

God did not harm [MTY] those Israeli elders/leaders [because of their having seen him]. They saw God, and they ate and drank together! [Then we all went back down the mountain].

12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay here, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commands that I have written, that you may teach them.”

Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Come up to me [again] on [top of this] mountain. While you are here, I will give you [two] stone slabs on which I have written all the laws [DOU] that I have given to you to instruct/teach [the people].”

13 Moses rose up with Joshua, his servant, and Moses went up onto God’s Mountain.

So Moses/I told the elders, “Stay here [with the other people] until we return! Do not forget that Aaron and Hur will be with you. So if anyone has a dispute [while I am gone], he can go to those two men.” Then Moses/I went with his/my servant Joshua [part of the way] up the mountain that [was dedicated to] God.

14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us, until we come again to you. Behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever is involved in a dispute can go to them.”

15 Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

Then Moses/I went the [rest of the way] up the mountain. A cloud covered the mountain.

16 The LORD’s glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. The seventh day he called to Moses out of the middle of the cloud.

The (glory/brilliant light) of Yahweh came down on the mountain and covered it for six days. On the seventh day, Yahweh called to Moses/me from the middle of the cloud.

17 The appearance of the LORD’s glory was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.

When the Israeli people [looked at] the top of the mountain, the glory of Yahweh was like a big fire that was burning [there].

18 Moses entered into the middle of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Moses/I went into the cloud on top of the mountain. He/I was there for 40 days and nights.