Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹"Now these are the ordinances (laws) which you shall set before the Israelites:

²"If you purchase a Hebrew servant [because of his debt or poverty], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh [year] he shall leave as a free man, paying nothing.

³If he came [to you] alone, he shall leave alone; if he came married, then his wife shall leave with him.

⁴If his master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall leave [your service] alone.

⁵But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not leave as a free man,'

⁶then his master shall bring him to God [that is, to the judges who act in God's name], then he shall bring him to the door or doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl (strong needle); and he shall serve him for life.

⁷"If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go free [after six years] as male servants do.

⁸If she does not please her master who has chosen her for himself [as a wife], he shall let her be redeemed [by her family]. He does not have the authority to sell her to a foreign people, because he has been unfair to her.

⁹If her master chooses her [as a wife] for his son, he shall act toward her as if she were legally his daughter.

¹⁰If her master marries another wife, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her privilege as a wife.

¹¹If he does not do these three things for her, then shall she leave free, without payment of money.

¹²"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies must be put to death.

¹³However, if he did not lie in wait [for him], but God allowed him to fall into his hand, then I will establish for you a place to which he may escape [for protection until duly tried].

¹⁴But if a man acts intentionally against another and kills him by [design through] treachery, you are to take him from My altar [to which he may have fled for protection], so that he may be put to death.

¹⁵"Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death.

¹⁶"Whoever kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or is found with him in his possession, must be put to death.

¹⁷"Whoever curses his father or his mother or treats them contemptuously must be put to death.

¹⁸"If men quarrel and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,

¹⁹if he gets up and walks around leaning on his cane, then the one who struck him shall be left [physically] unpunished; he must only pay for his loss of time [at work], and the costs [of treatment and recuperation] until he is thoroughly healed.

²⁰"If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a staff and the servant dies at his hand, he must be punished.

²¹If, however, the servant survives for a day or two, the offender shall not be punished, for the [injured] servant is his own property.

²²"If men fight with each other and injure a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely [and the baby lives], yet there is no further injury, the one who hurt her must be punished with a fine [paid] to the woman's husband, as much as the judges decide.

²³But if there is any further injury, then you shall require [as a penalty] life for life,

²⁴eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

²⁵burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

²⁶"If a man hits the eye of his male servant or female servant and it is destroyed, he must let the servant go free because of [the loss of] the eye.

²⁷And if he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or female servant, he must let the servant go free because of [the loss of] the tooth.

²⁸"If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be cleared [of responsibility].

²⁹But if the ox has tried to gore on a previous occasion, and its owner has been warned, but has not kept it confined and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner shall be put to death as well.

³⁰If a ransom is demanded of him [in return for his life], then he shall give whatever is demanded for the redemption of his life.

³¹If the ox has gored another's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule.

³²If the ox gores a male or a female servant, the owner shall give to the servant's master thirty shekels of silver [the purchase price for a slave], and the ox shall be stoned.

³³"If a man leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

³⁴the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to the animal's owner, but the dead [animal] shall be his.

³⁵"If one man's ox injures another's so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the proceeds equally; they shall also divide the dead ox [between them].

³⁶Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, and its owner has not kept it confined, he must make restitution of ox for ox, and the dead [animal] shall be his.

¹"If a man steals an ox or sheep and kills or sells it, he shall make restitution of five oxen for an ox or four sheep for a sheep.

²"If a thief is caught breaking in [after dark] and is struck [by the owner] so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.

³But if the sun has risen, there will be bloodguilt for him. The thief [if he lives] must make [full] restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be sold [as a slave to make restitution] for his theft.

⁴If the animal that he stole is found alive in his possession, whether it is ox or donkey or sheep, he shall pay double [for it].

⁵"If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed bare or lets his livestock loose so that it grazes in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

⁶"If fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes so that the stacked grain or standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution.

⁷"If a man gives his neighbor money or [other] goods to keep [for him while he is away] and it is stolen from the neighbor's house, then, if the thief is caught, he shall pay double [for it].

⁸If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall appear before the judges [who act in God's name], to determine whether or not he had stolen his neighbor's goods.

⁹For every offense involving property, whether it concerns ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or any piece of lost property, which another identifies as his, the case of both parties shall come before the judges [who act in God's name]. Whomever the judges pronounce guilty shall pay double to his neighbor.

¹⁰"If a man gives his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any [other] animal to keep [for him], and it dies or is injured or taken away while no one is looking,

¹¹then an oath before the LORD shall be made by the two of them that he has not taken his neighbor's property; and the owner of it shall accept his word and not require him to make restitution.

¹²But if it is actually stolen from him [when in his care], he shall make restitution to its owner.

¹³If it is torn to pieces [by some predator or by accident], let him bring the mangled carcass as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what was torn to pieces.

¹⁴"And if a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it gets injured or dies while its owner is not with it, the borrower shall make full restitution.

¹⁵But if the owner is with it [when the damage is done], the borrower shall not make restitution. If it was hired, the damage is included in [the price of] its fee.

¹⁶"If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry (marriage price) for her to be his wife.

¹⁷If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must [still] pay money equivalent to the dowry of virgins.

¹⁸"You shall not allow a woman who practices sorcery to live.

¹⁹"Whoever lies with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰"He who sacrifices to any god, other than to the LORD alone, shall be put under a ban (designated) for destruction (execution).

²¹"You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

²²You shall not harm or oppress any widow or fatherless child.

²³If you harm or oppress them in any way, and they cry at all to Me [for help], I will most certainly hear their cry;

²⁴and My wrath shall be kindled and burn; I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

²⁵"If you lend money to any one of My people with you who is poor, you shall not act as a creditor (professional moneylender) to him; you shall not charge him interest.

²⁶If you ever take your [poor] neighbor's robe in pledge, you must return it to him before sunset,

²⁷for that is his only covering; it is his clothing for his body. In what shall he sleep? And when he cries to Me [for help], I will hear him, for I am compassionate and gracious.

²⁸"You shall not curse God, nor curse the ruler of your people [since he administers God's law].

²⁹"You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. You shall give (consecrate, dedicate) to Me the firstborn of your sons.

³⁰You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother for seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it [as an offering] to Me.

³¹"You shall be holy men to Me; therefore you shall not eat meat [from any animal] that has been torn to pieces [by predators] in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

¹"You shall not give a false report; you shall not join hands with the wicked to be a malicious witness [promoting wrong and violence].

²You shall not follow a crowd to do [something] evil, nor shall you testify at a trial or in a dispute so as to side with a crowd in order to pervert justice;

³nor shall you favor or be partial to a poor man in his dispute [simply because he is poor].

⁴"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering off, you must bring it back to him.

⁵If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall not leave the man to deal with it [alone]; you must help him release the animal [from its burden].

⁶"You shall not pervert (bend) the justice due to your poor in his dispute.

⁷Keep far away from a false charge or action, and do not condemn to death the innocent or the righteous, for I will not justify and acquit the guilty.

⁸"You shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the testimony and the cause of the righteous.

⁹"You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the soul [the feelings, thoughts, and concerns] of a stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt.

¹⁰"You shall sow your land six years and harvest its yield,

¹¹but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie uncultivated, so that the poor among your people may eat [what the land grows naturally]; whatever they leave the animals of the field may eat. You shall do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

¹²"Six days [each week] you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall stop [working] so that your ox and your donkey may settle down and rest, and the son of your female servant, as well as your stranger, may be refreshed.

¹³Now concerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; do not mention the name of other gods [either in a blessing or in a curse]; do not let such speech be heard [coming] from your mouth.

¹⁴"Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast [dedicated] to Me.

¹⁵You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed [but you shall bring sacrificial offerings].

¹⁶Also [you shall observe] the Feast of Harvest (Weeks, Pentecost, or First Fruits), acknowledging the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. And [third] the Feast of Ingathering (Booths or Tabernacles) at the end of the year when you gather in [the fruit of] your labors from the field.

¹⁷Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

¹⁸"You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; and the fat of My feast is not to be left overnight until morning.

¹⁹"You shall bring the choice first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

²⁰"Behold, I am going to send an Angel before you to keep and guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

²¹Be on your guard before Him, listen to and obey His voice; do not be rebellious toward Him or provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgression, since My Name (authority) is in Him.

²²But if you will indeed listen to and truly obey His voice and do everything that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

²³When My Angel goes before you and brings you to [the land of] the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, I will reject them and completely destroy them.

²⁴You shall not bow down to worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do [anything] in accordance with their practices. You shall completely overthrow them and break down their [sacred] pillars and images [of pagan worship].

²⁵You shall serve [only] the LORD your God, and He shall bless your bread and water. I will also remove sickness from among you.

²⁶No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

²⁷I will send My terror ahead of you, and I will throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you [in flight].

²⁸I will send hornets ahead of you which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite before you.

²⁹I will not drive them out before you in a single year, so that the land does not become desolate [due to lack of attention] and the [wild] animals of the field do not become too numerous for you.

³⁰I will drive them out before you little by little, until you have increased and are strong enough to take possession of the land.

³¹I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines (the Mediterranean), and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will hand over the residents of the land to you, and you shall drive them out before you.

³²You shall not make a covenant with them or with their gods.

³³They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it is certain to be a trap for you [resulting in judgment]."

¹Then God said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu (Aaron's older sons), and seventy of Israel's elders, and you shall worship at a [safe] distance.

²Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him."

³Then Moses came and told the people everything that the LORD had said and all the ordinances. And all the people answered with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do."

⁴Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an altar [for worship] at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars (memorial stones) representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁵Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.

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

⁷Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people; and they said, "Everything that the LORD has said we will do, and we will be obedient."

⁸So Moses took the blood [which had been placed in the large basins] and sprinkled it on the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

⁹Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up [the mountainside],

¹⁰and they saw [a manifestation of] the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, just as clear as the sky itself.

¹¹Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the Israelites; and they saw [the manifestation of the presence of] God, and ate and drank.

¹²Now the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandments which I have written for their instruction."

¹³So Moses arose with Joshua his attendant, and he went up to the mountain of God.

¹⁴And he said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Remember that Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him go to them."

¹⁵Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

¹⁶The glory and brilliance of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day God called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

¹⁷In the sight of the Israelites the appearance of the glory and brilliance of the LORD was like consuming fire on the top of the mountain.

¹⁸Moses entered the midst of the cloud and went up the mountain; and he was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

¹Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Tell the children of Israel to take an offering for Me. From every man whose heart moves him [to give willingly] you shall take My offering.

³This is the offering you are to receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze,

⁴blue, purple, and scarlet fabric, fine twisted linen, goats' hair,

⁵rams' skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood,

⁶[olive] oil for lighting, balsam for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

⁷onyx stones and setting stones for the [priest's] ephod and for the breastpiece.

⁸Have them build a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.

⁹You shall construct it in accordance with everything that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture.

¹⁰"They shall make an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high.

¹¹You shall overlay the ark with pure gold, overlay it inside and out, and you shall make a gold border (frame) around its top.

¹²You shall cast four gold rings for it and attach them to the four feet, two rings on either side.

¹³You shall make [carrying] poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold,

¹⁴and put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark, by which to carry it.

¹⁵The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it [so that the ark itself need not be touched].

¹⁶You shall put into the ark the Testimony (Ten Commandments) which I will give you.

¹⁷"You shall make a mercy seat (cover) of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide.

¹⁸You shall make two cherubim (winged angelic figures) of [solid] hammered gold at the two ends of the mercy seat.

¹⁹Make one cherub at each end, making the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends.

²⁰The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing each other. The faces of the cherubim are to be looking downward toward the mercy seat.

²¹You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony which I will give you.

²²There I will meet with you; from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, I will speak [intimately] with you regarding every commandment that I will give you for the Israelites.

²³"You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long, one cubit wide, and one and a half cubits high.

²⁴You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a border of gold around the top of it.

²⁵You shall make a rim of a hand width around it; you shall make a gold border for the rim around it.

²⁶You shall make four gold rings for it and fasten them at the four corners that are on the table's four legs.

²⁷The rings shall be close against the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table.

²⁸You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that the table may be carried with them.

²⁹You shall make its plates [for the showbread] and its cups [for incense] and its pitchers and bowls for sacrificial drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold.

³⁰You shall set the bread of the Presence (showbread) on the table before Me at all times.

³¹"You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft shall be made of hammered work; its cups, its calyxes and its flowers shall be all of one piece with it.

³²Six branches shall come out of its sides; three branches of the lampstand out of the one side and three branches of the lampstand out of its other side [the shaft being the seventh branch].

³³Three cups shall be made like almond blossoms, each with a calyx and a flower on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms on the other branch with a calyx and a flower—so for the six branches coming out of the lampstand;

³⁴and in the [center shaft of the] lampstand [you shall make] four cups shaped like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and their flowers.

³⁵A calyx shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a calyx under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a calyx under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand.

³⁶Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold.

³⁷Then you shall make the lamps [of the lampstand] seven in number [with one lamp at the top of the shaft]. The priests shall set up its seven lamps so that they will light the space in front of it.

³⁸Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold.

³⁹It shall be made from a talent (50-80 lbs.) of pure gold, including all these utensils.

⁴⁰See that you make them [exactly] after their pattern which was shown to you on the mountain.

¹"Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle (sacred tent of worship) with ten [interior] curtains of fine twisted linen, and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric; you shall make them with [embroidered] cherubim, the handwork of a skillful craftsman.

²The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all of the curtains shall measure the same.

³The five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another.

⁴You shall make loops of blue on the outer edge of the last curtain in the first set, and likewise in the second set.

⁵You shall make fifty loops on the one curtain, and fifty loops on the edge of the last curtain that is in the second set. The loops on one curtain correspond to the loops on the other.

⁶You shall make fifty gold hooks, and fasten the curtains together with the hooks; and the tabernacle shall be one unit.

⁷"Then you shall make [exterior] curtains of goats' hair as a tent over the tabernacle. You shall make eleven curtains in all.

⁸Each curtain shall be thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. The eleven curtains shall all measure the same.

⁹You shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent [to make a closed door].

¹⁰Make fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set.

¹¹"You shall make fifty bronze hooks and put the hooks into the loops and join the tent together so that it may be one unit.

¹²The overlapping part that is left over from the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle.

¹³The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and the other side, to cover it.

¹⁴You shall make a third covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a fourth covering above that of porpoise skins.

¹⁵"Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright [as a trellis-like frame].

¹⁶The length of each board shall be ten cubits and the width of each board shall be one and a half cubits.

¹⁷Make two dovetails in each board for fitting [them] together; you shall do the same for all the tabernacle boards.

¹⁸You shall make the boards for the tabernacle [in the following quantities]: twenty boards for the south side.

¹⁹You shall make forty silver sockets under the twenty boards, two sockets under each board for its two dovetails, and two sockets under another board for its two dovetails;

²⁰for the north side of the tabernacle there shall be twenty boards,

²¹and their forty silver sockets, two sockets under each board.

²²For the back or west side of the tabernacle you shall make six boards.

²³Make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear [on both sides].

²⁴They shall be joined together underneath, and joined together on top with one ring. So shall it be for both of them; they shall form the two [rear] corners.

²⁵There shall be eight boards and sixteen silver sockets; two sockets under each board.

²⁶"Then you shall make [fifteen] bars of acacia wood: five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle,

²⁷and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the rear end of the tabernacle, for the back wall toward the west.

²⁸And the middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through [horizontally] from end to end.

²⁹You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold to hold the bars. You shall overlay the bars with gold.

³⁰You shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan [the direction corresponding to its meaning and purpose] which has been shown to you on the mountain.

³¹"You shall make a veil [to divide the two rooms] of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine twisted linen, skillfully worked with cherubim on it.

³²You shall hang it on four pillars (support poles) of acacia wood overlaid with gold, with gold hooks, on four silver sockets.

³³You shall hang the veil from the hooks [that connect the curtains together], and you shall bring the ark of the Testimony there within the veil. The veil shall separate for you the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

³⁴You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Holy of Holies.

³⁵You shall set the table [for the bread] outside the veil [in the Holy Place] on the north side, and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle.

³⁶"You shall make a screen [to provide a covering] for the doorway of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and finely woven [embroidered] linen, the work of an embroiderer.

³⁷You shall make five pillars (support poles) of acacia wood to support the hanging curtain and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five [base] sockets of bronze for them.

¹"And you shall make the altar [for burnt offerings] of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits.

²Make horns (horn-shaped projections) for it on its four corners; the horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze.

³You shall make pots to remove its ashes, and shovels, basins [to catch the blood of the sacrificed animal], meat-forks, and firepans [to store live coals]. You shall make all its utensils of bronze.

⁴Also make a grate for it, a network of bronze; and on the grid you are to make four bronze rings at its four corners.

⁵And you shall put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the grid will extend halfway up the altar.

⁶You shall make [carrying] poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze.

⁷The poles shall be inserted through the rings on the two sides of the altar so that it may be carried.

⁸You are to make the altar hollow with planks; as you were shown on the mountain [of Sinai], so shall it be made.

⁹"You shall make the court of the tabernacle. The south side of the court is to have curtains of fine twisted linen, a hundred cubits long for one side;

¹⁰it shall have twenty pillars and twenty bronze sockets; but the hooks of the pillars and their fasteners shall be silver;

¹¹likewise for the north side there shall be curtains, a hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars and twenty bronze sockets; but the hooks of the pillars and their fasteners shall be silver.

¹²For the width of the court on the west side there shall be curtains of fifty cubits, with ten pillars (support poles) and ten sockets.

¹³The width of the court [to the front], on the east side shall be fifty cubits.

¹⁴The curtains for one side [of the gate] shall be fifteen cubits with three pillars and three sockets.

¹⁵On the other side [of the gate] the curtains shall be fifteen cubits with three pillars and three sockets.

¹⁶For the gate of the court there shall be a screen [to provide a covering] of twenty cubits, of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and finely woven [embroidered] linen, the work of an embroiderer, with four pillars and four [base] sockets.

¹⁷All the pillars (support poles) around the court shall be joined together with silver rods; their hooks shall be of silver and their sockets of bronze.

¹⁸The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the width fifty [cubits] throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their sockets of bronze.

¹⁹All the tabernacle's utensils and instruments used in all its service, and all its stakes, and all the stakes for the court, shall be of bronze.

²⁰"You shall command the Israelites to provide you with clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually [every night].

²¹In the Tent of Meeting [of God with His people], outside the veil which is in front of the [ark of the] Testimony [and sets it apart], Aaron [the high priest] and his sons shall keep the lamp burning from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a perpetual statute [to be observed] throughout their generations on behalf of the Israelites.

¹"Now bring your brother Aaron near, and his sons with him from among the sons of Israel, so that he may serve as priest to Me—Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

²You are to make sacred garments [official clothing reserved for holy services] for Aaron your brother, for honor and for beauty (ornamentation).

³Tell all the skilled and talented people whom I have endowed with a spirit of wisdom, that they are to make Aaron's garments to sanctify him and set him apart to serve as a priest for Me.

⁴These are the garments which they shall make: a breastpiece and an ephod [for the breastpiece] and a robe and a tunic of checkered work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make sacred garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, so that he may serve as a priest to Me.

⁵They are to use the gold and the blue and the purple and the scarlet fabric and fine twisted linen [from the people],

⁶and they shall make the ephod of gold and blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine twisted linen, skillfully woven and [beautifully] worked.

⁷It is to have two shoulder pieces joined to its two [back and front] ends, so that it may be joined together.

⁸And the skillfully woven sash, which is on the ephod shall be made of the same material: of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and fine twisted linen.

⁹You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the [twelve] sons of Israel,

¹⁰six of their names on one stone and the remaining six names on the other stone, arranged in the order of their births.

¹¹With the work of a jeweler, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones according to the names of the sons of Israel. You shall have them set in filigree [settings] of gold.

¹²You shall put the two stones on the [two] shoulder pieces of the ephod [of the high priest], as memorial stones for Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names on his two shoulders as a memorial before the LORD.

¹³You shall make filigree [settings] of gold,

¹⁴and you are to make two chains of pure gold like twisted cords, and fasten the corded chains to the settings.

¹⁵"You are to make a breastpiece of judgment, the work of a skilled and talented craftsman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it: of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric and of fine twisted linen.

¹⁶The breastpiece shall be square and folded double; a span [about nine inches] in length and a span in width.

¹⁷You shall mount on it four rows of stones: the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz, and emerald;

¹⁸the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

¹⁹the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

²⁰and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree.

²¹The [engraved] stones shall be twelve, according to the names of [the twelve tribes of] the sons of Israel; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes.

²²You shall make for the breastpiece chains of pure gold twisted like cords.

²³You shall make on the breastpiece two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastpiece.

²⁴You shall put the two twisted cords of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastpiece.

²⁵The other two ends of the two cords you shall fasten in the two filigree settings in front, putting them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod.

²⁶You shall make two gold rings and put them at the two ends of the breastpiece, on its inside edge next to the ephod.

²⁷You are to make two gold rings and attach them to the lower part of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod in front, close to the place where it is joined, above the skillfully woven sash of the ephod.

²⁸They shall bind the breastpiece by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it will be above the skillfully woven sash of the ephod, so that the breastpiece will not come loose from the ephod.

²⁹So Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob) in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy Place, to bring them in continual remembrance before the LORD.

³⁰In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put the Urim (Lights) and the Thummim (Perfections) [to be used for determining God's will in a matter]. They shall be over Aaron's heart whenever he goes before the LORD, and Aaron shall always carry the judgment (verdict, judicial decisions) of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD.

³¹"And you shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.

³²There shall be an opening at its top in the center [for the head], with a binding of woven work around the opening, like the opening in a coat of armor, so that it will not tear or fray.

³³You shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet fabric all around its hem, with gold bells between them;

³⁴a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, all around the [bottom] hem of the robe.

³⁵Aaron shall wear the robe when he ministers, and its sound shall be heard when he goes [alone] into the Holy Place before the LORD, and when he comes out, so that he will not die there.

³⁶"You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, 'Holy to the LORD.'

³⁷You shall fasten it on the front of the turban with a blue cord.

³⁸It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall take away the guilt from the holy things which the sons of Israel dedicate, with regard to all their holy gifts. It shall always be on his forehead, so that they may be accepted before the LORD.

³⁹"You shall weave the tunic of checkered work of fine linen, and make a turban of fine linen. You shall make a sash, the work of an embroiderer.

⁴⁰"For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics and sashes and [ornamental] caps, for glory and honor and beauty.

⁴¹You shall put the various articles of clothing on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them and ordain and sanctify them, so that they may serve Me as priests.

⁴²You shall make for them [white] linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, reaching from the waist to the thighs.

⁴³The various articles of clothing shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting, or when they approach the altar [of incense] to minister in the Holy Place, so that they do not incur guilt and die. It shall be a statute forever to Aaron and to his descendants after him.

¹"This is what you shall do to consecrate Aaron and his sons so that they may serve Me as priests: take one young bull and two rams, without blemish,

²and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour.

³You shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams.

⁴Then bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting [out where the basin is] and wash them with water.

⁵Then you shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and wrap him with the skillfully woven sash of the ephod;

⁶and you shall put the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban.

⁷Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him.

⁸You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them.

⁹And you shall wrap them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and put the [ornamental] caps on them; and the priest's office shall be theirs by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

¹⁰"Then you shall bring the bull before the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the bull's head.

¹¹Then you shall kill the bull before the LORD by the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

¹²And you shall take some of the blood of the bull and with your finger put it on the horns of the altar [of burnt offering], and you shall pour out the remainder of the blood at the base of the altar.

¹³You shall take all the fat that covers the intestines and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar.

¹⁴But the meat of the bull, its hide, and the contents of its intestines you shall burn in the fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

¹⁵"And you shall take one of the rams, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram;

¹⁶then you shall kill the ram and you shall take its blood and sprinkle it around the altar [of burnt offering].

¹⁷Then you shall cut the ram into pieces, and wash its intestines and legs, and place them with its pieces and its head,

¹⁸and you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a sweet and soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

¹⁹"Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram.

²⁰Then you shall kill the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ears of Aaron and his sons and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the [rest of the] blood around on the altar [of burnt offering].

²¹Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. Now Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments shall be consecrated (dedicated, made holy, declared sacred for God's purpose).

²²"You shall also take the fat of the ram, the fat tail, the fat that covers the intestines, the lobe of the liver, the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the right thigh; (for it is a ram of ordination),

²³and one loaf of bread and one cake of oiled bread and one wafer out of the basket of the unleavened bread that is before the LORD;

²⁴and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.

²⁵Then you shall take them from their hands, add them to the burnt offering, and burn them on the altar for a sweet and soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

²⁶"Then you shall take the breast of the ram of Aaron's ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your (Moses) portion.

²⁷You shall consecrate the waved breast offering [of the ram] used in the ordination and the waved thigh offering of the priests' portion, since it is [a contribution] for Aaron and for his sons.

²⁸It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their due portion from the Israelites forever, for it is a heave offering. It shall be a heave offering to the LORD from the Israelites from the sacrifices of their peace offerings.

²⁹"The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed and ordained in them.

³⁰That son who is [high] priest in his place shall put them on [each day for] seven days when he comes into the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place.

³¹"You shall take the ram of the ordination and boil its meat in a holy place.

³²Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat of the ram and the bread in the basket, at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.

³³They shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy [that is, set apart to the worship of God].

³⁴And if any of the meat of ordination or the bread remains until morning, you shall burn it in the fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

³⁵"So you shall do to Aaron and to his sons in accordance with all I have commanded you; during seven days you are to ordain them.

³⁶You shall offer a bull every day as a sin offering for atonement. You shall cleanse the altar from sin when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it [for God's sacred purpose].

³⁷For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar [of burnt offering] and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy (set apart for God's service).

³⁸"Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs shall be offered each day, continuously.

³⁹One lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb at twilight;

⁴⁰and with the one lamb there shall be one-tenth of a measure of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten [olive] oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering [to be poured out].

⁴¹And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and do with it as with the grain offering of the morning and with the drink offering, for a sweet and soothing aroma [to appease God], an offering by fire to the LORD.

⁴²This will be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there.

⁴³There I will meet with the Israelites, and the Tent of Meeting shall be sanctified by My glory [the Shekinah, God's dwelling presence].

⁴⁴I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering]; also I will sanctify Aaron and his sons to serve as priests to Me.

⁴⁵I will dwell among the sons of Israel and be their God.

⁴⁶They shall know [from personal experience] and acknowledge that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.

¹"You shall make an altar upon which to burn incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.

²It shall be a cubit long and a cubit wide. It shall be square and it shall be two cubits high. Its horns of one piece with it.

³You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top and its sides all around, and its horns; and you shall make a gold molding all around it.

⁴You shall make two gold rings under its molding, make them on the two side walls—on opposite sides—they shall be holders for the poles with which to carry it.

⁵You shall make the poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold.

⁶You shall put the altar of incense [in the Holy Place] in front and outside of the veil that screens the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

⁷Aaron shall burn sweet and fragrant incense on it; he shall burn it every morning when he trims and tends the lamps.

⁸When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.

⁹You shall not offer any strange incense on this altar, or burnt offering or meal offering; you shall not pour out a drink offering on it.

¹⁰Once a year Aaron shall make atonement [for sin] on its horns. He shall make atonement on it with the blood of the sin offering of atonement once a year throughout your generations. It is most holy to the LORD."

¹¹Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹²"When you take the census of the Israelites, each one shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD when you count them, so that no plague will come on them when you number them.

¹³This is what everyone who is counted shall give [as he joins those already counted]: a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel (the shekel is twenty gerahs); a half shekel as a contribution to the LORD.

¹⁴Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and over, [as he joins those already counted], shall give this contribution to the LORD.

¹⁵The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give this contribution to the LORD to make atonement for yourselves.

¹⁶You shall take the atonement money from the Israelites and use it [exclusively] for the service of the Tent of Meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves."

¹⁷Then the LORD said to Moses,

¹⁸"You shall also make a basin of bronze, with a base of bronze, for washing. You shall put it [outside in the court] between the Tent of Meeting and the altar [of burnt offering], and you shall put water in it.

¹⁹Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet.

²⁰When they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister, to burn an offering in the fire to the LORD [they shall do the same].

²¹They shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations."

²²Moreover, the LORD said to Moses,

²³"Take for yourself the best spices: five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much—two hundred and fifty—of sweet-scented cinnamon, and two hundred and fifty of fragrant cane,

²⁴and five hundred shekels of cinnamon blossom according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil.

²⁵You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a sacred anointing oil.

²⁶You shall anoint the Tent of Meeting with it, and the ark of the Testimony,

²⁷and the table [for the bread] and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense,

²⁸and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin [for cleansing] and its base.

²⁹You shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them must be holy (set apart for God).

³⁰You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may serve as priests to Me.

³¹You shall say to the Israelites, 'This shall be a holy and sacred anointing oil, to Me [alone] throughout your generations.

³²It shall not be poured on anyone's body, nor shall you make any like it in the same composition. It is holy, and it shall be sacred to you.

³³Whoever prepares any like it or puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].'"

³⁴Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take sweet and fragrant spices—stacte, onycha, and galbanum, sweet and fragrant spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal amount of each—

³⁵and make incense with it, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure and sacred.

³⁶You shall crush some of it [into a] very fine [powder], and put some of it before the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.

³⁷The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD.

³⁸Whoever makes any like it, to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them]."

¹Now the LORD said to Moses,

²"See, I have called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

³I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom and skill, in understanding and intelligence, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,

⁴to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze,

⁵and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship.

⁶And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; to all who are wise-hearted I have given the skill and ability to make everything that I have commanded you:

⁷the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the mercy seat that is upon it, all the furnishings of the tent—

⁸the table [for the bread] and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the [golden] altar of incense,

⁹the [bronze] altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, the basin and its base—

¹⁰the finely worked garments, the holy garments for Aaron the [high] priest and the garments for his sons to minister as priests,

¹¹and the anointing oil and the sweet and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them according to all that I have commanded you."

¹²And the LORD said to Moses,

¹³"But as for you, say to the Israelites, 'You shall most certainly observe My Sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, so that you may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that I am the LORD who sanctifies you and sets you apart [for Myself].

¹⁴Therefore, you shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it must be put to death; for whoever does work on the Sabbath, that person (soul) shall be cut off from among his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].

¹⁵For six days work may be done, but the seventh is the Sabbath of complete rest, sacred to the LORD; whoever does work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.

¹⁶So the Israelites shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.'

¹⁷It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He ceased and was refreshed."

¹⁸When He had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

¹Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered together before Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

²So Aaron replied to them, "Take off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and daughters, and bring them to me."

³So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

⁴And he took the gold from their hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."

⁵Now when Aaron saw the molten calf, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD!"

⁶So they got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; then the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play [shamefully—without moral restraint].

⁷Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

⁸They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"

⁹The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people.

¹⁰Now therefore, let Me alone and do not interfere, so that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you (your descendants) a great nation."

¹¹But Moses appeased and entreated the LORD his God, and said, "LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

¹²Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil [intent] their God brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn away from Your burning anger and change Your mind about harming Your people.

¹³Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), Your servants to whom You swore [an oath] by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"

¹⁴So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He had said He would do to His people.

¹⁵Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both sides—they were written on one side and on the other.

¹⁶The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.

¹⁷Now when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a sound of battle in the camp."

¹⁸But Moses said, "It is not the sound of the cry of victory, Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat; But I hear the sound of singing."

¹⁹And as soon as he approached the camp and he saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned; and he threw the tablets from his hands and smashed them at the foot of the mountain.

²⁰Then Moses took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it on the surface of the water and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹Then Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin on them?"

²²Aaron said, "Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.

²³For they said to me, 'Make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.'

²⁴I said to them, 'Let whoever has gold [jewelry], take it off.' So they gave it to me; then I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf."

²⁵Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to the point of being an object of mockery among their enemies—

²⁶then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi [the priestly tribe] gathered together to him.

²⁷He said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Every man strap his sword on his thigh and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor [all who continue pagan worship].'"

²⁸So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people [of Israel] were killed that day.

²⁹Then Moses said [to the Levites], "Dedicate yourselves today to the LORD—for each man has been against his own son and his own brother [in his attempt to escape execution]—so that He may restore and bestow His blessing on you this day."

³⁰Then the next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."

³¹So Moses returned to the LORD, and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin [against You], and have made themselves a god of gold.

³²Yet now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written (kill me)!"

³³But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book [not you].

³⁴But now go, lead the people [to the place] where I have told you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you; nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin!"

³⁵So the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they had done with the calf which Aaron had made [for them].

¹The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought from the land of Egypt, to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel), saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.'

²I will send an Angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

³Go up to a land [of abundance] flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people, and I might destroy you on the way."

⁴When the people heard this sad word, they mourned, and none of them put on his ornaments.

⁵For the LORD had said to Moses, "Say to the sons of Israel, 'You are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people! If I should come among you for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, [penitently] take off your ornaments, so that I may know what to do with you.'"

⁶So the Israelites left off all their ornaments [in repentance], from Mount Horeb (Sinai) onward.

⁷Now Moses used to take his own tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the [temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

⁸Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each at his tent door, and look at Moses until he entered the tent.

⁹Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the doorway of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses.

¹⁰When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tent door, all the people would rise and worship, each at his tent door.

¹¹And so the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his attendant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

¹²Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.'

¹³Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways so that I may know You [becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, recognizing and understanding Your ways more clearly] and that I may find grace and favor in Your sight. And consider also, that this nation is Your people."

¹⁴And the LORD said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest [by bringing you and the people into the promised land]."

¹⁵And Moses said to Him, "If Your presence does not go [with me], do not lead us up from here.

¹⁶For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we are distinguished, Your people and I, from all the [other] people on the face of the earth?"

¹⁷The LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you have asked; for you have found favor (lovingkindness, mercy) in My sight and I have known you [personally] by name."

¹⁸Then Moses said, "Please, show me Your glory!"

¹⁹And God said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion (lovingkindness) on whom I will show compassion."

²⁰But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live!"

²¹Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place beside Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

²²and while My glory is passing by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and protectively cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

²³Then I will take away My hand and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen."

¹Then the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you smashed [when you learned of Israel's idolatry].

²So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.

³No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; nor let flocks or herds feed in front of that mountain."

⁴So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and he got up early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took the two tablets of stone in his hand.

⁵Then the LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with Moses as he proclaimed the Name of the LORD.

⁶Then the LORD passed by in front of him, and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness);

⁷keeping mercy and lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; but He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers upon the children and the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers]."

⁸Moses bowed to the earth immediately and worshiped [the Lord].

⁹And he said, "If now I have found favor and lovingkindness in Your sight, O Lord, let the Lord, please, go in our midst, though it is a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your possession."

¹⁰Then God said, "Behold, I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people I will do wondrous works (miracles) such as have not been created or produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live shall see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful and awesome thing that I am going to do with you.

¹¹"Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

¹²Watch yourself so that you do not make a covenant (solemn agreement, treaty) with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a [dangerous] trap among you.

¹³But you shall tear down and destroy their [pagan] altars, smash in pieces their [sacred] pillars (obelisks, images) and cut down their Asherim

¹⁴—for you shall not worship any other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]—

¹⁵otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the prostitute with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat his sacrifice (meal),

¹⁶and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters would play the prostitute with their gods and cause your sons also to play the prostitute (commit apostasy) with their gods [that is, abandon the true God for man-made idols].

¹⁷You shall make for yourselves no molten gods.

¹⁸"You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover). For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

¹⁹"All the firstborn males among your livestock belong to Me, whether cattle or sheep.

²⁰You shall redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. None of you are to appear before Me empty-handed.

²¹"You shall work for six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; [even] in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest [on the Sabbath].

²²You shall observe and celebrate the Feast of Weeks (Harvest, First Fruits, or Pentecost), the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering (Booths or Tabernacles) at the year's end.

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

²⁴For I will drive out and dispossess nations before you and enlarge your borders; nor shall any man covet (actively seek for himself) your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times a year.

²⁵"You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover (Unleavened Bread) be left over until morning.

²⁶"You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of the LORD your God. "You shall not boil a young goat in his mother's milk [as some pagans do]."

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

²⁸Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

²⁹When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face was shining [with a unique radiance] because he had been speaking with God.

³⁰When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him.

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

³²Afterward all the Israelites approached him, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had said to him on Mount Sinai.

³³When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

³⁴But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out. When he came out and he told the Israelites what he had been commanded [by God],

³⁵the Israelites would see the face of Moses, how his skin shone [with a unique radiance]. So Moses put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with God.