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The Covenant Is Ratified

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, along with Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship me from a distance. Only Moses is allowed to come near the Lord, but the others are not to come near, and the people are not to go up with him.”

Moses came and reported to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do.” Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.

He got up early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel. He sent young Israelite men, who offered whole burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings of cattle to the Lord. Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and he splashed half of the blood on the altar. He took the Book of the Covenant and read it out loud to the people and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do. We will obey.”

Moses took the blood and splashed it on the people. He said, “Look, here is the blood of the covenant, which the Lord made with you by means of all these words.”

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. 10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet they saw what looked like a pavement of sapphire[a] as clear as the sky. 11 The Lord did not lay his hand on the dignitaries of the people of Israel. They gazed at God, and they ate and drank.

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commands that I have written, so that you can teach them.”

13 Moses set out with his assistant Joshua and went up onto the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Look, here are Aaron and Hur. They will be with you. Whoever is involved in a dispute can go to them.”

15 Moses went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 The Glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses out of the middle of the cloud. 17 The appearance of the Glory of the Lord looked like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered into the middle of the cloud and climbed up the mountain. Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 24:10 Or lapis lazuli. The Hebrew word is sappir (sapphire), but the stones used by Israel do not necessarily correspond to the present-day gems with the same name.

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,(A) Nadab and Abihu,(B) and seventy of the elders(C) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach(D) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,(E) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”(F) Moses then wrote(G) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar(H) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars(I) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings(J) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings(K) to the Lord. Moses(L) took half of the blood(M) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed(N) against the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant(O) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”(P)

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people(Q) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant(R) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders(S) of Israel went up 10 and saw(T) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,(U) as bright blue as the sky.(V) 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw(W) God, and they ate and drank.(X)

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone(Y) with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

13 Then Moses set out with Joshua(Z) his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain(AA) of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur(AB) are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute(AC) can go to them.”

15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud(AD) covered it, 16 and the glory(AE) of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.(AF) For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud.(AG) 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire(AH) on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty(AI) days and forty nights.(AJ)