1 This is the list of the sons of Jacob who accompanied him to Egypt, with their families:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher.
5 So the total number who went with him was seventy (for Joseph was already there).
6 In due season Joseph and each of his brothers died, ending that generation.
7 Meanwhile, their descendants were very fertile, increasing rapidly in numbers; there was a veritable population explosion so that they soon became a large nation, and they filled the land of Goshen.
8 Then, eventually, a new king came to the throne of Egypt who felt no obligation to the descendants of Joseph.
9 He told his people, "These Israelis are becoming dangerous to us because there are so many of them.
10 Let's figure out a way to put an end to this. If we don't, and war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us and escape out of the country."
11 So the Egyptians made slaves of them and put brutal taskmasters over them to wear them down under heavy burdens while building the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.
12 But the more the Egyptians mistreated and oppressed them, the more the Israelis seemed to multiply! The Egyptians became alarmed
13 and made the Hebrew slavery more bitter still, forcing them to toil long and hard in the fields and to carry heavy loads of mortar and brick.
14
15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, instructed the Hebrew midwives (their names were Shiphrah and Puah) to kill all Hebrew boys as soon as they were born, but to let the girls live.
16
17 But the midwives feared God and didn't obey the king--they let the boys live too.
18 The king summoned them before him and demanded, "Why have you disobeyed my command and let the baby boys live?"
19 "Sir," they told him, "the Hebrew women have their babies so quickly that we can't get there in time! They are not slow like the Egyptian women!"
20 And God blessed the midwives because they were God-fearing women. So the people of Israel continued to multiply and to become a mighty nation.
21 And because the midwives revered God, he gave them children of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all of his people to throw the newborn Hebrew boys into the Nile River. But the girls, he said, could live.
1 There were at this time a Hebrew fellow and girl of the tribe of Levi who married and had a family,
2 and a baby son was born to them. When the baby's mother saw that he was an unusually beautiful baby, she hid him at home for three months.
3 Then, when she could no longer hide him, she made a little boat from papyrus reeds, waterproofed it with tar, put the baby in it, and laid it among the reeds along the river's edge.
4 The baby's sister watched from a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Well, this is what happened: A princess, one of Pharaoh's daughters, came down to bathe in the river, and as she and her maids were walking along the riverbank, she spied the little boat among the reeds and sent one of the maids to bring it to her.
6 When she opened it, there was a baby! And he was crying. This touched her heart. "He must be one of the Hebrew children!" she said.
7 Then the baby's sister approached the princess and asked her, "Shall I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"
8 "Yes, do!" the princess replied. So the little girl rushed home and called her mother!
9 "Take this child home and nurse him for me," the princess instructed the baby's mother, "and I will pay you well!" So she took him home and nursed him.
10 Later, when he was older, she brought him back to the princess and he became her son. She named him Moses (meaning "to draw out") because she had drawn him out of the water.
11 One day, many years later when Moses had grown up and become a man, he went out to visit his fellow Hebrews and saw the terrible conditions they were under. During his visit he saw an Egyptian knock a Hebrew to the ground--one of his own Hebrew brothers!
12 Moses looked this way and that to be sure no one was watching, then killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13 The next day as he was out visiting among the Hebrews again, he saw two of them fighting. "What are you doing, hitting your own Hebrew brother like that?" he said to the one in the wrong.
14 "And who are you?" the man demanded. "I suppose you think you are our prince and judge! And do you plan to kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday?" When Moses realized that his deed was known, he was frightened.
15 And sure enough, when Pharaoh heard about it he ordered Moses arrested and executed. But Moses ran away into the land of Midian. As he was sitting there beside a well,
16 seven girls who were daughters of the priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father's flocks.
17 But the shepherds chased the girls away. Moses then came to their aid and rescued them from the shepherds and watered their flocks.
18 When they returned to their father, Reuel, he asked, "How did you get the flocks watered so quickly today?"
19 "An Egyptian defended us against the shepherds," they told him; "he drew water for us and watered the flocks."
20 "Well, where is he?" their father demanded. "Did you just leave him there? Invite him home for supper."
21 Moses eventually decided to accept Reuel's invitation to live with them, and Reuel gave him one of the girls, Zipporah, as his wife.
22 They had a baby named Gershom (meaning "foreigner"), for he said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land."
23 Several years later the king of Egypt died. The Israelis were groaning beneath their burdens, in deep trouble because of their slavery, and weeping bitterly before the Lord. He heard their cries from heaven,
24 and remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to bring their descendants back into the land of Canaan.
25 Looking down upon them, he knew that the time had come for their rescue.
1 One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God,
2 suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and that it didn't burn up,
3 he went over to investigate. Then God called out to him, "Moses! Moses!" "Who is it?" Moses asked.
4
5 "Don't come any closer," God told him. "Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground.
6 I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." (Moses covered his face with his hands, for he was afraid to look at God.)
7 Then the Lord told him, "I have seen the deep sorrows of my people in Egypt and have heard their pleas for freedom from their harsh taskmasters.
8 I have come to deliver them from the Egyptians and to take them out of Egypt into a good land, a large land, a land 'flowing with milk and honey'--the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live.
9 Yes, the wail of the people of Israel has risen to me in heaven, and I have seen the heavy tasks the Egyptians have oppressed them with.
10 Now I am going to send you to Pharaoh, to demand that he let you lead my people out of Egypt."
11 "But I'm not the person for a job like that!" Moses exclaimed.
12 Then God told him, "I will certainly be with you, and this is the proof that I am the one who is sending you: When you have led the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God here upon this mountain!"
13 But Moses asked, "If I go to the people of Israel and tell them that their fathers' God has sent me, they will ask, 'Which God are you talking about?' What shall I tell them?"
14 'The Sovereign God,' " was the reply. "Just say, 'I Am has sent me!'
15 Yes, tell them, 'Jehovah, the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.' (This is my eternal name, to be used throughout all generations.)
16 "Call together all the elders of Israel," God instructed him, "and tell them about Jehovah appearing to you here in this burning bush and that he said to you, 'I have visited my people and have seen what is happening to them there in Egypt.
17 I promise to rescue them from the drudgery and humiliation they are undergoing, and to take them to the land now occupied by the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, a land "flowing with milk and honey.' "
18 The elders of the people of Israel will accept your message. They must go with you to the king of Egypt and tell him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us and instructed us to go three days' journey into the desert to sacrifice to him. Give us your permission.'
19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go except under heavy pressure.
20 So I will give him all the pressure he needs! I will destroy Egypt with my miracles, and then at last he will let you go.
21 And I will see to it that the Egyptians load you down with gifts when you leave, so that you will by no means go out empty-handed!
22 Every woman will ask for jewels, silver, gold, and the finest of clothes from her Egyptian master's wife and neighbors. You will clothe your sons and daughters with the best of Egypt!"
1 But Moses said, "They won't believe me! They won't do what I tell them to. They'll say, 'Jehovah never appeared to you!' "
2 "What do you have there in your hand?" the Lord asked him. And he replied, "A shepherd's rod."
3 "Throw it down on the ground," the Lord told him. So he threw it down--and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it!
4 Then the Lord told him, "Grab it by the tail!" He did, and it became a rod in his hand again!
5 "Do that and they will believe you!" the Lord told him. "Then they will realize that Jehovah, the God of their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has really appeared to you.
6 Now reach your hand inside your robe, next to your chest." And when he did, and took it out again, it was white with leprosy!
7 "Now put it in again," Jehovah said. And when he did, and took it out again, it was normal, just as before!
8 "If they don't believe the first miracle, they will the second," the Lord said,
9 "and if they don't accept you after these two signs, then take water from the Nile River and pour it upon the dry land, and it will turn to blood."
10 But Moses pleaded, "O Lord, I'm just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I'm not now, even after you have spoken to me, for I have a speech impediment."
11 "Who makes mouths?" Jehovah asked him. "Isn't it I, the Lord? Who makes a man so that he can speak or not speak, see or not see, hear or not hear?
12 Now go ahead and do as I tell you, for I will help you to speak well, and I will tell you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "Lord, please! Send someone else."
14 Then the Lord became angry. "All right," he said, "your brother, Aaron, is a good speaker. And he is coming here to look for you and will be very happy when he finds you.
15 So I will tell you what to tell him, and I will help both of you to speak well, and I will tell you what to do.
16 He will be your spokesman to the people. And you will be as God to him, telling him what to say.
17 And be sure to take your rod along so that you can perform the miracles I have shown you."
18 Moses returned home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. "With your permission," Moses said, "I will go back to Egypt and visit my relatives. I don't even know whether they are still alive." "Go with my blessing," Jethro replied.
19 Before Moses left Midian, Jehovah said to him, "Don't be afraid to return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead."
20 So Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt, holding tightly to the "rod of God"!
21 Jehovah told him, "When you arrive back in Egypt you are to go to Pharaoh and do the miracles I have shown you, but I will make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go.
22 Then you are to tell him, 'Jehovah says, "Israel is my eldest son,
23 and I have commanded you to let him go away and worship me, but you have refused: and now see, I will slay your eldest son.' "
24 As Moses and his family were traveling along and had stopped for the night, Jehovah appeared to Moses and threatened to kill him.
25 Then Zipporah his wife took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her young son's penis, and threw it against Moses' feet, remarking disgustedly, "What a blood-smeared husband you've turned out to be!"
26 Then God let him alone.
27 Now Jehovah said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So Aaron traveled to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, and met Moses there, and they greeted each other warmly.
28 Moses told Aaron what God had said they must do, and what they were to say, and told him about the miracles they must do before Pharaoh.
29 So Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and summoned the elders of the people of Israel to a council meeting.
30 Aaron told them what Jehovah had said to Moses, and Moses performed the miracles as they watched.
31 Then the elders believed that God had sent them, and when they heard that Jehovah had visited them and had seen their sorrows, and had decided to rescue them, they all rejoiced and bowed their heads and worshiped.
1 After this presentation to the elders, Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh. They told him, "We bring you a message from Jehovah, the God of Israel. He says, 'Let my people go, for they must make a holy pilgrimage out into the wilderness, for a religious feast, to worship me there.' "
2 "Is that so?" retorted Pharaoh. "And who is Jehovah, that I should listen to him, and let Israel go? I don't know Jehovah and I will not let Israel go."
3 But Aaron and Moses persisted. "The God of the Hebrews has met with us," they declared. "We must take a three days' trip into the wilderness and sacrifice there to Jehovah our God; if we don't obey him, we face death by plague or sword."
4 "Who do you think you are," Pharaoh shouted, "distracting the people from their work? Get back to your jobs!"
5
6 That same day Pharaoh sent this order to the taskmasters and officers he had set over the people of Israel:
7 "Don't give the people any more straw for making bricks!
8 However, don't reduce their production quotas by a single brick, for they obviously don't have enough to do or else they wouldn't be talking about going out into the wilderness and sacrificing to their God.
9 Load them with work and make them sweat; that will teach them to listen to Moses' and Aaron's lies!"
10 So the taskmasters and officers informed the people: "Pharaoh has given orders to furnish you with no more straw.
11 Go and find it wherever you can; but you must produce just as many bricks as before!"
12 So the people scattered everywhere to gather straw.
13 The taskmasters were brutal. "Fulfill your daily quota just as before," they kept demanding.
14 Then they whipped the Israeli work-crew bosses. "Why haven't you fulfilled your quotas either yesterday or today?" they roared.
15 These foremen went to Pharaoh and pleaded with him. "Don't treat us like this," they begged.
16 "We are given no straw and told to make as many bricks as before, and we are beaten for something that isn't our fault--it is the fault of your taskmasters for making such unreasonable demands."
17 But Pharaoh replied, "You don't have enough work, or else you wouldn't be saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to Jehovah.'
18 Get back to work. No straw will be given you, and you must deliver the regular quota of bricks."
19 Then the foremen saw that they were indeed in a bad situation.
20 When they met Moses and Aaron waiting for them outside the palace, as they came out from their meeting with Pharaoh,
21 they swore at them. "May God judge you for making us stink before Pharaoh and his people," they said, "and for giving them an excuse to kill us."
22 Then Moses went back to the Lord. "Lord," he protested, "how can you mistreat your own people like this? Why did you ever send me if you were going to do this to them?
23 Ever since I gave Pharaoh your message, he has only been more and more brutal to them, and you have not delivered them at all!"
1 "Now you will see what I shall do to Pharaoh," the Lord told Moses. "For he must be forced to let my people go; he will not only let them go, but will drive them out of his land!
2 I am Jehovah, the Almighty God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob--though I did not reveal my name, Jehovah, to them.
3
4 And I entered into a solemn covenant with them; under its terms I promised to give them and their descendants the land of Canaan where they were living.
5 And now I have heard the groanings of the people of Israel, in slavery now to the Egyptians, and I remember my promise.
6 "Therefore tell the descendants of Israel that I will use my mighty power and perform great miracles to deliver them from slavery and make them free.
7 And I will accept them as my people and be their God. And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God who has rescued them from the Egyptians.
8 I will bring them into the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It shall belong to my people."
9 So Moses told the people what God had said, but they wouldn't listen any more because they were too dispirited after the tragic consequence of what he had said before.
10 Now the Lord spoke to Moses again and told him,
11 "Go back again to Pharaoh and tell him that he must let the people of Israel go."
12 "But look," Moses objected, "my own people won't even listen to me any more; how can I expect Pharaoh to? I'm no orator!"
13 Then the Lord ordered Moses and Aaron to return to the people of Israel and to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, demanding that the people be permitted to leave.
14 These are the names of the heads of the clans of the various tribes of Israel: The sons of Reuben, Israel's oldest son: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.
15 The heads of the clans of the tribe of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, Shaul (whose mother was a Canaanite).
16 These are the names of the heads of the clans of the tribe of Levi, in the order of their ages: Gershon, Kohath, Merari. (Levi lived 137 years.)
17 The sons of Gershon were: Libni, Shime-i (and their clans).
18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel. (Kohath lived 133 years.)
19 The sons of Merari: Mahli, Mushi. The above are the families of the Levites, listed according to their ages.
20 And Amram married Jochebed, his father's sister; and Aaron and Moses were their sons. Amram lived to the age of 137.
21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, Zichri.
22 The sons of Uzziel: Misha-el, Elzaphan, Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. Their children were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, Abiasaph. These are the families within the clan of Korah.
25 Aaron's son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Puti-el, and Phinehas was one of his children. These are all the names of the heads of the clans of the Levites and the families within the clans.
26 Aaron and Moses, included in that list, are the same Aaron and Moses to whom Jehovah said, "Lead all the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,"
27 "and who went to Pharaoh to ask permission to lead the people from the land,
28 and to whom the Lord said, "I am Jehovah. Go in and give Pharaoh the message I have given you."
29
30 This is that Moses who argued with the Lord, "I can't do it; I'm no speaker--why should Pharaoh listen to me?"
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have appointed you as my ambassador to Pharaoh, and your brother, Aaron, shall be your spokesman.
2 Tell Aaron everything I say to you, and he will announce it to Pharaoh, demanding that the people of Israel be allowed to leave Egypt.
3 But I will cause Pharaoh to stubbornly refuse, and I will multiply my miracles in the land of Egypt.
4 Yet even then Pharaoh won't listen to you; so I will crush Egypt with a final major disaster and then lead my people out.
5 The Egyptians will find out that I am indeed God when I show them my power and force them to let my people go."
6 So Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them.
7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three at this time of their confrontation with Pharaoh.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
9 "Pharaoh will demand that you show him a miracle to prove that God has sent you; when he does, Aaron is to throw down his rod, and it will become a serpent."
10 So Moses and Aaron went in to see Pharaoh, and performed the miracle, as Jehovah had instructed them--Aaron threw down his rod before Pharaoh and his court, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh called in his sorcerers--the magicians of Egypt--and they were able to do the same thing with their magical arts!
12 Their rods became serpents, too! But Aaron's serpent swallowed their serpents!
13 Pharaoh's heart was still hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen, just as the Lord had predicted.
14 The Lord pointed this out to Moses, that Pharaoh's heart had been unmoved, and that he would continue to refuse to let the people go.
15 "Nevertheless," the Lord said, "go back to Pharaoh in the morning, to be there as he goes down to the river. Stand beside the riverbank and meet him there, holding in your hand the rod that turned into a serpent.
16 Say to him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me back to demand that you let his people go to worship him in the wilderness. You wouldn't listen before,
17 and now the Lord says this: "You are going to find out that I am God. For I have instructed Moses to hit the water of the Nile with his rod, and the river will turn to blood!
18 The fish will die and the river will stink, so that the Egyptians will be unwilling to drink it.' "
19 Then the Lord instructed Moses: "Tell Aaron to point his rod toward the waters of Egypt: all its rivers, canals, marshes, and reservoirs, and even the water stored in bowls and pots in the homes will turn to blood."
20 So Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. As Pharaoh and all of his officials watched, Aaron hit the surface of the Nile with the rod, and the river turned to blood.
21 The fish died and the water became so foul that the Egyptians couldn't drink it; and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
22 But then the magicians of Egypt used their secret arts and they, too, turned water into blood; so Pharaoh's heart remained hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted,
23 and he returned to his palace, unimpressed.
24 Then the Egyptians dug wells along the riverbank to get drinking water, for they couldn't drink from the river.
25 A week went by.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go in again to Pharaoh and tell him, 'Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me.
2 If you refuse, I will send vast hordes of frogs across your land from one border to the other.
3 The Nile River will swarm with them, and they will come out into your houses, even into your bedrooms and right into your beds! Every home in Egypt will be filled with them. They will fill your ovens and your kneading bowls;
4 you and your people will be immersed in them!' "
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Instruct Aaron to point the rod toward all the rivers, streams, and pools of Egypt, so that there will be frogs in every corner of the land."
6 Aaron did, and frogs covered the nation.
7 But the magicians did the same with their secret arts, and they, too, caused frogs to come up upon the land.
8 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and begged, "Plead with God to take the frogs away, and I will let the people go and sacrifice to him."
9 "Be so kind as to tell me when you want them to go," Moses said, "and I will pray that the frogs will die at the time you specify, everywhere except in the river."
10 "Do it tomorrow," Pharaoh said. "All right," Moses replied, "it shall be as you have said; then you will know that there is no one like the Lord our God.
11 All the frogs will be destroyed, except those in the river."
12 So Moses and Aaron went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and Moses pleaded with the Lord concerning the frogs he had sent.
13 And the Lord did as Moses promised--dead frogs covered the countryside and filled the nation's homes.
14 They were piled into great heaps, making a terrible stench throughout the land.
15 But when Pharaoh saw that the frogs were gone, he hardened his heart and refused to let the people go, just as the Lord had predicted.
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron to strike the dust with his rod, and it will become lice, throughout all the land of Egypt."
17 So Moses and Aaron did as God commanded, and suddenly lice infested the entire nation, covering the Egyptians and their animals.
18 Then the magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed.
19 "This is the finger of God," they exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hard and stubborn, and he wouldn't listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.
20 Next the Lord told Moses, "Get up early in the morning and meet Pharaoh as he comes out to the river to bathe, and say to him, 'Jehovah says, "Let my people go and worship me.
21 If you refuse I will send swarms of flies throughout Egypt. Your homes will be filled with them and the ground will be covered with them.
22 But it will be very different in the land of Goshen where the Israelis live. No flies will be there; thus you will know that I am the Lord God of all the earth,
23 for I will make a distinction between your people and my people. All this will happen tomorrow.' "
24 And Jehovah did as he had said, so that there were terrible swarms of flies in Pharaoh's palace and in every home in Egypt.
25 Pharaoh hastily summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "All right, go ahead and sacrifice to your God, but do it here in the land. Don't go out into the wilderness."
26 But Moses replied, "That won't do! Our sacrifices to God are hated by the Egyptians, and if we do this right here before their eyes, they will kill us.
27 We must take a three-day trip into the wilderness and sacrifice there to Jehovah our God, as he commanded us."
28 "All right, go ahead," Pharaoh replied, "but don't go too far away. Now, hurry and plead with God for me."
29 "Yes," Moses said, "I will ask him to cause the swarms of flies to disappear. But I am warning you that you must never again lie to us by promising to let the people go and then changing your mind."
30 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and asked the Lord to get rid of the flies.
31 And the Lord did as Moses asked and caused the swarms to disappear, so that not one remained.
32 But Pharaoh hardened his heart again and did not let the people go!
1 "Go back to Pharaoh," the Lord commanded Moses, "and tell him, 'Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, demands that you let his people go to sacrifice to him.
2 If you refuse,
3 the power of God will send a deadly plague to destroy your cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, flocks, and herds.
4 But the plague will affect only the cattle of Egypt; none of the Israeli herds and flocks will even be touched!' "
5 The Lord announced that the plague would begin the very next day,
6 and it did. The next morning all the cattle of the Egyptians began dying, but not one of the Israeli herds was even sick.
7 Pharaoh sent to see whether it was true that none of the Israeli cattle were dead, yet when he found out that it was so, even then his mind remained unchanged and he refused to let the people go.
8 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "Take ashes from the kiln and have Moses toss them into the sky as Pharaoh watches.
9 They will spread like fine dust over all the land of Egypt and cause boils to break out upon people and animals alike, throughout the land."
10 So they took ashes from the kiln and went to Pharaoh; as he watched, Moses tossed them toward the sky, and they became boils that broke out on men and animals alike throughout all Egypt.
11 And the magicians couldn't stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils appeared upon them too.
12 But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness, so that he refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and tell him, 'Jehovah the God of the Hebrews says, "Let my people go to worship me.
14 This time I am going to send a plague that will really speak to you and to your servants and to all the Egyptian people, and prove to you there is no other God in all the earth.
15 I could have killed you all by now,
16 but I didn't, for I wanted to demonstrate my power to you and to all the earth.
17 So you still think you are so great, do you, and defy my power, and refuse to let my people go?
18 Well, tomorrow about this time I will send a hailstorm across the nation such as there has never been since Egypt was founded!
19 Quick! Bring in your cattle from the fields, for every man and animal left out in the fields will die beneath the hail!' "
20 Some of the Egyptians, terrified by this threat, brought their cattle and slaves in from the fields;
21 but those who had no regard for the word of Jehovah left them out in the storm.
22 Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Point your hand toward heaven and cause the hail to fall throughout all Egypt, upon the people, animals, and trees."
23 So Moses held out his hand, and the Lord sent thunder and hail and lightning.
24 It was terrible beyond description. Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that.
25 All Egypt lay in ruins. Everything left in the fields, men and animals alike, was killed, and the trees were shattered and the crops were destroyed.
26 The only spot in all Egypt without hail that day was the land of Goshen where the people of Israel lived.
27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. "I finally see my fault," he confessed. "Jehovah is right, and I and my people have been wrong all along.
28 Beg God to end this terrifying thunder and hail, and I will let you go at once."
29 "All right," Moses replied, "as soon as I have left the city I will spread out my hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail will stop. This will prove to you that the earth is controlled by Jehovah.
30 But as for you and your officials, I know that even yet you will not obey him."
31 All the flax and barley were knocked down and destroyed (for the barley was ripe, and the flax was in bloom),
32 but the wheat and the emmer were not destroyed, for they were not yet out of the ground.
33 So Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and lifted his hands to heaven to the Lord, and the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain ceased pouring down.
34 When Pharaoh saw this, he and his officials sinned yet more by their stubborn refusal to do what they had promised;
35 so Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go back again and make your demand upon Pharaoh; but I have hardened him and his officials, so that I can do more miracles demonstrating my power.
2 What stories you can tell your children and grandchildren about the incredible things I am doing in Egypt! Tell them what fools I made of the Egyptians, and how I proved to you that I am Jehovah."
3 So Moses and Aaron requested another audience with Pharaoh and told him: "Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, asks, 'How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go so they can worship me.
4 If you refuse, tomorrow I will cover the entire nation with a thick layer of locusts
5 so that you won't even be able to see the ground, and they will finish destroying everything that escaped the hail.
6 They will fill your palace, and the homes of your officials, and all the houses of Egypt. Never in the history of Egypt has there been a plague like this will be!' " Then Moses stalked out.
7 The court officials now came to Pharaoh and asked him, "Are you going to destroy us completely? Don't you know even yet that all Egypt lies in ruins? Let the men go and serve Jehovah their God!"
8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "All right, go and serve Jehovah your God!" he said. "But just who is it you want to go?"
9 "We will go with our sons and daughters, flocks and herds," Moses replied. "We will take everything with us; for we must all join in the holy pilgrimage."
10 "In the name of God I will not let you take your little ones!" Pharaoh retorted. "I can see your plot!
11 Never! You that are men, go and serve Jehovah, for that is what you asked for." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Hold out your hand over the land of Egypt to bring locusts--they will cover the land and eat everything the hail has left."
13 So Moses lifted his rod and Jehovah caused an east wind to blow all that day and night; and when it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts.
14 And the locusts covered the land of Egypt from border to border; it was the worst locust plague in all Egyptian history; and there will never again be another like it.
15 For the locusts covered the face of the earth and blotted out the sun so that the land was darkened; and they ate every bit of vegetation the hail had left; there remained not one green thing--not a tree, not a plant throughout all the land of Egypt.
16 Then Pharaoh sent an urgent call for Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I confess my sin against Jehovah your God and against you.
17 Forgive my sin only this once, and beg Jehovah your God to take away this deadly plague. I solemnly promise that I will let you go as soon as the locusts are gone."
18 So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord,
19 and he sent a very strong west wind that blew the locusts out into the Red Sea, so that there remained not one locust in all the land of Egypt!
20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he did not let the people go.
21 Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Lift your hands to heaven, and darkness without a ray of light will descend upon the land of Egypt."
22 So Moses did, and there was thick darkness over all the land for three days.
23 During all that time the people scarcely moved--but all the people of Israel had light as usual.
24 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and said, "Go and worship Jehovah--but let your flocks and herds stay here; you can even take your children with you."
25 "No," Moses said, "we must take our flocks and herds for sacrifices and burnt offerings to Jehovah our God.
26 Not a hoof shall be left behind; for we must have sacrifices for the Lord our God, and we do not know what he will choose until we get there."
27 So the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not let them go.
28 "Get out of here and don't let me ever see you again," Pharaoh shouted at Moses. "The day you do, you shall die."
29 "Very well," Moses replied. "I will never see you again."
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will send just one more disaster on Pharaoh and his land, and after that he will let you go; in fact, he will be so anxious to get rid of you that he will practically throw you out of the country.
2 Tell all the men and women of Israel to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver jewelry."
3 (For God caused the Egyptians to be very favorable to the people of Israel, and Moses was a very great man in the land of Egypt and was revered by Pharaoh's officials and the Egyptian people alike.)
4 Now Moses announced to Pharaoh, "Jehovah says, 'About midnight I will pass through Egypt.
5 And all the oldest sons shall die in every family in Egypt, from the oldest child of Pharaoh, heir to his throne, to the oldest child of his lowliest slave; and even the firstborn of the animals.
6 The wail of death will resound throughout the entire land of Egypt; never before has there been such anguish, and it will never be again.
7 'But not a dog shall move his tongue against any of the people of Israel, nor shall any of their animals die. Then you will know that Jehovah makes a distinction between Egyptians and Israelis.'
8 All these officials of yours will come running to me, bowing low and begging, 'Please leave at once, and take all your people with you.' Only then will I go!" Then, red-faced with anger, Moses stomped from the palace.
9 The Lord had told Moses, "Pharaoh won't listen, and this will give me the opportunity of doing mighty miracles to demonstrate my power."
10 So, although Moses and Aaron did these miracles right before Pharaoh's eyes, the Lord hardened his heart so that he wouldn't let the people leave the land.
1 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
2 "From now on, this month will be the first and most important of the entire year.
3 Annually, on the tenth day of this month (announce this to all the people of Israel) each family shall get a lamb
4 (or, if a family is small, let it share the lamb with another small family in the neighborhood; whether to share in this way depends on the size of the families).
5 This animal shall be a year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, without any defects.
6 "On the evening of the fourteenth day of this month, all these lambs shall be killed,
7 and their blood shall be placed on the two side-frames of the door of every home and on the panel above the door. Use the blood of the lamb eaten in that home.
8 Everyone shall eat roast lamb that night, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 The meat must not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted, including the head, legs, heart, and liver.
10 Don't eat any of it the next day; if all is not eaten that night, burn what is left.
11 "Eat it with your traveling clothes on, prepared for a long journey, wearing your walking shoes and carrying your walking sticks in your hands; eat it hurriedly. This observance shall be called the Lord's Passover.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt tonight and kill all the oldest sons and firstborn male animals in all the land of Egypt, and execute judgment upon all the gods of Egypt--for I am Jehovah.
13 The blood you have placed on the doorposts will be proof that you obey me, and when I see the blood I will pass over you and I will not destroy your firstborn children when I smite the land of Egypt.
14 "You shall celebrate this event each year (this is a permanent law) to remind you of this fatal night.
15 The celebration shall last seven days. For that entire period you are to eat only bread made without yeast. Anyone who disobeys this rule at any time during the seven days of the celebration shall be excommunicated from Israel.
16 On the first day of the celebration, and again on the seventh day, there will be special religious services for the entire congregation, and no work of any kind may be done on those days except the preparation of food.
17 "This annual 'Celebration with Unleavened Bread' will cause you always to remember today as the day when I brought you out of the land of Egypt; so it is a law that you must celebrate this day annually, generation after generation.
18 Only bread without yeast may be eaten from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month.
19 For these seven days there must be no trace of yeast in your homes; during that time anyone who eats anything that has yeast in it shall be excommunicated from the congregation of Israel. These same rules apply to foreigners who are living among you just as much as to those born in the land.
20 Again I repeat, during those days you must not eat anything made with yeast; serve only yeastless bread."
21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go and get lambs from your flocks, a lamb for one or more families depending upon the number of persons in the families, and kill the lamb so that God will pass over you and not destroy you.
22 Drain the lamb's blood into a basin, and then take a cluster of hyssop branches and dip them into the lamb's blood, and strike the hyssop against the lintel above the door and against the two side panels, so that there will be blood upon them, and none of you shall go outside all night.
23 "For Jehovah will pass through the land and kill the Egyptians; but when he sees the blood upon the panel at the top of the door and on the two side pieces, he will pass over that home and not permit the Destroyer to enter and kill your firstborn.
24 And remember, this is a permanent law for you and your posterity.
25 And when you come into the land that the Lord will give you, just as he promised, and when you are celebrating the Passover,
26 and your children ask, 'What does all this mean? What is this ceremony about?'
27 you will reply, 'It is the celebration of Jehovah's passing over us, for he passed over the homes of the people of Israel, though he killed the Egyptians; he passed over our houses and did not come in to destroy us.' " And all the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
28 So the people of Israel did as Moses and Aaron had commanded.
29 And that night, at midnight, Jehovah killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from Pharaoh's oldest son to the oldest son of the captive in the dungeon; also all the firstborn of the cattle.
30 Then Pharaoh and his officials and all the people of Egypt got up in the night; and there was bitter crying throughout all the land of Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
31 And Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron during the night and said, "Leave us; please go away, all of you; go and serve Jehovah as you said.
32 Take your flocks and herds and be gone; and oh, give me a blessing as you go."
33 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people of Israel, to get them out of the land as quickly as possible. For they said, "We are as good as dead."
34 The Israelis took with them their bread dough without yeast, and bound their kneading troughs into their spare clothes, and carried them on their shoulders.
35 And the people of Israel did as Moses said and asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.
36 And the Lord gave the Israelis favor with the Egyptians, so that they gave them whatever they wanted. And the Egyptians were practically stripped of everything they owned!
37 That night the people of Israel left Rameses and started for Succoth; there were six hundred thousand of them, besides all the women and children, going on foot.
38 People of various sorts went with them; and there were flocks and herds--a vast exodus of cattle.
39 When they stopped to eat, they baked bread from the yeastless dough they had brought along. It was yeastless because the people were pushed out of Egypt and didn't have time to wait for bread to rise to take with them on the trip.
40 The sons of Jacob and their descendants had lived in Egypt 430 years, and it was on the last day of the 430th year that all of Jehovah's people left the land.
41
42 This night was selected by the Lord to bring his people out from the land of Egypt; so the same night was selected as the date of the annual celebration of God's deliverance.
43 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, "These are the rules concerning the observance of the Passover. No foreigners shall eat the lamb,
44 but any slave who has been purchased may eat it if he has been circumcised.
45 A hired servant or a visiting foreigner may not eat of it.
46 You shall, all of you who eat each lamb, eat it together in one house, and not carry it outside; and you shall not break any of its bones.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall observe this memorial at the same time.
48 "As to foreigners, if they are living with you and want to observe the Passover with you, let all the males be circumcised, and then they may come and celebrate with you--then they shall be just as though they had been born among you; but no uncircumcised person shall ever eat the lamb.
49 The same law applies to those born in Israel and to foreigners living among you."
50 So the people of Israel followed all of Jehovah's instructions to Moses and Aaron.
51 That very day the Lord brought out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, wave after wave of them crossing the border.
1 The Lord instructed Moses,
2 "Dedicate to me all of the firstborn sons of Israel, and every firstborn male animal; they are mine!"
3 Then Moses said to the people, "This is a day to remember forever--the day of leaving Egypt and your slavery; for the Lord has brought you out with mighty miracles. Now remember, during the annual celebration of this event you are to use no yeast; don't even have any in your homes.
4 Celebrate this day of your exodus, at the end of March each year,
5 when Jehovah brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites--the land he promised your fathers, a land 'flowing with milk and honey.'
6 For seven days you shall eat only bread without yeast,
7 and there must be no yeast in your homes or anywhere within the borders of your land! Then, on the seventh day, a great feast to the Lord shall be held.
8 "During those celebration days each year you must explain to your children why you are celebrating--it is a celebration of what the Lord did for you when you left Egypt.
9 This annual memorial week will brand you as his own unique people, just as though he had branded his mark of ownership upon your hands or your forehead.
10 "So celebrate the event annually in late March.
11 And remember, when the Lord brings you into the land he promised to your ancestors long ago, where the Canaanites are now living,
12 all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals belong to the Lord, and you shall give them to him.
13 A firstborn donkey may be purchased back from the Lord in exchange for a lamb or baby goat; but if you decide not to trade, the donkey shall be killed. However, you must buy back your firstborn sons.
14 "And in the future, when your children ask you, 'What is this all about?' you shall tell them, 'With mighty miracles Jehovah brought us out of Egypt from our slavery.
15 Pharaoh wouldn't let us go, so Jehovah killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both of men and animals; that is why we now give all the firstborn males to the Lord--except that all the eldest sons are always bought back.'
16 Again I say, this celebration shall identify you as God's people, just as much as if his brand of ownership were placed upon your foreheads. It is a reminder that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with great power."
17 So at last Pharaoh let the people go. God did not lead them through the land of the Philistines, although that was the most direct route from Egypt to the Promised Land. The reason was that God felt the people might become discouraged by having to fight their way through, even though they had left Egypt armed; he thought they might return to Egypt.
18 Instead, God led them along a route through the Red Sea wilderness.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with them, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel vow before God that they would take his bones with them when God led them out of Egypt--as he was sure God would.
20 Leaving Succoth, they camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.
21 The Lord guided them by a pillar of cloud during the daytime and by a pillar of fire at night. So they could travel either by day or night.
22 The cloud and fire were never out of sight.
1 Jehovah now instructed Moses,
2 "Tell the people to turn toward Piha-hiroth between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-zephon, and to camp there along the shore.
3 For Pharaoh will think, 'Those Israelites are trapped now, between the desert and the sea!'
4 And once again I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will chase after you. I have planned this to gain great honor and glory over Pharaoh and all his armies, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." So they camped where they were told.
5 When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelis were not planning to return to Egypt after three days, but to keep on going, Pharaoh and his staff became bold again. "What is this we have done, letting all these slaves get away?" they asked.
6 So Pharaoh led the chase in his chariot,
7 followed by the pick of Egypt's chariot corps--600 chariots in all--and other chariots driven by Egyptian officers.
8 He pursued the people of Israel, for they had taken much of the wealth of Egypt with them.
9 Pharaoh's entire cavalry--horses, chariots, and charioteers--was used in the chase; and the Egyptian army overtook the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Piha-hiroth, across from Baal-zephon.
10 As the Egyptian army approached, the people of Israel saw them far in the distance, speeding after them, and they were terribly frightened and cried out to the Lord to help them.
11 And they turned against Moses, whining, "Have you brought us out here to die in the desert because there were not enough graves for us in Egypt? Why did you make us leave Egypt?
12 Isn't this what we told you, while we were slaves, to leave us alone? We said it would be better to be slaves to the Egyptians than dead in the wilderness."
13 But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue you today. The Egyptians you are looking at--you will never see them again.
14 The Lord will fight for you, and you won't need to lift a finger!"
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Quit praying and get the people moving! Forward, march!
16 Use your rod--hold it out over the water, and the sea will open up a path before you, and all the people of Israel shall walk through on dry ground!
17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will go in after you and you will see the honor I will get in defeating Pharaoh and all his armies, chariots, and horsemen.
18 And all Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah."
19 Then the Angel of God, who was leading the people of Israel, moved the cloud around behind them,
20 and it stood between the people of Israel and the Egyptians. And that night, as it changed to a pillar of fire, it gave darkness to the Egyptians but light to the people of Israel! So the Egyptians couldn't find the Israelis!
21 Meanwhile, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the sea, with walls of water on each side; and a strong east wind blew all that night, drying the sea bottom.
22 So the people of Israel walked through the sea on dry ground!
23 Then the Egyptians followed them between the walls of water along the bottom of the sea--all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen.
24 But in the early morning Jehovah looked down from the cloud of fire upon the array of the Egyptians, and began to harass them.
25 Their chariot wheels began coming off, so that their chariots scraped along the dry ground. "Let's get out of here," the Egyptians yelled. "Jehovah is fighting for them and against us."
26 When all the Israelites were on the other side, the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand again over the sea, so that the waters will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen."
27 Moses did, and the sea returned to normal beneath the morning light. The Egyptians tried to flee, but the Lord drowned them in the sea.
28 The water covered the path and the chariots and horsemen. And of all the army of Pharaoh that chased after Israel through the sea, not one remained alive.
29 The people of Israel had walked through on dry land, and the waters had been walled up on either side of them.
30 Thus Jehovah saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and the people of Israel saw the Egyptians dead, washed up on the seashore.
31 When the people of Israel saw the mighty miracle the Lord had done for them against the Egyptians, they were afraid and revered the Lord, and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; He has thrown both horse and rider into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him. He is my father's God--I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior-- Yes, Jehovah is his name.
4 He has overthrown Pharaoh's chariots and armies, Drowning them in the sea. The famous Egyptian captains are dead beneath the waves.
5 The water covers them. They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; It dashes the enemy to pieces.
7 In the greatness of your majesty You overthrew all those who rose against you. You sent forth your anger, and it consumed them as fire consumes straw.
8 At the blast of your breath The waters divided! They stood as solid walls to hold the seas apart.
9 The enemy said, "I will chase after them, Catch up with them, destroy them. I will cut them apart with my sword And divide the captured booty."
10 But God blew with his wind, and the sea covered them. They sank as lead in the mighty waters.
11 Who else is like the Lord among the gods? Who is glorious in holiness like him? Who is so awesome in splendor, A wonder-working God?
12 You reached out your hand and the earth swallowed them.
13 You have led the people you redeemed. But in your loving-kindness You have guided them wonderfully To your holy land.
14 The nations heard what happened, and they trembled. Fear has gripped the people of Philistia.
15 The leaders of Edom are appalled, The mighty men of Moab tremble; All the people of Canaan melt with fear.
16 Terror and dread have overcome them. O Lord, because of your great power they won't attack us! Your people whom you purchased Will pass by them in safety.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your mountain, Your own homeland, Lord-- The sanctuary you made for them to live in.
18 Jehovah shall reign forever and forever.
19 The horses of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his chariots Tried to follow through the sea; But the Lord let down the walls of water on them While the people of Israel walked through on dry land.
20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine and led the women in dances.
21 And Miriam sang this song: Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and rider have been drowned in the sea.
22 Then Moses led the people of Israel on from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the wilderness of Shur and were there three days without water.
23 Arriving at Marah, they couldn't drink the water because it was bitter (that is why the place was called Marah, meaning "bitter").
24 Then the people turned against Moses. "Must we die of thirst?" they demanded.
25 Moses pleaded with the Lord to help them, and the Lord showed him a tree to throw into the water, and the water became sweet. It was there at Marah that the Lord laid before them the following conditions, to test their commitment to him:
26 "If you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and obey it, and do what is right, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."
27 And they came to Elim where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees; and they camped there beside the springs.
1 Now they left Elim and journeyed on into the Sihn Wilderness, between Elim and Mt. Sinai, arriving there on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving Egypt.
2 There, too, the people spoke bitterly against Moses and Aaron.
3 "Oh, that we were back in Egypt," they moaned, "and that the Lord had killed us there! For there we had plenty to eat. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to kill us with starvation."
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for them. Everyone can go out each day and gather as much food as he needs. And I will test them in this, to see whether they will follow my instructions or not.
5 Tell them to gather twice as much as usual on the sixth day of each week."
6 Then Moses and Aaron called a meeting of all the people of Israel and told them, "This evening you will realize that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
7 In the morning you will see more of his glory; for he has heard your complaints against him (for you aren't really complaining against us--who are we?).
8 The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning.
9 Come now before Jehovah and hear his reply to your complaints."
10 So Aaron called them together and suddenly, out toward the wilderness, from within the guiding cloud, there appeared the awesome glory of Jehovah.
11 And Jehovah said to Moses,
12 "I have heard their complaints. Tell them, 'In the evening you will have meat and in the morning you will be stuffed with bread, and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God.' "
13 That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and covered the camp, and in the morning the desert all around the camp was wet with dew;
14 and when the dew disappeared later in the morning it left thin white flakes that covered the ground like frost.
15 When the people of Israel saw it they asked each other, "What is it?" And Moses told them, "It is the food Jehovah has given you.
16 Jehovah has said for everyone to gather as much as is needed for his household--about two quarts for each person."
17 So the people of Israel went out and gathered it--some getting more and some less before it melted on the ground,
18 and there was just enough for everyone. Those who gathered more had nothing left over and those who gathered little had no lack! Each home had just enough.
19 And Moses told them, "Don't leave it overnight."
20 But of course some of them wouldn't listen, and left it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and had a terrible odor; and Moses was very angry with them.
21 So they gathered the food morning by morning, each home according to its need; and when the sun became hot upon the ground, the food melted and disappeared.
22 On the sixth day there was twice as much as usual on the ground--four quarts instead of two; the leaders of the people came and asked Moses why this had happened.
23 And he told them, "Because the Lord has appointed tomorrow as a day of seriousness and rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord when we must refrain from doing our daily tasks. So cook as much as you want to today, and keep what is left for tomorrow."
24 And the next morning the food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor.
25 Moses said, "This is your food for today, for today is the Sabbath to Jehovah and there will be no food on the ground today.
26 Gather the food for six days, but the seventh is a Sabbath, and there will be none there for you on that day."
27 But some of the people went out anyway to gather food, even though it was the Sabbath, but there wasn't any.
28 "How long will these people refuse to obey?" the Lord asked Moses.
29 "Don't they realize that I am giving them twice as much on the sixth day, so that there will be enough for two days? For the Lord has given you the seventh day as a day of Sabbath rest; stay in your tents and don't go out to pick up food from the ground that day."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the food became known as "manna" (meaning "What is it?"); it was white, like coriander seed, and flat, and tasted like honey bread.
32 Then Moses gave them this further instruction from the Lord: they were to take two quarts of it to be kept as a museum specimen forever, so that later generations could see the bread the Lord had fed them with in the wilderness, when he brought them from Egypt.
33 Moses told Aaron to get a container and put two quarts of manna in it and to keep it in a sacred place from generation to generation.
34 Aaron did this, just as the Lord had instructed Moses, and eventually it was kept in the Ark in the Tabernacle.
35 So the people of Israel ate the manna forty years until they arrived in the land of Canaan, where there were crops to eat.
36 The omer--the container used to measure the manna--held about two quarts; it is approximately a tenth of a bushel.
1 Now, at God's command, the people of Israel left the Sihn desert, going by easy stages to Rephidim. But upon arrival, there was no water!
2 So once more the people growled and complained to Moses. "Give us water!" they wailed. "Quiet!" Moses commanded. "Are you trying to test God's patience with you?"
3 But, tormented by thirst, they cried out, "Why did you ever take us out of Egypt? Why did you bring us here to die, with our children and cattle too?"
4 Then Moses pleaded with Jehovah. "What shall I do? For they are almost ready to stone me."
5 Then Jehovah said to Moses, "Take the elders of Israel with you and lead the people out to Mt. Horeb.
6 I will meet you there at the rock. Strike it with your rod --the same one you struck the Nile with--and water will come pouring out, enough for everyone!" Moses did as he was told, and the water gushed out!
7 Moses named the place Massah (meaning "tempting Jehovah to slay us"), and sometimes they referred to it as Meribah (meaning "argument" and "strife!")--for it was there that the people of Israel argued against God and tempted him to slay them by saying, "Is Jehovah going to take care of us or not?"
8 But now the warriors of Amalek came to fight against the people of Israel at Rephidim.
9 Moses instructed Joshua to issue a call to arms to the Israelites, to fight the army of Amalek. "Tomorrow," Moses told him, "I will stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand!"
10 So Joshua and his men went out to fight the army of Amalek. Meanwhile Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
11 And as long as Moses held up the rod in his hands, Israel was winning; but whenever he rested his arms at his sides, the soldiers of Amalek were winning.
12 Moses' arms finally became too tired to hold up the rod any longer; so Aaron and Hur rolled a stone for him to sit on, and they stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset.
13 As a result, Joshua and his troops crushed the army of Amalek, putting them to the sword.
14 Then the Lord instructed Moses, "Write this into a permanent record, to be remembered forever, and announce to Joshua that I will utterly blot out every trace of Amalek."
15 Moses built an altar there and called it "Jehovah-nissi" (meaning "Jehovah is my flag").
16 "Raise the banner of the Lord!" Moses said. "For the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation."
1 Word soon reached Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian, about all the wonderful things God had done for his people and for Moses, and how the Lord had brought them out of Egypt.
2 Then Jethro took Moses' wife, Zipporah, to him (for he had sent her home),
3 along with Moses' two sons, Gershom (meaning "foreigner," for Moses said when he was born, "I have been wandering in a foreign land")
4 and Eliezer (meaning "God is my help," for Moses said at his birth, "The God of my fathers was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh").
5 They arrived while Moses and the people were camped at Mt. Sinai.
6 "Jethro, your father-in-law, has come to visit you," Moses was told, "and he has brought your wife and your two sons."
7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and greeted him warmly; they asked about each other's health and then went into Moses' tent to talk further.
8 Moses related to his father-in-law all that had been happening and what the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians in order to deliver Israel, and all the problems there had been along the way, and how the Lord had delivered his people from all of them.
9 Jethro was very happy about everything the Lord had done for Israel, and about his bringing them out of Egypt.
10 "Bless the Lord," Jethro said, "for he has saved you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and has rescued Israel.
11 I know now that the Lord is greater than any other god because he delivered his people from the proud and cruel Egyptians."
12 Jethro offered sacrifices to God, and afterwards Aaron and the leaders of Israel came to meet Jethro, and they all ate the sacrificial meal together before the Lord.
13 The next day Moses sat as usual to hear the people's complaints against each other, from morning to evening.
14 When Moses' father-in-law saw how much time this was taking, he said, "Why are you trying to do all this alone, with people standing here all day long to get your help?"
15 "Well, because the people come to me with their disputes, to ask for God's decisions," Moses told him.
16 "I am their judge, deciding who is right and who is wrong, and instructing them in God's ways. I apply the laws of God to their particular disputes."
17 "It's not right!" his father-in-law exclaimed.
18 "You're going to wear yourself out--and if you do, what will happen to the people? Moses, this job is too heavy a burden for you to try to handle all by yourself.
19 Now listen, and let me give you a word of advice, and God will bless you: Be these people's lawyer--their representative before God--bringing him their questions to decide;
20 you will tell them his decisions, teaching them God's laws, and showing them the principles of godly living.
21 "Find some capable, godly, honest men who hate bribes, and appoint them as judges, one judge for each 1,000 people; he in turn will have ten judges under him, each in charge of a hundred; and under each of them will be two judges, each responsible for the affairs of fifty people; and each of these will have five judges beneath him, each counseling ten persons.
22 Let these men be responsible to serve the people with justice at all times. Anything that is too important or complicated can be brought to you. But the smaller matters they can take care of themselves. That way it will be easier for you because you will share the burden with them.
23 If you follow this advice, and if the Lord agrees, you will be able to endure the pressures, and there will be peace and harmony in the camp."
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law's advice and followed this suggestion.
25 He chose able men from all over Israel and made them judges over the people--thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
26 They were constantly available to administer justice. They brought the hard cases to Moses but judged the smaller matters themselves.
27 Soon afterwards Moses let his father-in-law return to his own land.
1 The Israelis arrived in the Sinai peninsula three months after the night of their departure from Egypt.
2 After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the base of Mt. Sinai and set up camp there.
3 Moses climbed the rugged mountain to meet with God, and from somewhere in the mountain God called to him and said, "Give these instructions to the people of Israel. Tell them,
4 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I brought you to myself as though on eagle's wings.
5 Now if you will obey me and keep your part of my contract with you, you shall be my own little flock from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth is mine.
6 And you shall be a kingdom of priests to God, a holy nation.' "
7 Moses returned from the mountain and called together the leaders of the people and told them what the Lord had said.
8 They all responded in unison, "We will certainly do everything he asks of us." Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
9 Then he said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in the form of a dark cloud, so that the people themselves can hear me when I talk with you, and then they will always believe you.
10 Go down now and see that the people are ready for my visit. Sanctify them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothes.
11 Then, the day after tomorrow, I will come down upon Mt. Sinai as all the people watch.
12 Set boundary lines the people may not pass, and tell them, 'Beware! Do not go up into the mountain or even touch its boundaries; whoever does shall die--
13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot to death with arrows, whether man or animal.' Stay away from the mountain entirely until you hear a ram's horn sounding one long blast; then gather at the foot of the mountain!"
14 So Moses went down to the people and sanctified them and they washed their clothing.
15 He told them, "Get ready for God's appearance two days from now, and do not have sexual intercourse with your wives."
16 On the morning of the third day there was a terrific thunder and lightning storm, and a huge cloud came down upon the mountain, and there was a long, loud blast as from a ram's horn; and all the people trembled.
17 Moses led them out from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 All Mt. Sinai was covered with smoke because Jehovah descended upon it in the form of fire; the smoke billowed into the sky as from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake.
19 As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God thundered his reply.
20 So the Lord came down upon the top of Mt. Sinai and called Moses up to the top of the mountain, and Moses ascended to God.
21 But the Lord told Moses, "Go back down and warn the people not to cross the boundaries. They must not come up here to try to see God, for if they do, many of them will die.
22 Even the priests on duty must sanctify themselves, or else I will destroy them."
23 "But the people won't come up into the mountain!" Moses protested. "You told them not to! You told me to set boundaries around the mountain and to declare it off limits because it is reserved for God."
24 But Jehovah said, "Go down and bring Aaron back with you, and don't let the priests and the people break across the boundaries to try to come up here, or I will punish them."
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them what God had said.
1 Then God issued this edict:
2 "I am Jehovah your God who liberated you from your slavery in Egypt.
3 "You may worship no other god than me.
4 "You shall not make yourselves any idols: no images of animals, birds, or fish.
5 You must never bow or worship it in any way; for I, the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god! "And when I punish people for their sins, the punishment continues upon the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of those who hate me;
6 but I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love me and obey my commandments.
7 "You shall not use the name of Jehovah your God irreverently, nor use it to swear to a falsehood. You will not escape punishment if you do.
8 "Remember to observe the Sabbath as a holy day.
9 Six days a week are for your daily duties and your regular work,
10 but the seventh day is a day of Sabbath rest before the Lord your God. On that day you are to do no work of any kind, nor shall your son, daughter, or slaves--whether men or women--or your cattle or your house guests.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heaven, earth, and sea, and everything in them, and rested the seventh day; so he blessed the Sabbath day and set it aside for rest.
12 "Honor your father and mother, that you may have a long, good life in the land the Lord your God will give you.
13 "You must not murder.
14 "You must not commit adultery.
15 "You must not steal.
16 "You must not lie.
17 "You must not be envious of your neighbor's house, or want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else he has."
18 All the people saw the lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, and heard the thunder and the long, frightening trumpet blast; and they stood at a distance, shaking with fear.
19 They said to Moses, "You tell us what God says and we will obey, but don't let God speak directly to us, or it will kill us."
20 "Don't be afraid," Moses told them, "for God has come in this way to show you his awesome power, so that from now on you will be afraid to sin against him!"
21 As the people stood in the distance, Moses entered into the deep darkness where God was.
22 And the Lord told Moses to be his spokesman to the people of Israel. "You are witnesses to the fact that I have made known my will to you from heaven.
23 Remember, you must not make or worship idols made of silver or gold or of anything else!
24 "The altars you make for me must be simple altars of earth. Offer upon them your sacrifices to me--your burnt offerings and peace offerings of sheep and oxen. Build altars only where I tell you to, and I will come and bless you there.
25 You may also build altars from stone, but if you do, then use only uncut stones and boulders. Don't chip or shape the stones with a tool, for that would make them unfit for my altar.
26 And don't make steps for the altar, or someone might look up beneath the skirts of your clothing and see your nakedness.
1 "Here are other laws you must obey:
2 "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve only six years and be freed in the seventh year, and need pay nothing to regain his freedom.
3 "If he sold himself as a slave before he married, then if he married afterwards, only he shall be freed; but if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife shall be freed with him at the same time.
4 But if his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they have sons or daughters, the wife and children shall still belong to the master, and he shall go out by himself free.
5 "But if the man shall plainly declare, 'I prefer my master, my wife, and my children, and I would rather not go free,'
6 then his master shall bring him before the judges and shall publicly bore his ear with an awl, and after that he will be a slave forever.
7 "If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.
8 If she does not please the man who bought her, then he shall let her be bought back again; but he has no power to sell her to foreigners, since he has wronged her by no longer wanting her after marrying her.
9 And if he arranges an engagement between a Hebrew slave-girl and his son, then he may no longer treat her as a slave-girl, but must treat her as a daughter.
10 If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing, or fail to sleep with her as his wife.
11 If he fails in any of these three things, then she may leave freely without any payment.
12 "Anyone who hits a man so hard that he dies shall surely be put to death.
13 But if it is accidental--an act of God--and not intentional, then I will appoint a place where he can run and get protection.
14 However, if a man deliberately attacks another, intending to kill him, drag him even from my altar, and kill him.
15 "Anyone who strikes his father or mother shall surely be put to death.
16 "A kidnapper must be killed, whether he is caught in possession of his victim or has already sold him as a slave.
17 "Anyone who reviles or curses his mother or father shall surely be put to death.
18 "If two men are fighting, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and injures him so that he must be confined to bed, but doesn't die,
19 if later he is able to walk again, even with a limp, the man who hit him will be innocent except that he must pay for the loss of his time until he is thoroughly healed, and pay any medical expenses.
20 "If a man beats his slave to death--whether the slave is male or female--that man shall surely be punished.
21 However, if the slave does not die for a couple of days, then the man shall not be punished--for the slave is his property.
22 "If two men are fighting, and in the process hurt a pregnant woman so that she has a miscarriage, but she lives, then the man who injured her shall be fined whatever amount the woman's husband shall demand, and as the judges approve.
23 But if any harm comes to the woman and she dies, he shall be executed.
24 "If her eye is injured, injure his; if her tooth is knocked out, knock out his; and so on--hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, lash for lash.
26 "If a man hits his slave in the eye, whether man or woman, and the eye is blinded, then the slave shall go free because of his eye.
27 And if a master knocks out his slave's tooth, he shall let him go free to pay for the tooth.
28 "If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox shall be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner shall not be held--
29 unless the ox was known to gore people in the past, and the owner had been notified and still the ox was not kept under control; in that case, if it kills someone, the ox shall be stoned and the owner also shall be killed.
30 But the dead man's relatives may accept a fine instead, if they wish. The judges will determine the amount.
31 "The same law holds if the ox gores a boy or a girl.
32 But if the ox gores a slave, whether male or female, the slave's master shall be given thirty pieces of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 "If a man digs a well and doesn't cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34 the owner of the well shall pay full damages to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall belong to him.
35 "If a man's ox injures another, and it dies, then the two owners shall sell the live ox and divide the price between them--and each shall also own half of the dead ox.
36 But if the ox was known from past experience to gore, and its owner has not kept it under control, then there will not be a division of the income; but the owner of the living ox shall pay in full for the dead ox, and the dead one shall be his.
1 "If a man steals an ox or sheep and then kills or sells it, he shall pay a fine of five to one--five oxen shall be returned for each stolen ox. For sheep, the fine shall be four to one--four sheep returned for each sheep stolen.
2 "If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty.
3 But if it happens in the daylight, it must be presumed to be murder and the man who kills him is guilty. "If a thief is captured, he must make full restitution; if he can't, then he must be sold as a slave for his debt.
4 "If he is caught in the act of stealing a live ox or donkey or sheep or whatever it is, he shall pay double value as his fine.
5 "If someone deliberately lets his animal loose and it gets into another man's vineyard; or if he turns it into another man's field to graze, he must pay for all damages by giving the owner of the field or vineyard an equal amount of the best of his own crop.
6 "If the field is being burned off and the fire gets out of control and goes into another field so that the shocks of grain, or the standing grain, are destroyed, the one who started the fire shall make full restitution.
7 "If someone gives money or goods to anyone to keep for him, and it is stolen, the thief shall pay double if he is found.
8 But if no thief is found, then the man to whom the valuables were entrusted shall be brought before God to determine whether or not he himself has stolen his neighbor's property.
9 "In every case in which an ox, donkey, sheep, clothing, or anything else is lost, and the owner believes he has found it in the possession of someone else who denies it, both parties to the dispute shall come before God for a decision, and the one whom God declares guilty shall pay double to the other.
10 "If a man asks his neighbor to keep a donkey, ox, sheep, or any other animal for him, and it dies, or is hurt, or gets away, and there is no eyewitness to report just what happened to it,
11 then the neighbor must take an oath that he has not stolen it, and the owner must accept his word, and no restitution shall be made for it.
12 But if the animal or property has been stolen, the neighbor caring for it must repay the owner.
13 If it was attacked by some wild animal, he shall bring the torn carcass to confirm the fact, and shall not be required to make restitution.
14 "If a man borrows an animal (or anything else) from a neighbor, and it is injured or killed, and the owner is not there at the time, then the man who borrowed it must pay for it.
15 But if the owner is there, he need not pay; and if it was rented, then he need not pay, because this possibility was included in the original rental fee.
16 "If a man seduces a girl who is not engaged to anyone and sleeps with her, he must pay the usual dowry and accept her as his wife.
17 But if her father utterly refuses to let her marry him, then he shall pay the money anyway.
18 "A sorceress shall be put to death.
19 "Anyone having sexual relations with an animal shall certainly be executed.
20 "Anyone sacrificing to any other god than Jehovah shall be executed.
21 "You must not oppress a stranger in any way; remember, you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
22 "You must not exploit widows or orphans;
23 if you do so in any way, and they cry to me for my help, I will surely give it.
24 And my anger shall flame out against you, and I will kill you with enemy armies, so that your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.
25 "If you lend money to a needy fellow-Hebrew, you are not to handle the transaction in an ordinary way, with interest.
26 If you take his clothing as a pledge of his repayment, you must let him have it back at night.
27 For it is probably his only warmth; how can he sleep without it? If you don't return it, and he cries to me for help, I will hear and be very gracious to him at your expense, for I am very compassionate.
28 "You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse government officials--your judges and your rulers.
29 "You must be prompt in giving me the tithe of your crops and your wine, and the redemption payment for your oldest son.
30 "As to the firstborn of the oxen and the sheep, give it to me on the eighth day, after leaving it with its mother for seven days.
31 "And since you yourselves are holy--my special people--do not eat any animal that has been attacked and killed by a wild animal. Leave its carcass for the dogs to eat.
1 "Do not pass along untrue reports. Do not cooperate with an evil man by affirming on the witness stand something you know is false.
2 "Don't join mobs intent on evil. When on the witness stand, don't be swayed in your testimony by the mood of the majority present,
3 and do not slant your testimony in favor of a man just because he is poor.
4 "If you come upon an enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, you must take it back to its owner.
5 If you see your enemy trying to get his donkey onto its feet beneath a heavy load, you must not go on by but must help him.
6 "A man's poverty is no excuse for twisting justice against him.
7 "Keep far away from falsely charging anyone with evil; never let an innocent person be put to death. I will not stand for this.
8 "Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you unaware of what you clearly see! A bribe hurts the cause of the person who is right.
9 "Do not oppress foreigners; you know what it's like to be a foreigner; remember your own experience in the land of Egypt.
10 "Sow and reap your crops for six years,
11 but let the land rest and lie fallow during the seventh year, and let the poor among the people harvest any volunteer crop that may come up; leave the rest for the animals to enjoy. The same rule applies to your vineyards and your olive groves.
12 "Work six days only, and rest the seventh; this is to give your oxen and donkeys a rest, as well as the people of your household--your slaves and visitors.
13 "Be sure to obey all of these instructions; and remember--never mention the name of any other god.
14 "There are three annual religious pilgrimages you must make.
15 "The first is the Pilgrimage of Unleavened Bread, when for seven days you are not to eat bread with yeast, just as I commanded you before. This celebration is to be an annual event at the regular time in March, the month you left Egypt; everyone must bring me a sacrifice at that time.
16 Then there is the Harvest Pilgrimage, when you must bring to me the first of your crops. And, finally, the Pilgrimage of Ingathering at the end of the harvest season.
17 At these three times each year, every man in Israel shall appear before the Lord God.
18 "No sacrificial blood shall be offered with leavened bread; no sacrificial fat shall be left unoffered until the next morning.
19 "As you reap each of your crops, bring me the choicest sample of the first day's harvest; it shall be offered to the Lord your God. "Do not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
20 "See, I am sending an Angel before you to lead you safely to the land I have prepared for you.
21 Reverence him and obey all of his instructions; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; he is my representative--he bears my name.
22 But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies.
23 For my Angel shall go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to live there. And I will destroy those people before you.
24 "You must not worship the gods of these other nations, nor sacrifice to them in any way, and you must not follow the evil example of these heathen people; you must utterly conquer them and break down their shameful idols.
25 "You shall serve the Lord your God only; then I will bless you with food and with water, and I will take away sickness from among you.
26 There will be no miscarriages nor barrenness throughout your land, and you will live out the full quota of the days of your life.
27 "The terror of the Lord shall fall upon all the people whose land you invade, and they will flee before you;
28 and I will send hornets to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from before you.
29 I will not do it all in one year, for the land would become a wilderness, and the wild animals would become too many to control.
30 But I will drive them out a little at a time, until your population has increased enough to fill the land.
31 And I will set your enlarged boundaries from the Red Sea to the Philistine coast, and from the southern deserts as far as the Euphrates River; and I will cause you to defeat the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you.
32 "You must make no covenant with them, nor have anything to do with their gods.
33 Don't let them live among you! For I know that they will infect you with their sin of worshiping false gods, and that would be an utter disaster to you."
1 The Lord now instructed Moses, "Come up here with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. All of you except Moses are to worship at a distance.
2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord; and remember, none of the ordinary people are permitted to come up into the mountain at all."
3 Then Moses announced to the people all the laws and regulations God had given him; and the people answered in unison, "We will obey them all."
4 Moses wrote down the laws; and early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars around the altar because there were twelve tribes of Israel.
5 Then he sent some of the young men to sacrifice the burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.
6 Moses took half of the blood of these animals and drew it off into basins. The other half he splashed against the altar.
7 And he read to the people the Book he had written--the Book of the Covenant--containing God's directions and laws. And the people said again, "We solemnly promise to obey every one of these rules."
8 Then Moses threw the blood from the basins toward the people and said, "This blood confirms and seals the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these laws."
9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up into the mountain.
10 And they saw the God of Israel; under his feet there seemed to be a pavement of brilliant sapphire stones, as clear as the heavens.
11 Yet, even though the elders saw God, he did not destroy them; and they had a meal together before the Lord.
12 And the Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me into the mountain, and remain until I give you the laws and commandments I have written on tablets of stone, so that you can teach the people from them."
13 So Moses and Joshua, his assistant, went up into the mountain of God.
14 He told the elders, "Stay here and wait for us until we come back; if there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur."
15 Then Moses went up the mountain and disappeared into the cloud at the top.
16 And the glory of the Lord rested upon Mt. Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; the seventh day he called to Moses from the cloud.
17 Those at the bottom of the mountain saw the awesome sight: the glory of the Lord on the mountaintop looked like a raging fire.
18 And Moses disappeared into the cloud-covered mountaintop, and was there for forty days and forty nights.
1 Jehovah said to Moses,
2 "Tell the people of Israel that everyone who wants to may bring me an offering
3 from this list: Gold, silver, bronze,
4 blue cloth, purple cloth, scarlet cloth, fine linen, goats' hair,
5 red-dyed rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood,
6 olive oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,
7 onyx stones, stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
8 For I want the people of Israel to make me a sacred Temple where I can live among them.
9 "This home of mine shall be a tent pavilion--a Tabernacle. I will give you a drawing of the construction plan and the details of each furnishing.
10 "Using acacia wood, make an Ark 3 3/4 feet long, 2 1/4 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high.
11 Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, with a molding of gold all around it.
12 Cast four rings of gold for it and attach them to the four lower corners, two rings on each side.
13 Make poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold, and fit the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.
14
15 These carrying poles shall never be taken from the rings, but are to be left there permanently.
16 When the Ark is finished, place inside it the tablets of stone I will give you, with the Ten Commandments engraved on them.
17 "And make a lid of pure gold, 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide. This is the place of mercy for your sins.
18 Then make two statues of Guardian Angels using beaten gold, and place them at the two ends of the lid of the Ark.
19 They shall be one piece with the mercy place, one at each end.
20 The Guardian Angels shall be facing each other, looking down upon the place of mercy, and shall have wings spread out above the gold lid.
21 Install the lid upon the Ark, and place within the Ark the tablets of stone I shall give you.
22 And I will meet with you there and talk with you from above the place of mercy between the Guardian Angels; and the Ark will contain the laws of my covenant. There I will tell you my commandments for the people of Israel.
23 "Then make a table of acacia wood 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high.
24 Overlay it with pure gold, and run a rib of gold around it.
25 Put a molding four inches wide around the edge of the top, and a gold ridge along the molding, all around.
26 Make four gold rings and put the rings at the outside corner of the four legs,
27 close to the top; these are rings for the poles that will be used to carry the table.
28 Make the poles from acacia wood overlaid with gold.
29 And make gold dishes, spoons, pitchers, and flagons;
30 and always keep the special Bread of the Presence on the table before me.
31 "Make a lampstand of pure, beaten gold. The entire lampstand and its decorations shall be one piece--the base, shaft, lamps, and blossoms.
32 It will have three branches going out from each side of the center shaft, each branch decorated with three almond flowers.
33
34 The central shaft itself will be decorated with four almond flowers--
35 one placed between each set of branches; also, there will be one flower above the top set of branches and one below the bottom set.
36 These decorations and branches and the shaft are all to be one piece of pure, beaten gold.
37 Then make seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so that they reflect their light forward.
38 The snuffers and trays are to be made of pure gold.
39 You will need about 107 pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.
40 "Be sure that everything you make follows the pattern I am showing you here on the mountain.
1 "Make the tabernacle-tent from ten colored sheets of fine linen, 42 feet long and 6 feet wide, dyed blue, purple, and scarlet, with figures of Guardian Angels embroidered on them.
2
3 Join five sheets end to end for each side of the tent, forming two long pieces, one for each side.
4 Use loops at the edges to join these two long pieces together side by side. There are to be fifty loops on each side, opposite each other.
5
6 Then make fifty gold clasps to fasten the loops together, so that the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, becomes a single unit.
7 "The roof of the Tabernacle is made of goats' hair tarpaulins. There are to be eleven of these tarpaulins, each 45 feet across and 6 feet wide.
8
9 Connect five of these tarpaulins into one wide section; and use the other six for another wide section. (The sixth tarpaulin will hang down to form a curtain across the front of the sacred tent.)
10 Use fifty loops along the edges of each of these two wide pieces, to join them together with fifty bronze clasps. Thus the two widths become one.
11
12 There will be a 1 1/2-foot length of this roof-covering hanging down from the back of the tent,
13 and a 1 1/2-foot length at the front.
14 On top of these blankets is placed a layer of rams' skins, dyed red, and over them a top layer of goatskins. This completes the roof-covering.
15 "The framework of the sacred tent shall be made from acacia wood, each frame-piece being 15 feet high and 2 1/4 feet wide, standing upright,
16
17 with grooves on each side to mortise into the next upright piece.
18 Twenty of these frames will form the south side of the sacred tent, with forty silver bases for the frames to fit into--two bases under each piece of the frame.
19
20 On the north side there will also be twenty of these frames,
21 with their forty silver bases, two bases for each frame, one under each edge.
22 On the west side there will be six frames,
23 and two frames at each corner.
24 These corner frames will be connected at the bottom and top with clasps.
25 So, in all, there will be eight frames on that end of the building with sixteen silver bases for the frames--two bases under each frame.
26 "Make bars of acacia wood to run across the frames, five bars on each side of the Tabernacle. Also five bars for the rear of the building, facing westward.
27
28 The middle bar, halfway up the frames, runs all the way from end to end of the Tabernacle.
29 Overlay the frames with gold, and make gold rings to hold the bars; and also overlay the bars with gold.
30 Set up this Tabernacle-tent in the manner I showed you on the mountain.
31 " Inside the Tabernacle, make a curtain from fine linen, with blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian Angels embroidered into the cloth.
32 Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into four pillars made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The pillars are to be set in silver bases.
33 Behind this curtain place the Ark containing the stone tablets engraved with God's laws. The curtain will separate the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.
34 "Now install the mercy place--the golden lid of the Ark--in the Most Holy Place.
35 Place the table and lampstand across the room from each other on the outer side of the veil, the lampstand on the south and the table on the north.
36 "As a screen for the door of the sacred tent, make another curtain from fine linen, skillfully embroidered in blue, purple, and scarlet.
37 Hang this curtain on gold hooks set into posts made from acacia wood overlaid with gold. The posts are to rest on bronze bases.
1 "Using acacia wood, make a square altar 7 1/2 feet wide, and 4 1/2 feet high.
2 Make horns for the four corners of the altar, attach them firmly, and overlay everything with bronze.
3 The ash buckets, shovels, basins, carcass-hooks, and fire pans are all to be made of bronze.
4 Make a bronze grating, with a metal ring at each corner,
5 and fit the grating halfway down into the firebox, resting it upon the ledge built there.
6 For moving the altar, make poles from acacia wood overlaid with bronze.
7 To carry it, put the poles into the rings at each side of the altar.
8 The altar is to be hollow, made from planks, just as was shown you on the mountain.
9 "Then make a courtyard for the Tabernacle, enclosed with curtains made from fine-twined linen. On the south side the curtains will stretch for 150 feet,
10 and be held up by twenty posts, fitting into twenty bronze post holders. The curtains will be held up with silver hooks attached to silver rods, attached to the posts.
11 It will be the same on the north side of the court--150 feet of curtains held up by twenty posts fitted into bronze sockets, with silver hooks and rods.
12 The west side of the court will be 75 feet wide, with ten posts and ten sockets.
13 The east side will also be 75 feet.
14 On each side of the entrance there will be 22 1/2 feet of curtain, held up by three posts imbedded in three sockets.
15
16 "The entrance to the court will be a 30-foot-wide curtain, made of beautifully embroidered blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen, and attached to four posts imbedded in their four sockets.
17 All the posts around the court are to be connected by silver rods, using silver hooks, the posts being imbedded in solid bronze bases.
18 So the entire court will be 150 feet long and 75 feet wide, with curtain walls 7 1/2 feet high, made from fine-twined linen.
19 "All utensils used in the work of the Tabernacle, including all the pins and pegs for hanging the utensils on the walls, will be made of bronze.
20 "Instruct the people of Israel to bring you pure olive oil to use in the lamps of the Tabernacle, to burn there continually.
21 Aaron and his sons shall place this eternal flame in the outer holy room, tending it day and night before the Lord, so that it never goes out. This is a permanent rule for the people of Israel.
1 "Consecrate Aaron your brother, and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to be priests, to minister to me.
2 Make special clothes for Aaron, to indicate his separation to God--beautiful garments that will lend dignity to his work.
3 Instruct those to whom I have given special skill as tailors to make the garments that will set him apart from others, so that he may minister to me in the priest's office.
4 This is the wardrobe they shall make: a chestpiece, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. They shall also make special garments for Aaron's sons.
5 "The ephod shall be made by the most skilled of the workmen, using gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine linen.
6
7 It will consist of two pieces, front and back, joined at the shoulders.
8 And the sash shall be made of the same material--threads of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet fine-twined linen.
9 Take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the tribes of Israel.
10 Six names shall be on each stone, so that all the tribes are named in the order of their births.
11 When engraving these names, use the same technique as in making a seal; and mount the stones in gold settings.
12 Fasten the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, as memorial stones for the people of Israel: Aaron will carry their names before the Lord as a constant reminder.
13 Two chains of pure, twisted gold shall be made and attached to gold clasps on the shoulder of the ephod.
14
15 "Then, using the most careful workmanship, make a chestpiece to be used as God's oracle; use the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet threads of fine-twined linen as you did in the ephod.
16 This chestpiece is to be of two folds of cloth, forming a pouch nine inches square.
17 Attach to it four rows of stones: A ruby, a topaz, and an emerald shall be in the first row.
18 The second row will be carbuncle, a sapphire, and a diamond.
19 The third row will be an amber, an agate, and an amethyst.
20 The fourth row will be an onyx, a beryl, and a jasper--all set in gold settings.
21 Each stone will represent one of the tribes of Israel and the name of that tribe will be engraved upon it like a seal.
22 "Attach the top of the chestpiece to the ephod by means of two twisted cords of pure gold.
23 One end of each cord is attached to gold rings placed at the outer top edge of the chestpiece.
24
25 The other ends of the two cords are attached to the front edges of the two settings of the onyx stones on the shoulder of the ephod.
26 Then make two more gold rings and place them on the two lower, inside edges of the chestpiece;
27 also make two other gold rings for the bottom front edge of the ephod at the sash.
28 Now attach the bottom of the chestpiece to the bottom rings of the ephod by means of blue ribbons; this will prevent the chestpiece from coming loose from the ephod.
29 In this way Aaron shall carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the chestpiece over his heart (it is God's oracle) when he goes into the Holy Place; thus Jehovah will be reminded of them continually.
30 Insert into the pocket of the chestpiece the Urim and Thummim, to be carried over Aaron's heart when he goes in before Jehovah. Thus Aaron shall always be carrying the oracle over his heart when he goes in before the Lord.
31 "The ephod shall be made of blue cloth,
32 with an opening for Aaron's head. It shall have a woven band around this opening, just as on the neck of a coat of mail, so that it will not fray.
33 The bottom edge of the ephod shall be embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates, alternated with gold bells.
34
35 Aaron shall wear the ephod whenever he goes in to minister to the Lord; the bells will tinkle as he goes in and out of the presence of the Lord in the Holy Place, so that he will not die.
36 "Next, make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, just as you would upon a seal, 'Consecrated to Jehovah.'
37 This plate is to be attached by means of a blue ribbon to the front of Aaron's turban.
38 In this way Aaron will be wearing it upon his forehead, and thus bear the guilt connected with any errors regarding the offerings of the people of Israel. It shall always be worn when he goes into the presence of the Lord, so that the people will be accepted and forgiven.
39 "Weave Aaron's embroidered shirt from fine-twined linen, using a checkerboard pattern; make the turban, too, of this linen; and make him an embroidered sash.
40 "Then, for Aaron's sons, make robes, sashes, and turbans to give them honor and respect.
41 Clothe Aaron and his sons with these garments, and then dedicate these men to their ministry by anointing their heads with olive oil, thus sanctifying them as the priests, my ministers.
42 Also make linen undershorts for them, to be worn beneath their robes next to their bodies, reaching from hips to knees.
43 These are to be worn whenever Aaron and his sons go into the Tabernacle or to the altar in the Holy Place, lest they be guilty and die. This is a permanent ordinance for Aaron and his sons.
1 "This is the ceremony for the dedication of Aaron and his sons as priests: get a young bull and two rams with no defects,
2 and bread made without yeast, and thin sheets of sweetened bread mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers with oil poured over them. (The various kinds of bread shall be made with finely ground wheat flour.)
3 Place the bread in a basket and bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle, along with the young bull and the two rams.
4 "Bathe Aaron and his sons there at the entrance.
5 Then put Aaron's robe on him, and the embroidered shirt, ephod, chestpiece, and sash,
6 and place on his head the turban with the gold plate.
7 Then take the anointing oil and pour it upon his head.
8 Next, dress his sons in their robes,
9 with their woven sashes, and place caps on their heads. They will then be priests forever; thus you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
10 "Then bring the young bull to the Tabernacle, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head;
11 and you shall kill it before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
12 Place its blood upon the horns of the altar, smearing it on with your finger, and pour the rest at the base of the altar.
13 Then take all the fat that covers the inner parts, also the gall bladder and two kidneys, and the fat on them, and burn them upon the altar.
14 Then take the body, including the skin and the dung, outside the camp and burn it as a sin offering.
15 "Next, Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon the head of one of the rams as it is killed. Its blood shall also be collected and sprinkled upon the altar.
16
17 Cut up the ram and wash off the entrails and the legs; place them with the head and the other pieces of the body,
18 and burn it all upon the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord, and very pleasant to him.
19 "Now take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon its head as it is killed.
20 Collect the blood and place some of it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron and his sons, and upon their right thumbs and the big toes of their right feet; sprinkle the rest of the blood over the altar.
21 Then scrape off some of the blood from the altar and mix it with some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it upon Aaron and his sons and upon their clothes; and they and their clothing shall be sanctified to the Lord.
22 "Then take the fat of the ram, including the fat tail and the fat that covers the insides, also the gall bladder and the two kidneys and the fat surrounding them, and the right thigh--for this is the ram for ordination of Aaron and his sons--
23 and one loaf of bread, one cake of shortening bread, and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread that was placed before the Lord:
24 Place these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, to wave them in a gesture of offering to the Lord.
25 Afterwards, take them from their hands and burn them on the altar as a fragrant burnt offering to him.
26 Then take the breast of Aaron's ordination ram and wave it before the Lord in a gesture of offering; afterwards, keep it for yourself.
27 "Give the breast and thigh of the consecration ram
28 to Aaron and his sons. The people of Israel must always contribute this portion of their sacrifices--whether peace offerings or thanksgiving offerings--as their contribution to the Lord.
29 "These sacred garments of Aaron shall be preserved for the consecration of his son who succeeds him, from generation to generation, for his anointing ceremony.
30 Whoever is the next High Priest after Aaron shall wear these clothes for seven days before beginning to minister in the Tabernacle and the Holy Place.
31 "Take the ram of consecration--the ram used in the ordination ceremony--and boil its meat in a sacred area.
32 Aaron and his sons shall eat the meat, also the bread in the basket, at the door of the Tabernacle.
33 They alone shall eat those items used in their atonement (that is, in their consecration ceremony). The ordinary people shall not eat them, for these things are set apart and holy.
34 If any of the meat or bread remains until the morning, burn it; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.
35 "This, then, is the way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons to their offices. This ordination shall go on for seven days.
36 Every day you shall sacrifice a young bull as a sin offering for atonement; afterwards, purge the altar by making atonement for it; pour olive oil upon it to sanctify it.
37 Make atonement for the altar and consecrate it to God every day for seven days. After this the altar shall be exceedingly holy, so that whatever touches it shall be set apart for God.
38 "Each day offer two yearling lambs upon the altar,
39 one in the morning and the other in the evening.
40 With one of them offer 3 quarts of finely ground flour mixed with 2 1/2 pints of oil, pressed from olives; also 2 1/2 pints of wine, as an offering.
41 Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the flour and the wine as in the morning, for a fragrant offering to the Lord, an offering made to the Lord by fire.
42 "This shall be a perpetual daily offering at the door of the Tabernacle before the Lord, where I will meet with you and speak with you.
43 And I will meet with the people of Israel there, and the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
44 Yes, I will sanctify the Tabernacle and the altar and Aaron and his sons who are my ministers, the priests.
45 And I will live among the people of Israel and be their God,
46 and they shall know that I am the Lord their God. I brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am Jehovah their God.
1 "Then make a small altar for burning incense. It shall be made from acacia wood.
2 It is to be eighteen inches square and three feet high, with horns carved from the wood of the altar--they are not to be merely separate parts that are attached.
3 Overlay the top, sides, and horns of the altar with pure gold, and run a gold molding around the entire altar.
4 Beneath the molding, on each of two sides, construct two gold rings to hold the carrying poles.
5 The poles are to be made of acacia wood overlaid with gold.
6 Place the altar just outside the veil, near the place of mercy that is above the Ark containing the Ten Commandments. I will meet with you there.
7 "Every morning when Aaron trims the lamps, he shall burn sweet spices on the altar,
8 and each evening when he lights the lamps he shall burn the incense before the Lord, and this shall go on from generation to generation.
9 Offer no unauthorized incense, burnt offerings, meal offerings, or wine offerings.
10 "Once a year Aaron must sanctify the altar, placing upon its horns the blood of the sin offering for atonement. This shall be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the Lord's supremely holy altar."
11 And Jehovah said to Moses,
12 "Whenever you take a census of the people of Israel, each man who is numbered shall give a ransom to the Lord for his soul, so that there will be no plague among the people when you number them.
13 His payment shall be half a dollar.
14 All who have reached their twentieth birthday shall give this offering.
15 The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less, for it is an offering to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves.
16 Use this money for the care of the Tabernacle; it is to bring you, the people of Israel, to the Lord's attention, and to make atonement for you."
17 And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a bronze basin with a bronze pedestal. Put it between the Tabernacle and the altar, and fill it with water.
18
19 Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet there,
20 when they go into the Tabernacle to appear before the Lord, or when they approach the altar to burn offerings to the Lord. They must always wash before doing so, or they will die.
21 These are instructions to Aaron and his sons from generation to generation."
22 Then the Lord told Moses to collect the choicest of spices--eighteen pounds of pure myrrh; half as much of cinnamon and of sweet cane;
23
24 the same amount of cassia as of myrrh; and 1 1/2 gallons of olive oil.
25 The Lord instructed skilled perfumemakers to compound all this into a holy anointing oil.
26 "Use this," he said, "to anoint the Tabernacle, the Ark, the table and all its instruments, the lampstand and all its utensils, the incense altar,
27
28 the burnt offering altar with all its instruments, and the washbasin and its pedestal.
29 Sanctify them, to make them holy; whatever touches them shall become holy.
30 Use it to anoint Aaron and his sons, sanctifying them so that they can minister to me as priests.
31 And say to the people of Israel, 'This shall always be my holy anointing oil.
32 It must never be poured upon an ordinary person, and you shall never make any of it yourselves, for it is holy, and it shall be treated by you as holy.
33 Anyone who compounds any incense like it or puts any of it upon someone who is not a priest shall be excommunicated.' "
34 These were the Lord's directions to Moses concerning the incense: "Use sweet spices--stacte, onycha, galbanum, and pure frankincense, weighing out the same amounts of each,
35 using the usual techniques of the incensemaker, and seasoning it with salt; it shall be a pure and holy incense.
36 Beat some of it very fine and put some of it in front of the Ark where I meet with you in the Tabernacle; this incense is most holy.
37 Never make it for yourselves, for it is reserved for the Lord and you must treat it as holy.
38 Anyone making it for himself shall be excommunicated."
1 The Lord also said to Moses, "See, I have appointed Bezalel (son of Uri, and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah),
2
3 and have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and skill in constructing the Tabernacle and everything it contains.
4 He is highly capable as an artistic designer of objects made of gold, silver, and bronze.
5 He is skilled, too, as a jeweler and in carving wood.
6 "And I have appointed Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan) to be his assistant; moreover, I have given special skill to all who are known as experts, so that they can make all the things I have instructed you to make:
7 the Tabernacle; the Ark with the place of mercy upon it; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
8 the table and its instruments; the pure gold lampstand with its instruments; the altar of incense;
9 the burnt offering altar with its instruments; the laver and its pedestal;
10 the beautifully made, holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons, so that they can minister as priests;
11 the anointing oil; and the sweet-spice incense for the Holy Place. They are to follow exactly the directions I gave you."
12 The Lord then gave these further instructions to Moses:
13 "Tell the people of Israel to rest on my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a reminder of the covenant between me and you forever; it helps you to remember that I am Jehovah who makes you holy.
14 Yes, rest on the Sabbath, for it is holy. Anyone who does not obey this command must die; anyone who does any work on that day shall be killed.
15
16 Work six days only, for the seventh day is a special day to remind you of my covenant--a weekly reminder forever of my promises to the people of Israel.
17 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and rested on the seventh day, and was refreshed."
18 Then, as God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God.
1 When Moses didn't come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron. "Look," they said, "make us a god to lead us, for this fellow Moses who brought us here from Egypt has disappeared; something must have happened to him."
2 "Give me your gold earrings," Aaron replied. So they all did--men and women, boys and girls.
3
4 Aaron melted the gold, then molded and tooled it into the form of a calf. The people exclaimed, "O Israel, this is the god that brought you out of Egypt!"
5 When Aaron saw how happy the people were about it, he built an altar before the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a feast to Jehovah!"
6 So they were up early the next morning and began offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the calf-idol; afterwards they sat down to feast and drink at a wild party, followed by sexual immorality.
7 Then the Lord told Moses, "Quick! Go on down, for your people that you brought from Egypt have defiled themselves,
8 and have quickly abandoned all my laws. They have molded themselves a calf, and worshiped it, and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of Egypt.' "
9 Then the Lord said, "I have seen what a stubborn, rebellious lot these people are.
10 Now let me alone and my anger shall blaze out against them and destroy them all; and I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them."
11 But Moses begged God not to do it. "Lord," he pleaded, "why is your anger so hot against your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty miracles?
12 Do you want the Egyptians to say, 'God tricked them into coming to the mountains so that he could slay them, destroying them from off the face of the earth'? Turn back from your fierce wrath. Turn away from this terrible evil you are planning against your people!
13 Remember your promise to your servants--to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. For you swore by your own self, 'I will multiply your posterity as the stars of heaven, and I will give them all of this land I have promised to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' "
14 So the Lord changed his mind and spared them.
15 Then Moses went down the mountain, holding in his hands the Ten Commandments written on both sides of two stone tablets.
16 (God himself had written the commandments on the tablets.)
17 When Joshua heard the noise below them, of all the people shouting, he exclaimed to Moses, "It sounds as if they are preparing for war!"
18 But Moses replied, "No, it's not a cry of victory or defeat, but singing."
19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and in terrible anger he threw the tablets to the ground, and they lay broken at the foot of the mountain.
20 He took the calf and melted it in the fire, and when the metal cooled, he ground it into powder and spread it upon the water and made the people drink it.
21 Then he turned to Aaron. "What in the world did the people do to you," he demanded, "to make you bring such a terrible sin upon them?"
22 "Don't get so upset," Aaron replied. "You know these people and what a wicked bunch they are.
23 They said to me, 'Make us a god to lead us, for something has happened to this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt.'
24 Well, I told them, 'Bring me your gold earrings.' So they brought them to me and I threw them into the fire, and. . . well. . . this calf came out!"
25 When Moses saw that the people had been committing adultery--at Aaron's encouragement, and much to the amusement of their enemies--
26 he stood at the camp entrance and shouted, "All of you who are on the Lord's side, come over here and join me." And all the Levites came.
27 He told them, "Jehovah the God of Israel says, 'Get your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other and kill even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.' "
28 So they did, and about three thousand men died that day.
29 Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers; now he will give you a great blessing."
30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin, but I will return to the Lord on the mountain--perhaps I will be able to obtain his forgiveness for you."
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Oh, these people have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold.
32 Yet now if you will only forgive their sin--and if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."
33 And the Lord replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me will be blotted out of my book.
34 And now go, lead the people to the place I told you about, and I assure you that my Angel shall travel on ahead of you; however, when I come to visit these people, I will punish them for their sins."
35 And the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped Aaron's calf.
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Lead these people you brought from Egypt to the land I promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for I said, 'I will give this land to your descendants.'
2 I will send an Angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
3 It is a land 'flowing with milk and honey'; but I will not travel among you, for you are a stubborn, unruly people, and I would be tempted to destroy you along the way."
4 When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stripped themselves of their jewelry and ornaments.
5 For the Lord had told Moses to tell them, "You are an unruly, stubborn people. If I were there among you for even a moment, I would exterminate you. Remove your jewelry and ornaments until I decide what to do with you."
6 So, after that, they wore no jewelry.
7 Moses always erected the sacred tent (the "Tent for Meeting with God," he called it) far outside the camp, and everyone who wanted to consult with Jehovah went out there.
8 Whenever Moses went to the Tabernacle, all the people, when they saw it, stood and would rise and stand in their tent doors.
9 As he entered, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the door while the Lord spoke with Moses.
10 Then all the people worshiped from their tent doors, bowing low to the pillar of cloud.
11 Inside the tent the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterwards Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua (son of Nun), stayed behind in the Tabernacle.
12 Moses talked there with the Lord and said to him, "You have been telling me, 'Take these people to the Promised Land,' but you haven't told me whom you will send with me. You say you are my friend, and that I have found favor before you;
13 please, if this is really so, guide me clearly along the way you want me to travel so that I will understand you and walk acceptably before you. For don't forget that this nation is your people."
14 And the Lord replied, "I myself will go with you and give you success."
15 For Moses had said, "If you aren't going with us, don't let us move a step from this place.
16 If you don't go with us, who will ever know that I and my people have found favor with you, and that we are different from any other people upon the face of the earth?"
17 And the Lord had replied to Moses, "Yes, I will do what you have asked, for you have certainly found favor with me, and you are my friend."
18 Then Moses asked to see God's glory.
19 The Lord replied, "I will make my goodness pass before you, and I will announce to you the meaning of my name Jehovah, the Lord. I show kindness and mercy to anyone I want to.
20 But you may not see the glory of my face, for man may not see me and live.
21 However, stand here on this rock beside me.
22 And when my glory goes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed.
23 Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back but not my face."
1 The Lord told Moses, "Prepare two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write upon them the same commands that were on the tablets you broke.
2 Be ready in the morning to come up into Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain.
3 No one shall come with you and no one must be anywhere on the mountain. Do not let the flocks or herds feed close to the mountain."
4 So Moses took two tablets of stone like the first ones, and was up early and climbed Mount Sinai, as the Lord had told him to, taking the two stone tablets in his hands.
5 Then the Lord descended in the form of a pillar of cloud and stood there with him, and passed in front of him and announced the meaning of his name.
6 "I am Jehovah, the merciful and gracious God," he said, "slow to anger and rich in steadfast love and truth.
7 I, Jehovah, show this steadfast love to many thousands by forgiving their sins; or else I refuse to clear the guilty, and require that a father's sins be punished in the sons and grandsons, and even later generations."
8 Moses fell down before the Lord and worshiped.
9 And he said, "If it is true that I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, then please go with us to the Promised Land; yes, it is an unruly, stubborn people, but pardon our iniquity and our sins, and accept us as your own."
10 The Lord replied, "All right, this is the contract I am going to make with you. I will do miracles such as have never been done before anywhere in all the earth, and all the people of Israel shall see the power of the Lord--the terrible power I will display through you.
11 Your part of the agreement is to obey all of my commandments; then I will drive out from before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
12 "Be very, very careful never to compromise with the people there in the land where you are going, for if you do, you will soon be following their evil ways.
13 Instead, you must break down their heathen altars, smash the obelisks they worship, and cut down their shameful idols.
14 For you must worship no other gods, but only Jehovah, for he is a God who claims absolute loyalty and exclusive devotion.
15 "No, do not make a peace treaty of any kind with the people living in the land, for they are spiritual prostitutes, committing adultery against me by sacrificing to their gods. If you become friendly with them and one of them invites you to go with him and worship his idol, you are apt to do it.
16 And you would accept their daughters, who worship other gods, as wives for your sons--and then your sons would commit adultery against me by worshiping their wives' gods.
17 You must have nothing to do with idols.
18 "Be sure to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, just as I instructed you, at the dates appointed each year in March; that was the month you left Egypt.
19 "Every firstborn male is mine--cattle, sheep, and goats.
20 The firstborn colt of a donkey may be redeemed by giving a lamb in its place. If you decide not to redeem it, then its neck must be broken. But your sons must all be redeemed. And no one shall appear before me without a gift.
21 "Even during plowing and harvest times, work only six days, and rest on the seventh.
22 "And you must remember to celebrate these three annual religious festivals: the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of the First Wheat, and the Harvest Festival.
23 On each of these three occasions all the men and boys of Israel shall appear before the Lord.
24 No one will attack and conquer your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God those three times each year. For I will drive out the nations from before you and enlarge your boundaries.
25 "You must not use leavened bread with your sacrifices to me, and none of the meat of the Passover lamb may be kept over until the following morning.
26 And you must bring the best of the first of each year's crop to the Tabernacle of the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother's milk."
27 And the Lord said to Moses, "Write down these laws that I have given you, for they represent the terms of my covenant with you and with Israel."
28 Moses was up on the mountain with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, and in all that time he neither ate nor drank. At that time God wrote out the Covenant--the Ten Commandments--on the stone tablets.
29 Moses didn't realize as he came back down the mountain with the tablets that his face glowed from being in the presence of God.
30 Because of this radiance upon his face, Aaron and the people of Israel were afraid to come near him.
31 But Moses called them over to him, and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation came and talked with him.
32 Afterwards, all the people came to him, and he gave them the commandments the Lord had given him upon the mountain.
33 When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face;
34 but whenever he went into the Tabernacle to speak with the Lord, he removed the veil until he came out again; then he would pass on to the people whatever instructions God had given him,
35 and the people would see his face aglow. Afterwards he would put the veil on again until he returned to speak with God.
1 Now Moses called a meeting of all the people and told them, "These are the laws of Jehovah you must obey.
2 "Work six days only; the seventh day is a day of solemn rest, a holy day to be used to worship Jehovah; anyone working on that day must die.
3 Don't even light the fires in your homes that day."
4 Then Moses said to all the people, "This is what the Lord has commanded:
5 All of you who wish to, all those with generous hearts, may bring these offerings to Jehovah: Gold, silver, and bronze;
6 Blue, purple, and scarlet cloth, made of fine-twined linen or of goats' hair;
7 Tanned rams' skins and specially treated goatskins; Acacia wood;
8 Olive oil for the lamps; Spices for the anointing oil and for the incense;
9 Onyx stones and stones to be used for the ephod and chestpiece.
10 "Come, all of you who are skilled craftsmen having special talents, and construct what God has commanded us:
11 The Tabernacle tent, and its coverings, clasps, frames, bars, pillars, and bases;
12 The Ark and its poles; The place of mercy; The curtain to enclose the Holy Place;
13 The table, its carrying poles, and all of its utensils; The Bread of the Presence;
14 Lamp holders, with lamps and oil;
15 The incense altar and its carrying poles; The anointing oil and sweet incense; The curtain for the door of the Tabernacle;
16 The altar for the burnt offerings; The bronze grating of the altar, and its carrying poles and utensils; The basin with its pedestal;
17 The drapes for the walls of the court; The pillars and their bases; Drapes for the entrance to the court;
18 The posts of the Tabernacle court, and their cords;
19 The beautiful clothing for the priests, to be used when ministering in the Holy Place; The holy garments for Aaron the priest, and for his sons."
20 So all the people went to their tents to prepare their gifts.
21 Those whose hearts were stirred by God's Spirit returned with their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle, its equipment, and for the holy garments.
22 Both men and women came, all who were willing-hearted. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold, jewelry--earrings, rings from their fingers, necklaces--and gold objects of every kind.
23 Others brought blue, purple, and scarlet cloth made from the fine-twined linen or goats' hair; and rams' skins dyed red, and specially treated goatskins.
24 Others brought silver and bronze as their offering to the Lord; and some brought the acacia wood needed in the construction.
25 The women skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread and cloth, and fine-twined linen, and brought them in.
26 Some other women gladly used their special skill to spin the goats' hair into cloth.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones to be used for the ephod and the chestpiece;
28 and spices, and oil--for the light, and for compounding the anointing oil and the sweet incense.
29 So the people of Israel--every man and woman who wanted to assist in the work given to them by the Lord's command to Moses--brought their freewill offerings to him.
30 And Moses told them, "Jehovah has specifically appointed Bezalel (the son of Uri and grandson of Hur of the tribe of Judah) as general superintendent of the project.
31
32 He will be able to create beautiful workmanship from gold, silver, and bronze;
33 he can cut and set stones like a jeweler and can do beautiful carving; in fact, he has every needed skill.
34 And God has made him and Oholiab gifted teachers of their skills to others. (Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.)
35 God has filled them both with unusual skills as jewelers, carpenters, embroidery designers in blue, purple, and scarlet on linen backgrounds, and as weavers--they excel in all the crafts we will be needing in the work.
1 "All the other craftsmen with God-given abilities are to assist Bezalel and Oholiab in constructing and furnishing the Tabernacle."
2 So Moses told Bezalel and Oholiab and all others who felt called to the work to begin.
3 Moses gave them the materials donated by the people and additional gifts were received each morning.
4 But finally the workmen all left their task
5 to meet with Moses and told him, "We have more than enough materials on hand now to complete the job!"
6 So Moses sent a message throughout the camp announcing that no more donations were needed.
7 Then at last the people were restrained from bringing more!
8 The skilled weavers first made ten sheets from fine linen, then embroidered into them blue, purple, and scarlet Guardian Angels. Each sheet was 42 feet long and 6 feet wide.
9
10 Five of these sheets were attached end to end, then five others similarly attached, forming two long roofsheets.
11 Fifty blue ribbons were looped along the edges of these two long sheets, each loop being opposite its mate on the other long sheet.
12
13 Then fifty clasps of gold were made to connect the loops, thus tying the two long sheets together to form the ceiling of the Tabernacle.
14 Above the ceiling was a second layer formed by eleven draperies made of goats' hair (uniformly 45 feet long and 6 feet wide).
15
16 Bezalel coupled five of these draperies together to make one long piece, and six others to make another long piece.
17 Then he made fifty loops along the end of each
18 and fifty small bronze clasps to couple the loops so that the draperies were firmly attached to each other.
19 The top layer of the roof was made of rams' skins, dyed red, and tanned goatskins.
20 For the sides of the Tabernacle he used frames of acacia wood standing on end.
21 The height of each frame was 15 feet and the width 2 1/4 feet.
22 Each frame had two clasps joining it to the next.
23 There were twenty frames on the south side,
24 with the bottoms fitting into forty silver bases. Each frame was connected to its base by two clasps.
25 There were also twenty frames on the north side of the Tabernacle, with forty silver bases, two for each frame.
26
27 The west side of the Tabernacle, which was its rear, was made from six frames,
28 plus another at each corner.
29 These frames, including those at the corners, were linked to each other at both top and bottom by rings.
30 So, on the west side, there were a total of eight frames with sixteen silver bases beneath them, two for each frame.
31 Then he made five sets of bars from acacia wood to tie the frames together along the sides, five for each side of the Tabernacle.
32
33 The middle bar of the five was halfway up the frames, along each side, running from one end to the other.
34 The frames and bars were all overlaid with gold, and the rings were pure gold.
35 The blue, purple, and scarlet inner curtain was made from woven linen, with Guardian Angels skillfully embroidered into it.
36 The curtain was then attached to four gold hooks set into four posts of acacia wood, overlaid with gold and set into four silver bases.
37 Then he made a drapery for the entrance to the Tabernacle; it was woven from finespun linen, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet.
38 This drapery was connected by five hooks to five posts. The posts and their capitals and rods were overlaid with gold; their five bases were molded from bronze.
1 Next Bezalel made the Ark. This was constructed of acacia wood and was 3 3/4 feet long, 2 1/4 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high.
2 It was plated with pure gold inside and out, and had a molding of gold all the way around the sides.
3 There were four gold rings fastened into its four feet, two rings at each end.
4 Then he made poles from acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold,
5 and put the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark, to carry it.
6 Then, from pure gold, he made a lid called "the place of mercy"; it was 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide.
7 He made two statues of Guardian Angels of beaten gold and placed them at the two ends of the gold lid.
8 They were molded so that they were actually a part of the gold lid--it was all one piece.
9 The Guardian Angels faced each other, with outstretched wings that overshadowed the place of mercy, looking down upon it.
10 Then he made a table, using acacia wood, 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide, and 2 1/4 feet high.
11 It was overlaid with pure gold, with a gold molding all around the edge.
12 A rim 4 inches high was constructed around the edges of the table, with a gold molding along the rim.
13 Then he cast four rings of gold and placed them into the four table legs,
14 close to the molding, to hold the carrying poles in place.
15 He made the carrying poles of acacia wood covered with gold.
16 Next, using pure gold, he made the bowls, flagons, dishes, and spoons to be placed upon this table.
17 Then he made the lampstand, again using pure, beaten gold. Its base, shaft, lamp-holders, and decorations of almond flowers were all of one piece.
18 The lampstand had six branches, three from each side.
19 Each of the branches was decorated with identical carvings of blossoms.
20 The main stem of the lampstand was similarly decorated with almond blossoms,
21 a flower on the stem beneath each pair of branches; also a flower below the bottom pair and above the top pair, four in all.
22 The decorations and branches were all one piece of pure, beaten gold.
23 Then he made the seven lamps at the ends of the branches, the snuffers, and the ashtrays, all of pure gold. The entire lampstand weighed 107 pounds, all pure gold.
24
25 The incense altar was made of acacia wood. It was 18 inches square and 3 feet high, with its corner-horns made as part of the altar so that it was all one piece.
26 He overlaid it all with pure gold and ran a gold molding around the edge.
27 Two gold rings were placed on each side, beneath this molding, to hold the carrying poles.
28 The carrying poles were gold-plated acacia wood.
29 Then, from sweet spices, he made the sacred oil for anointing the priests, and the pure incense, using the techniques of the most skilled perfumers.
1 The burnt-offering altar was also constructed of acacia wood; it was 7 1/2 feet square at the top, and 4 1/2 feet high.
2 There were four horns at the four corners, all of one piece with the rest. This altar was overlaid with bronze.
3 Then he made bronze utensils to be used with the altar--the pots, shovels, basins, meat hooks, and fire pans.
4 Next he made a bronze grating that rested upon a ledge about halfway up in the firebox.
5 Four rings were cast for each side of the grating, to insert the carrying poles.
6 The carrying poles themselves were made of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze.
7 The carrying poles were inserted into the rings at the side of the altar. The altar was hollow, with plank siding.
8 The bronze washbasin and its bronze pedestal were cast from the solid bronze mirrors donated by the women who assembled at the entrance to the Tabernacle.
9 Then he constructed the courtyard. The south wall was 150 feet long; it consisted of drapes woven from fine-twined linen thread.
10 There were twenty posts to hold drapes, with bases of bronze and with silver hooks and rods.
11 The north wall was also 150 feet long, with twenty bronze posts and bases and with silver hooks and rods.
12 The west side was 75 feet wide; the walls were made from drapes supported by ten posts and bases, and with silver hooks and rods.
13 The east side was also 75 feet wide.
14 The drapes at either side of the entrance were 22 1/2 feet wide, each with three posts and three bases.
15
16 All the drapes making up the walls of the court were woven of fine-twined linen.
17 Each post had a bronze base, and all the hooks and rods were silver; the tops of the posts were overlaid with silver, and the rods to hold up the drapes were solid silver.
18 The drapery covering the entrance to the court was made of fine-twined linen, beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. It was 30 feet long and 7 1/2 feet wide, just the same as the drapes composing the walls of the court.
19 It was supported by four posts, with four bronze bases and with silver hooks and rods; the tops of the posts were also silver.
20 All the nails used in constructing the Tabernacle and court were bronze.
21 This summarizes the various steps in building the Tabernacle to house the Ark, so that the Levites could carry on their ministry. All was done in the order designated by Moses and was supervised by Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest.
22 Bezalel (son of Uri and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah) was the master craftsman,
23 assisted by Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan); he too was a skilled craftsman and also an expert at engraving, weaving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and scarlet threads into fine linen cloth.
24 The people brought gifts of 3,140 pounds of gold, all of which was used throughout the Tabernacle.
25 The amount of silver used was 9,575 pounds, which came from the fifty-cent head tax collected from all those registered in the census
26 who were twenty years old or older, a total of 603,550 men.
27 The bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and for the posts supporting the veil required 9,500 pounds of silver, 95 pounds for each socket.
28 The silver left over was used for the posts and to overlay their tops, and for the rods and hooks.
29 The people brought 7,540 pounds of bronze,
30 which was used for casting the bases for the posts at the entrance to the Tabernacle, and for the bronze altar, the bronze grating, the altar utensils,
31 the bases for the posts supporting the drapes enclosing the court, and for all the nails used in the construction of the Tabernacle and the court.
1 Then, for the priests, the people made beautiful garments of blue, purple, and scarlet cloth--garments to be used while ministering in the Holy Place. This same cloth was used for Aaron's sacred garments, in accordance with the Lord's instructions to Moses.
2 The ephod was made from this cloth too, woven from fine-twined linen thread.
3 Bezalel beat gold into thin plates and cut it into wire threads, to work into the blue, purple, and scarlet linen; it was a skillful and beautiful piece of workmanship when finished.
4 The ephod was held together by shoulder straps at the top
5 and was tied down by an elaborate one-piece woven sash made of the same gold, blue, purple, and scarlet cloth cut from fine-twined linen thread, just as God had directed Moses.
6 The two onyx stones, attached to the two shoulder straps of the ephod, were set in gold, and the stones were engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel, just as initials are engraved upon a ring.
7 These stones were reminders to Jehovah concerning the people of Israel; all this was done in accordance with the Lord's instructions to Moses.
8 The chestpiece was a beautiful piece of work, just like the ephod, made from the finest gold, blue, purple, and scarlet linen.
9 It was a piece nine inches square, doubled over to form a pouch;
10 there were four rows of stones across it. In the first row were a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle;
11 in the second row were an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
12 In the third row were a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst.
13 In the fourth row, a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper--all set in gold filigree.
14 The stones were engraved like a seal, with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
15 To attach the chestpiece to the ephod, a gold ring was placed at the top of each shoulder strap of the ephod,
16 and from these gold rings, two strands of twined gold attached to gold clasps on the top corners of the chestpiece.
17
18
19 Two gold rings were also set at the lower edge of the chestpiece, on the under side, next to the ephod.
20 Two other gold rings were placed low on the shoulder straps of the ephod, close to where the ephod joined its beautifully woven sash.
21 The chestpiece was held securely above the beautifully woven sash of the ephod by tying the rings of the chestpiece to the rings of the ephod with a blue ribbon. All this was commanded to Moses by the Lord.
22 The main part of the ephod was woven, all of blue,
23 and there was a hole at the center, just as in a coat of mail, for the head to go through, reinforced around the edge so that it would not tear.
24 Pomegranates were attached to the bottom edge of the robe; these were made of linen cloth, embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet.
25 Bells of pure gold were placed between the pomegranates along the bottom edge of the skirt,
26 with bells and pomegranates alternating all around the edge. This robe was worn when Aaron ministered to the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 Robes were now made for Aaron and his sons from fine-twined linen thread.
28 The chestpiece, the beautiful turbans, and the caps and the underclothes were all made of this linen,
29 and the linen belt was beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet threads, just as Jehovah had commanded Moses.
30 Finally, they made the holy plate of pure gold to wear on the front of the turban, engraved with the words, "Consecrated to Jehovah."
31 It was tied to the turban with a blue cord, just as the Lord had instructed.
32 And so at last the Tabernacle was finished, following all of the Lord's instructions to Moses.
33 Then they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: Furniture; clasps; frames; bars; Posts; bases; layers of covering for the roof and sides--
34 the rams' skins dyed red, the specially tanned goatskins, and the entrance drape;
35 the Ark with the Ten Commandments in it; The carrying poles; The place of mercy;
36 The table and all its utensils; The Bread of the Presence;
37 The pure gold lampstand with its lamps, utensils, and oil;
38 The gold altar; The anointing oil; The sweet incense; The curtain-door of the Tabernacle;
39 The bronze altar; The bronze grating; The poles and the utensils; The washbasin and its base;
40 The drapes for the walls of the court and the posts holding them up; The bases and the drapes at the gate of the court; The cords and nails; All the utensils used there in the work of the Tabernacle.
41 They also brought for his inspection the beautifully tailored garments to be worn while ministering in the Holy Place and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and those for his sons, to be worn when on duty.
42 So the people of Israel followed all the Lord's instructions to Moses.
43 And Moses inspected all their work and blessed them because it was all as the Lord had instructed him.
1 The Lord now said to Moses,
2 "Put together the Tabernacle on the first day of the first month.
3 In it place the Ark containing the Ten Commandments; and install the veil to enclose the Ark within the Holy of Holies.
4 Then bring in the table and place the utensils on it, and bring in the lampstand and light the lamps.
5 "Place the gold altar for the incense in front of the Ark. Set up the drapes at the entrance of the Tabernacle,
6 and place the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance.
7 Set the washbasin between the Tabernacle-tent and the altar, and fill it with water.
8 Then make the courtyard around the outside of the tent, and hang the curtain-door at the entrance to the courtyard.
9 "Take the anointing oil and sprinkle it here and there upon the Tabernacle and everything in it, upon all of its utensils and parts, and all the furniture, to hallow it; and it shall become holy.
10 Sprinkle the anointing oil upon the altar of burnt offering and its utensils, sanctifying it; for the altar shall then become most holy.
11 Then anoint the washbasin and its pedestal, sanctifying it.
12 "Now bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Tabernacle and wash them with water;
13 and clothe Aaron with the holy garments and anoint him, sanctifying him to minister to me as a priest.
14 Then bring his sons and put their robes upon them,
15 and anoint them as you did their father, that they may minister to me as priests; their anointing shall be permanent from generation to generation: all their children and children's children shall forever be my priests."
16 So Moses proceeded to do all as the Lord had commanded him.
17 On the first day of the first month, in the second year, the Tabernacle was put together.
18 Moses erected it by setting its frames into their bases and attaching the bars.
19 Then he spread the coverings over the framework and put on the top layers, just as the Lord had commanded him.
20 Inside the Ark he placed the stones with the Ten Commandments engraved on them, and attached the carrying poles to the Ark and installed the gold lid, the place of mercy.
21 Then he brought the Ark into the Tabernacle and set up the curtain to screen it, just as the Lord had commanded.
22 Next he placed the table at the north side of the room outside the curtain
23 and set the Bread of the Presence upon the table before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded.
24 And he placed the lampstand next to the table, on the south side of the Tabernacle.
25 Then he lighted the lamps before the Lord, following all the instructions,
26 and placed the gold altar in the Tabernacle next to the curtain,
27 and burned upon it the incense made from sweet spices, just as the Lord had commanded.
28 He attached the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle,
29 and placed the outside altar for the burnt offerings near the entrance, and offered upon it a burnt offering and a meal offering, just as the Lord had commanded him.
30 Next he placed the washbasin between the tent and the altar and filled it with water so that the priests could use it for washing.
31 Moses and Aaron and Aaron's sons washed their hands and feet there.
32 Whenever they walked past the altar to enter the Tabernacle, they stopped and washed, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
33 Then he erected the enclosure surrounding the tent and the altar, and set up the curtain-door at the entrance of the enclosure. So at last Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it.
35 Moses was not able to enter because the cloud was standing there, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
36 Whenever the cloud lifted and moved, the people of Israel journeyed onward, following it.
37 But if the cloud stayed, they stayed until it moved.
38 The cloud rested upon the Tabernacle during the daytime, and at night there was fire in the cloud so that all the people of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.