Daily Bread

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron,^(A) Nadab and Abihu,^(B) and seventy of the elders^(C) of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, ² but Moses alone is to approach^(D) the Lord; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

³ When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws,^(E) they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do.”^{(F) 4} Moses then wrote^(G) down everything the Lord had said.

He got up early the next morning and built an altar^(H) at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars^(I) representing the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings^(J) and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings^(K) to the Lord. ⁶ Moses^(L) took half of the blood^(M) and put it in bowls, and the other half he splashed^(N) against the altar. ⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant^(O) and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey.”^(P)

⁸ Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people^(Q) and said, “This is the blood of the covenant^(R) that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

⁹ Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders^(S) of Israel went up ¹⁰ and saw^(T) the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli,^(U) as bright blue as the sky.^{(V) 11} But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw^(W) God, and they ate and drank.^(X)

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

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

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