Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt

1 aThese are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5 All the descendants of Jacob were bseventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Then cJoseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. 7 dBut the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

Pharaoh Oppresses Israel

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, ewho did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Behold, fthe people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. 10 gCome, hlet us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them ito afflict them with heavy jburdens. They built for Pharaoh kstore cities, Pithom and lRaamses. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13 So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel mwork as slaves 14 and nmade their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives ofeared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 pSo God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, qhe gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, r“Every son that is born to the Hebrews1 you shall cast into sthe Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

The Covenant Confirmed

24 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, uNadab, and Abihu, and vseventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses walone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and xall the rules.1 And all the people answered with one voice and said, y“All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 4 And zMoses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve apillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And bMoses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, x“All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 cAnd Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and dseventy of the elders of Israel ewent up, 10 and they fsaw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of gsapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and hate and drank.

12 The Lord said to Moses, i“Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the jtablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his assistant kJoshua, and Moses went up linto the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and mHur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.”

15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and nthe cloud covered the mountain. 16 oThe glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a pdevouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses qwas on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Contributions for the Sanctuary

25 The Lord said to Moses, 2 r“Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From severy man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. 3 And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 tblue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats’ hair, 5 tanned urams’ skins, goatskins,1 acacia wood, 6 voil for the lamps, wspices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the xephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make me a ysanctuary, that zI may dwell in their midst. 9 aExactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the btabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.

The Ark of the Covenant

10 c“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits2 and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with dpure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its efour feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The fpoles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 gAnd you shall put into the ark the htestimony that I shall give you.

17 i“You shall make a mercy seat3 of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of jhammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. kOf one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. 20 lThe cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. 22 mThere I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from nbetween the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

The Table…