Exodus 17:1–20:26
17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,d traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim,e but there was no waterf for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us waterg to drink.”h
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”i
3 But the people were thirstyj for water there, and they grumbledk against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock diel of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stonem me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staffn with which you struck the Nile,o and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb.p Strikeq the rock, and waterr will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massaha s and Meribahb t because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
8 The Amalekitesu came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.v 9 Moses said to Joshua,w “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staffx of God in my hands.”
10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hury went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,z but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.a 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekiteb army with the sword.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Writec this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot outd the name of Amaleke from under heaven.”
15 Moses built an altarf and calledg it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up againstc the throne of the Lord,d the Lord will be at war against the Amalekitesh from generation to generation.”i
18 Now Jethro,j the priest of Midiank and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.l
2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah,m his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons.n One son was named Gershom,a for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”;o 4 and the other was named Eliezer,b p for he said, “My father’s God was my helper;q he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountainr of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed downs and kissedt him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardshipsu they had met along the way and how the Lord had savedv them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good thingsw the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord,x who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods,y for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”z 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,a brought a burnt offeringb and other sacrificesc to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meald with Moses’ father-in-law in the presencee of God.
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.f 16 Whenever they have a dispute,g it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”h
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.i 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.j You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputesk to him. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions,l and show them the way they are to livem and how they are to behave.n 21 But select capable meno from all the people—men who fearp God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gainq—and appoint them as officialsr over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult cases to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will sharet it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leadersu of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.v 26 They served as judgesw for the people at all times. The difficult casesx they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.y
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.z
19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypta—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.b 2 After they set out from Rephidim,c they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.d
3 Then Moses went up to God,e and the Lord calledf to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,g and how I carried you on eagles’ wingsh and brought you to myself.i 5 Now if you obey me fullyj and keep my covenant,k then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.l Although the whole earthm is mine, 6 youa will be for me a kingdom of priestsn and a holy nation.’o These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses went back and summoned the eldersp of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.q 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”r So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,s so that the people will hear me speakingt with you and will always put their trustu in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecratev them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothesw 11 and be ready by the third day,x because on that day the Lord will come downy on Mount Sinaiz in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limitsa for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stonedb or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s hornc sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”d
14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.e 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstainf from sexual relations.”
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunderg and lightning, with a thick cloudh over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.i Everyone in the camp trembled.j 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.k 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,l because the Lord descended on it in fire.m The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,n and the whole mountainb trembledo violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voicep of God answeredq him.c
20 The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinair and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to sees the Lord and many of them perish.t 22 Even the priests, who approachu the Lord, must consecratev themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”w
23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai,x because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limitsy around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ”
24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaronz up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”a
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
20 And God spokeb all these words:c
2 “I am the Lord your God,d who brought you oute of Egypt,f out of the land of slavery.g
3 “You shall have no other gods beforea me.h
4 “You shall not make for yourself an imagei in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow …