Exodus 24:1–11

Yahweh Cuts His Covenant with Israel

¹Then He said to Moses, “^aCome up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, ^bNadab and Abihu and ^cseventy of the elders of Israel, and you all shall worship at a distance.

²“Moses alone, however, shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

³Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “^aAll the words which Yahweh has spoken we will do!”

^4aAnd Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an ^baltar ¹at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁵And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, ^aand they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to Yahweh.

^6aAnd Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he ¹sprinkled on the altar.

⁷Then he took ^athe book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “^bAll that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!”

⁸So ^aMoses took the blood and ¹sprinkled it on the people and said, “Behold ^bthe blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has cut with you ²in accordance with all these words.”

⁹Then Moses went up ¹with Aaron, ^aNadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,

¹⁰and ^athey saw the God of Israel; and under His feet ^1bthere appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, ²as clear as the sky itself.

¹¹Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and ^athey beheld God, and they ate and drank.