Chapter 24

People Affirm Their Covenant with God

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

2 “Moses alone, however, shall come near to the Lord, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.”

3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the 1ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “aAll the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!”

4 aMoses wrote down all the words of the Lord. 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.

5 He sent young men of the sons of Israel, aand they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.

6 aMoses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

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

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

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

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

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

12 Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and 1remain there, and aI will give you the stone tablets 2with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.”

13 So Moses arose 1with aJoshua his 2servant, and Moses went up to bthe mountain of God.

14 But to the elders he said, “aWait here for us until we return to you. And behold, bAaron and Hur are with you; whoever 1has a legal matter, let him approach them.”

15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and athe cloud covered the mountain.

16 aThe glory of the Lord 1rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He bcalled to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

17 aAnd to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a bconsuming fire on the mountain top.

18 Moses entered the midst of the cloud 1as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain aforty days and forty nights.