Chapter 33

The Journey Resumed

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which aI swore to Abraham, bIsaac, and cJacob, saying, ‘dTo your 1descendants I will give it.’

2 “I will send aan angel before you and bI will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.

3 “Go up to a land aflowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are 1ban obstinate people, and cI might destroy you on the way.”

4 When the people heard this 1sad word, athey went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments.

5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are 1aan obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’ ”

6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Now Moses used to take athe tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And beveryone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent.

9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, athe pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; band 1the Lord would speak with Moses.

10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.

11 Thus athe Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When 1Moses returned to the camp, bhis servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses Intercedes

12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘aBring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know bwhom You will send with me. cMoreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’

13 “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, alet me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. bConsider too, that this nation is Your people.”

14 And He said, “aMy presence shall go with you, and bI will give you rest.”

15 Then he said to Him, “aIf Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.

16 “For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that awe, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the 1earth?”

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; afor you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.”

18 aThen 1Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

19 And He said, “aI Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and bI will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, afor no man can see Me and live!”

21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place 1by Me, and ayou shall stand there on the rock;

22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and acover you with My hand until I have passed by.

23 “Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but aMy face shall not be seen.”