²“Do not follow the crowd when they do what is wrong. When you are a witness in court, do not turn what is right into wrong. Do not go along with the crowd. ³Do not show favor to a poor person in court.

⁴“Suppose you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away. Then be sure to take it back to him.

⁵“Suppose you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has fallen down under its load. Then do not leave it there. Be sure you help him with it.

⁶“Be fair to your poor people in their court cases. ⁷Do not have anything to do with a charge that is false. Do not put to death those who are not guilty of doing anything wrong. I will not let those who are guilty go free.

⁸“Do not take money from people who want special favors. It makes you blind to the truth. It twists the words of godly people.

⁹“Do not beat an outsider down. You yourselves know how it feels to be outsiders. Remember, you were outsiders in Egypt.

Laws About Sabbaths

¹⁰“For six years plant your fields and gather your crops. ¹¹But during the seventh year do not plow your land or use it. Then the poor people who are among you can get food from it. The wild animals can eat what is left over. Do the same thing with your vineyards and your groves of olive trees.

¹²“Do all of your work in six days. But do not do any work on the seventh day. Then your oxen and donkeys can rest. The slaves who are born in your house can be renewed. And so can the outsiders.

¹³“Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not use the names of other gods. Do not even let them be heard on your lips.

Laws About Celebrating the Main Feasts

¹⁴“Three times a year you must celebrate a feast in my honor.

¹⁵“Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Eat bread that is made without yeast for seven days, just as I commanded you. Do it at the appointed time in the month of Abib. You came out of Egypt in that month.

“You must not come to worship me with your hands empty.

¹⁶“Celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Bring the first share of your crops from your field.

“Celebrate the Feast of Booths. Hold it in the fall when you gather in your crops from the field.

¹⁷“Three times a year all of your men must come to worship me. I am your Lord and King.

¹⁸“Do not include anything that is made with yeast when you offer me the blood of a sacrifice.

“Suppose the fat from sacrifices is left over from my feasts. Then do not keep it until morning.

¹⁹“Bring the best of the first share of your crops to my house. I am the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

God’s Angel Will Prepare the Way

²⁰“I am sending an angel ahead of you. He will guard you along the way. He will bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹Pay attention to him. Listen to what he says. Do not refuse to obey him. He will not forgive you if you turn against him. My very Name is in him. ²²Listen carefully to what he says. Do everything I say. Then I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight against those who fight against you.

²³“My angel will go ahead of you. He will bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites. I will wipe them out.

²⁴“Do not do what they do. Do not bow down to their gods or worship them. You must destroy the statues of their gods. You must break their sacred stones to pieces.

²⁵“I am the Lord your God. Worship me. Then I will bless your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. ²⁶In your land no woman will give birth to a dead baby. Every woman will be able to have children. I will give you a long life.

²⁷“I will send my terror ahead of you. I will throw every nation you meet into a panic. I will make all of your enemies turn their backs and run away. ²⁸I will send hornets ahead of you. They will drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

²⁹“But I will not drive them out in just one year. If I did, the land would be deserted. There would be too many wild animals for you. ³⁰I will drive them out ahead of you little by little. I will do it until your numbers have increased enough for you to take control of the land.

³¹“I will make your borders secure from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. They will go from the desert to the Euphrates River.

“I will hand over to you the people who live in the land. You will drive them out to make room for you. ³²Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. ³³Do not let them live in your land. If you do, they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, that will certainly be a trap for you.”

The Blood of the Covenant

24The Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 of the elders of Israel must come up to me. Do not come close when you worship. ²Only Moses can come close to me. The others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.”

³Moses went and told the people all of the Lord’s words and laws. They answered with one voice. They said, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do.” ⁴Then Moses wrote down everything the Lord had said.

Moses got up early the next morning. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up 12 stone pillars. They stood for the 12 tribes of Israel.

⁵Then he sent young Israelite men to offer burnt offerings. They also sacrificed young bulls as friendship offerings to the Lord. ⁶Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls. He sprinkled the other half on the altar.

⁷Then he took the Scroll of the Covenant and read it to the people.

They answered, “We will do everything the Lord has told us to do. We will obey him.”

⁸Then Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people. He said, “This is the blood that puts the covenant into effect. The Lord has made this covenant with you in keeping with all of these words.”

⁹Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel went up. ¹⁰They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a street made out of sapphire. It was as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹But God didn’t raise his hand against those leaders of the people of Israel. They saw God. And they ate and drank.

¹²The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay here. I will give you the stone tablets. They contain the law and commands I have written to teach the people.”

¹³Then Moses and Joshua, his helper, started out. Moses went up on the mountain of God. ¹⁴He said to the elders, “Wait for us here until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you. Anyone who has a problem can go to them.”

¹⁵Moses went up on the mountain. Then the cloud covered it. ¹⁶The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. The cloud covered the mountain for six days.

On the seventh day the Lord called out to Moses from inside the cloud. ¹⁷The people of Israel saw the glory of the Lord. It looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. ¹⁸Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights.

Offerings for the Holy Tent

25The Lord said to Moses, ²“Tell the people of Israel to bring me an offering. You must receive the offering for me from all whose hearts move them to give.

³“Here are the offerings you must receive from them.

“gold, silver and bronze

⁴blue, purple and bright red yarn and fine linen

goat hair

⁵ram skins that are dyed red

the hides of sea cows

acacia wood

⁶olive oil for the lights

spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet-smelling incense

⁷onyx stones and other jewels for the linen apron and chest cloth

⁸“Have them make a sacred tent for me. I will live among them. ⁹Make the holy tent and everything that belongs to it. Make them exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰“Have them make a chest out of acacia wood. Make it three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide and high. ¹¹Cover it inside and outside with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it.

¹²“Make four gold rings for it. Join them to its four bottom corners. Put two rings on one side and two rings on the other.

¹³“Then make poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. ¹⁴Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. ¹⁵The poles must remain in the rings of the chest. Do not remove them. ¹⁶I will give you the tablets of the covenant. When I do, put them into the chest.

¹⁷“Make its cover out of pure gold. The cover is the place where sin will be paid for. Make it three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide.

¹⁸“Make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹Put one cherub on each end of it. Make the cherubim as part of the cover itself. ²⁰The cherubim must have their wings spread up over the cover. The cherubim must face each other and look toward the cover.

²¹“Place the cover on top of the chest. I will give you the tablets of the covenant. Put them into the chest.

²²“The chest is the ark where the tablets of the covenant are kept. I will meet with you above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark. There I will give you all of my commands for the people of Israel.

The Table for the Holy Bread

²³“Make a table out of acacia wood. Make it three feet long, one foot six inches wide and two feet three inches high. ²⁴Cover it with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it. ²⁵Also make a rim around it that is three inches wide. Put a strip of gold around the rim.

²⁶“Make four gold rings for the table. Join them to the four corners, where the four legs are. ²⁷The rings must be close to the rim. They must hold the poles that will be used to carry the table.

²⁸“Make the poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. Use them to carry the table.

²⁹“Make its plates and dishes out of pure gold. Also make its pitchers and bowls out of pure gold. Use the pitchers and bowls to pour out drink offerings.

³⁰“Put the holy bread on the table. It must be near my holy throne on the ark of the covenant at all times.

The Gold…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading Exodus 23–25 in Logos