Exodus 33:1–11

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath^d to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’^{e 2}I will send an angel^f before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.^{g 3}Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey.^h But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-neckedⁱ people and I might destroy^j you on the way.”

⁴When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn^k and no one put on any ornaments. ⁵For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people.^l If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy^m you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’ ” ⁶So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.ⁿ

The Tent of Meeting

⁷Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.”^o Anyone inquiring^p of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. ⁸And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents,^q watching Moses until he entered the tent. ⁹As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud^r would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke^s with Moses. ¹⁰Whenever the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance to the tent, they all stood and worshiped, each at the entrance to their tent.^{t 11}The Lord would speak to Moses face to face,^u as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua^v son of Nun did not leave the tent.