Exodus 19

Israel at Mount Sinai

19In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, ^athey came to the Wilderness of Sinai. ²For they had departed from ^bRephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before ^cthe mountain.

³And ^dMoses went up to God, and the Lord ^ecalled to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ^4f‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how ^gI ¹bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵Now ^htherefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and ⁱkeep My covenant, then ^jyou shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is ^kMine. ⁶And you shall be to Me a ^lkingdom of priests and a ^mholy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

⁷So Moses came and called for the ⁿelders of the people, and ²laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. ⁸Then ^oall the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. ⁹And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you ^pin the thick cloud, ^qthat the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”

So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and ^rconsecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. ¹¹And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. ¹²You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. ^sWhoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. ¹³Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”

¹⁴So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; ^tdo not come near your wives.”

¹⁶Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were ^uthunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp ^vtrembled. ¹⁷And ^wMoses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸Now ^xMount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon ^yit in fire. ^zIts smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and ³the ^awhole mountain quaked greatly. ¹⁹And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, ^bMoses spoke, and ^cGod answered him by voice. ²⁰Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through ^dto gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. ²²Also let the ^epriests who come near the Lord ^fconsecrate themselves, lest the Lord ^gbreak out against them.”

²³But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, ^h‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

²⁴Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” ²⁵So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.