Study Desk

And all the congregation of the sons of Israel pulled up stakes from the Wilderness of Sin, according to their journeys, by the mouth of Jehovah. And they camped in Rephidim. And there was no water for the drinking of thepeople.

And the people wrangled with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, Why do you wrangle with me? Why do you tempt Jehovah?

And the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why, then, have you caused us to go up from Egypt, to kill me and my sons and my livestock with thirst?

And Moses cried to Jehovah, saying, What shall I do to this people? Yet a little and they will stone me.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Pass on in front of the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. And take in your hand your staff with which you smote the River, and go.

Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. And you shall smite the rock, and water will come out of it; and the people will drink. And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.

And one called the name of the place, Massah, and Meribah, because of the wrangling of the sons of Israel, and because of their testing of Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah in our midst, or not?

And Amalek came and fought against Israel in Rephidim.

And Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us, and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, and the staff of God in my hand.

And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, to fight against Amalek. And Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

And so it was that when Moses lifted his hand, Israel prevailed. And when he rested his hand, Amalek conquered.

And the hands of Moses became heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him. And he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one from this and one from that side . And his hands were steady until the going ofthe sun.

And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people by the mouth of the sword.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Write this, a memorial in a book, and set it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly wipe away the remembrance of Amalek under the heavens.

And Moses built an altar. And he called its name, Jehovah My Banner.

And he said, A hand is on the throne of Jehovah; war is to Jehovah with Amalek from generation to generation.

And Jethro the priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, heard all that which God had done for Moses and for His people Israel, that Jehovah had caused Israel to go out from Egypt.

And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, (after Moses had sent her away,)

and her two sons, one's name was Gershom (for he said, I have become an alien in a foreign land;)

and one's name was Eliezer (for the God of my father was my Help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh).

And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and his sons and his wife came to Moses, to the wilderness where he camped, at the mount of God.

And he said to Moses, I, your father-in-law Jethro, and your wife, and your two sons with her have come to you.

And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed, and kissed him. And they asked each to his neighbor, as to their welfare. And they came into the tent.

And Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt on account of Israel, all the trouble which they had found in the way, and Jehovah had delivered them.

And Jethro rejoiced regarding all the good which Jehovah had done to Israel whom He had delivered from the hand of Egypt.

And Jethro said, Blessed be Jehovah who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh; He who delivered the people from under the hand of Egypt.

Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all the gods; truly, in the way in which He acted proudly against them.

And Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, took a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread before God with Moses' father-in-law.

And it happened on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood beside Moses from the morning until the evening.

And Moses' father-in-law saw all he was doing to the people. And he said, What is this thing which you are doing to the people? Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people standing beside you from morning until evening?

And Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to seek God.

When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor. And I make known the statutes of God, and His laws.

And the father-in-law of Moses said to him, The thing which you do is not good.

Wearing you will wear out, both you and this people with you. For the thing is heavy for you. You are not able to do it by yourself.

Now listen to my voice. I will counsel you, and may God be with you. You be for this people before God, and you bring the matters to God.

And you warn them as to the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they should walk, and the work which they should do.

And you, you shall look out men of ability out of all the people, who fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain. And you place these over them as rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

And let them judge the people at all times. And it shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, and every small matter they shall judge. And you make it easy on yourself, and let them bear with you.

If you do this thing, and God command you, you will be able to stand; and also this people will go in peace to their place.

And Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and he did all that he had said.

And Moses chose men of ability from all Israel and made them heads over the people; rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

And they judged the people at all times; the hard matters they brought to Moses, and every small matter they judged themselves.

And Moses sent his father-in-law away, and he went to his own land.

In the third month of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the wilderness of Sinai.

And they pulled up stakes from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai. And they camped in the wilderness. And Israel camped there before the mountain.

And Moses went up to God. And Jehovah called to him from the mountain, saying, You shall say this to the house of Jacob, and tell it to the sons of Israel.

You have seen what I did to Egypt; and I bore you on wings of eagles and brought you to Me.

And now if listening you will listen to My voice, and will keep My covenant, you shall become a special treasure to Me above all the nations, for all the earth is Mine.

And you shall become a kingdom of priests for Me, a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the sons of Israel.

And Moses came and called the elders of the people. And he put all these words before them which Jehovah commanded him.

And all the people answered together and said, All which Jehovah has spoken we will do. And Moses brought back the words of the people to Jehovah.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Behold, I come to you in a darkness of clouds, so that the people may hear My speaking with you, and in you they may believe forever. And Moses told the words of the people to Jehovah.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow. And let them wash their clothes.

And be ready for the third day. For on the third day Jehovah will go down before the eyes of all the people on the mountain of Sinai.

And you shall set limits to the people all around, saying, Be careful for yourselves, not going up into the mountain and touching its border; everyone touching the mountain dying shall die.

Not a hand shall touch him, but stoning he shall be stoned, or piercing he shall be shot through. He shall not live, whether animal or man. At the sounding of the ram's horn, they shall go up into the mountain.

And Moses went from the mountain to the people. And he sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day. Do not approach a woman.

And on the third day, it being morning, it happened: There were thunders and lightnings, and a heavy cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a ram's horn, very strong! And all the people in the camp trembled.

And Moses caused the people to go up from the camp to meet God. And they took their stand at the lower part of the mountain.

And the mountain of Sinai was smoking, all of it, because Jehovah came down on it in fire. And its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace; and the mountain quaked exceedingly.

And it happened while the sound of the ram's horn was sounding, and becoming very strong, Moses spoke. And God answered him by a voice.

And Jehovah came down on the mountain of Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Go down, warn the people lest they break through to gaze at Jehovah, and many of them fall.

And also the priests, those approaching Jehovah, let them sanctify themselves that Jehovah not burst forth among them.

And Moses said to Jehovah, The people are not able to come up to the mountain of Sinai. For You warned us, saying, Set limits to the mountain and sanctify it.

And Jehovah said to him, Come, go down. And you come up, and Aaron with you. And let not the priests and the people break through to come up to Jehovah, lest He burst forth among them.

And Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

And God spoke all these words, saying,

I am Jehovah your God, who has brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

You shall not have any other gods before Me.

You shall not make a graven image for yourself, or any likeness in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth;

you shall not bow to them, and you shall not serve them; for I am Jehovah your God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third and on the fourth generation, to those that hate Me;

and doing kindness to thousands, to those loving Me, and to those keeping My commandments.

You shall not take the name of Jehovah your God in vain; for Jehovah will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy;

six days you shall labor and do all your work;

and the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God; you shall not do any work, you, and your son, and your daughter, your male slave and your slave-girl, and your livestock, and your stranger who is in your gates.

For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all which is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; on account of this Jehovah blessed the sabbath day and sanctified it.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long on the land which Jehovah your God is giving to you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not testify a witness of falsehood against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male slave, or his slave-girl, or his ox, or his ass, or anything which belongs to your neighbor.

And all the people saw the thunders, and the lightnings, and the sound of the ram's horn, and the smoking mountain. And the people looked, and they trembled, and they stood from a distance.

And they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear. And let us not speak with God, that we not die.

And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid, for God has come in order to test you, and so that His fear may be on your faces, that you may not sin.

And the people stood from a distance, and Moses went near the thick darkness where God was .

And Jehovah said to Moses, You shall say this to the sons of Israel, You have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens.

You shall not make gods of silver along with Me, and you shall not make gods of gold for yourselves.

You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on it, your sheep and your cattle. In every place in which I cause My name tobe remembered, I will come to you and willbless you.

And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build them of cut stones. When you swing your tool on it, you defile it.

And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be uncovered on it.