Study Desk

The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them.

Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset.

Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses. And he heard what the Lord God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.

In the meantime, Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two sons to stay with Jethro, and he had welcomed them. Moses was still a foreigner in Midian when his first son was born, and so Moses said, "I'll name him Gershom." When his second son was born, Moses said, "I'll name him Eliezer, because the God my father worshiped has saved me from the king of Egypt."

After Moses and his father-in-law Jethro had said good-by to each other, Jethro returned home.

The Lord gave Moses the following laws for his people:

If he was single at the time you bought him, he alone must be set free. But if he was married at the time, both he and his wife must be given their freedom.

If you give him a wife, and they have children, only the man himself must be set free; his wife and children remain the property of his owner.

But suppose the slave loves his wife and children so much that he won't leave without them.

Then he must stand beside either the door or the doorpost at the place of worship, while his owner punches a small hole through one of his ears with a sharp metal rod. This makes him a slave for life.

If she doesn't please the man who bought her to be his wife, he must let her be bought back. He cannot sell her to foreigners; this would break the contract he made with her.

If he selects her as a wife for his son, he must treat her as his own daughter.

The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on this mountain. Bring along Aaron, as well as his two sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's leaders. They must worship me at a distance,

Moses took the blood from the bowls and sprinkled it on the people. Next, he told them, "With this blood the Lord makes his agreement with you."

and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something that looked like a pavement made out of sapphire, and it was as bright as the sky.

Moses and Joshua his assistant got ready, then Moses started up the mountain to meet with God.

in front of the curtain that separates the holy place from the most holy place, where the sacred chest is kept. Aaron and his sons are responsible for keeping the lamp burning every night in the sacred tent. The Israelites must always obey this command.

The Lord said to Moses: Send for your brother Aaron and his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. They are the ones I have chosen from Israel to serve as my priests.

Aaron is to be dedicated as my high priest, and his clothes must be made only by persons who possess skills that I have given them.

Here are the items that need to be made: a breastpiece, a priestly vest, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. These sacred clothes are to be made for your brother Aaron and his sons who will be my priests.