Study Desk

^(a)In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, ^[a]on that very day they came into the wilderness of ^(b)Sinai.

When they set out from ^(c)Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of ^(d)the mountain.

Moses went up to God, and ^(e)the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:

‘^(f)You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on ^(g)eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself.

Now then, ^(h)if you will indeed obey My voice and ⁽ⁱ⁾keep My covenant, then you shall be ^(j)My ^[b]own possession among all the peoples, for ^(k)all the earth is Mine;

and you shall be to Me ^(l)a kingdom of priests and ^(m)a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

⁽ⁿ⁾So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.

^(o)All the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do!" And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord .

The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will come to you in ^(p)a thick cloud, so that the ^(q)people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord .

The Lord also said to Moses, "Go to the people and ^(r)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them ^(s)wash their garments;

and let them be ready for the third day, for on ^(t)the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘^[c]Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; ^(u)whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

No hand shall touch him, but ^(v)he shall surely be stoned or ^[d]shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to ^(w)the mountain."

So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.

He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."

^(x)So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were ^[e]thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the ^[f]foot of the mountain.

^(y)Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it ^(z)in fire; and its smoke ascended like ^(aa)the smoke of a furnace, and ^(ab)the whole mountain ^[g]quaked violently.

When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and ^(ac)God answered him with ^[h]thunder.

^(ad)The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, "Go down, ^[i]warn the people, so that ^(ae)they do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them ^[j]perish.

Also let the ^(af)priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them."

Moses said to the Lord , "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You ^[k]warned us, saying, ‘^(ag)Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.'"

Then the Lord said to him, "^[l]Go down and come up again, ^(ah)you and Aaron with you; but do not let the ^(ai)priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord , or He will break forth upon them."

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Then God spoke all these words, saying,

"^(a)I am the Lord your God, ^(b)who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^[a]slavery.

"^(c)You shall have no other ^(d)gods ^[b]before Me.

"^(e)You shall not make for yourself ^[c]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

^(f)You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a ^(g)jealous God, ^(h)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

but showing lovingkindness to ⁽ⁱ⁾thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

"^(j)You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not ^[d]leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

"Remember ^(k)the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

^(l)Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it ^(m)you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who ^[e]stays with you.

⁽ⁿ⁾For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

"^(o)Honor your father and your mother, that your ^(p)days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

"^(q)You shall not murder.

"^(r)You shall not commit adultery.

"^(s)You shall not steal.

"^(t)You shall not bear false witness against your ^(u)neighbor.

"^(v)You shall not covet your neighbor's house; ^(w)you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

^(x)All the people perceived the ^[f]thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

^(y)Then they said to Moses, "Speak ^[g]to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak ^[h]to us, or we will die."

Moses said to the people, "^(z)Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ^(aa)to test you, and in order that ^(ab)the fear of Him may ^[i]remain with you, so that you may not sin."

So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached ^(ac)the thick cloud where God was.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that ^(ad)I have spoken ^[j]to you from heaven.

^(ae)You shall not make other gods besides Me; ^(af)gods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.

You shall make ^(ag)an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your ^(ah)burnt offerings and your ^(ai)peace offerings, ^(aj)your sheep and your oxen; in every place ^(ak)where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

If you make an altar of stone for Me, ^(al)you shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.

And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ^(am)your nakedness will not be exposed on it.'