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Yahweh Cuts His Covenant with Israel

¹ Then He said to Moses, "^(C1)Come up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, ^(C2)Nadab and Abihu and ^(C3)seventy of the elders of Israel, and you all shall worship at a distance.² "Moses alone, however, shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."

³ Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of Yahweh and all the judgments; and all the people answered with one voice and said, "^(C1)All the words which Yahweh has spoken we will do!"^4 (C1)And Moses wrote down all the words of Yahweh. Then he arose early in the morning and built an ^(C2)altar ^(F1)at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.⁵ And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, ^(C1)and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to Yahweh.^6 (C1)And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he ^(F1)sprinkled on the altar.⁷ Then he took ^(C1)the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "^(C2)All that Yahweh has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!"⁸ So ^(C1)Moses took the blood and ^(F1)sprinkled it on the people and said, "Behold ^(C2)the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has cut with you ^(F2)in accordance with all these words."

⁹ Then Moses went up ^(F1)with Aaron, ^(C1)Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,¹⁰ and ^(C1)they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet ^(F1)(C2)there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, ^(F2)as clear as the sky itself.¹¹ Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and ^(C1)they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

¹² Now Yahweh said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain and ^(F1)remain there, and ^(C1)I will give you the stone tablets ^(F2)with the ^(F3)law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction."¹³ So Moses arose ^(F1)with ^(C1)Joshua his ^(F2)attendant, and Moses went up to ^(C2)the mountain of God.¹⁴ But to the elders he said, "^(C1)Remain here for us until we return to you. And behold, ^(C2)Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever ^(F1)has a legal matter, let him approach them."¹⁵ Then Moses went up to the mountain, and ^(C1)the cloud covered the mountain.^16 (C1)And the glory of Yahweh dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He ^(C2)called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.^17 (C1)And the appearance of the glory of Yahweh was like a ^(C2)consuming fire on the mountain top, in the eyes of the sons of Israel.¹⁸ Then Moses entered the midst of the cloud ^(F1)as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain ^(C1)forty days and forty nights.