Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!”

I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Moses said to Joshua, “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.”

Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

While Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed.

The Lord then said to Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven.”

He said, “Indeed, my hand is lifted up toward the Lord’s throne. The Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that confronted them on the way, and how the Lord delivered them.

Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when He rescued them from the power of the Egyptians.

Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods, because He did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.”

Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in God’s presence.

When Moses’ father-in-law saw everything he was doing for them he asked, “What is this thing you’re doing for the people? Why are you alone sitting as judge, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”

“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can’t do it alone.

Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and God be with you. You be the one to represent the people before God and bring their cases to Him.

But you should select from all the people able men, God-fearing, trustworthy, and hating bribes. Place them over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

They should judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you every important case but judge every minor case themselves. In this way you will lighten your load, and they will bear it with you.

If you do this, and God so directs you, you will be able to endure, and also all these people will be able to go home satisfied.”

So Moses chose able men from all Israel and made them leaders over the people as commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

They judged the people at all times; they would bring the hard cases to Moses, but they would judge every minor case themselves.

Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine,

and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.”

After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.

Then all the people responded together, “We will do all that the Lord has spoken.” So Moses brought the people’s words back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you and will always believe you.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to the Lord.

and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain will be put to death.

No hand may touch him; instead he will be stoned or shot with arrows. No animal or man will live. When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they may go up the mountain.”

On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a loud trumpet sound, so that all the people in the camp shuddered.

Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.

The Lord directed Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the Lord; otherwise many of them will die.

Even the priests who come near the Lord must purify themselves or the Lord will break out in anger against them.”

And the Lord replied to him, “Go down and come back with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out in anger against them.”

Then God spoke all these words:

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.

You are to labor six days and do all your work,

All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance.

“You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”

Moses responded to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear Him and will not sin.”

“You must make an earthen altar for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats, as well as your cattle. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause My name to be remembered.

If you make a stone altar for Me, you must not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it.

his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.

But if he didn’t intend any harm, and yet God caused it to happen by his hand, I will appoint a place for you where he may flee.

if he can later get up and walk around outside leaning on his staff, then the one who struck him will be exempt from punishment. Nevertheless, he must pay for his lost work time and provide for his complete recovery.

the owner of the pit must give compensation; he must pay money to its owner, but the dead animal will become his.

If, however, it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not restrained it, he must compensate fully, ox for ox; the dead animal will become his.

“When a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any other animal to care for, but it dies, is injured, or is stolen, while no one is watching,

“When a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not there with it, the man must make full restitution.

“You must not allow a sorceress to live.

If you do mistreat them, they will no doubt cry to Me, and I will certainly hear their cry.

My anger will burn, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.

For it is his only covering; it is the clothing for his body. What will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will listen because I am compassionate.

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent and the just, because I will not justify the guilty.

“Do your work for six days but rest on the seventh day so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave as well as the foreign resident may be refreshed.

Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord God.

Be attentive to him and listen to his voice. Do not defy him, because he will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for My name is in him.

But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

For My angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.

Worship the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. I will remove illnesses from you.

No woman will miscarry or be childless in your land. I will give you the full number of your days.

“I will cause the people ahead of you to feel terror and throw into confusion all the nations you come to. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in retreat.

I will send the hornet in front of you, and it will drive the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites away from you.

I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you.

I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land.

I will set your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. For I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.

They must not remain in your land, or else they will make you sin against Me. If you worship their gods, it will be a snare for you.”

Moses came and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people responded with a single voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded.”

And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and 12 pillars for the 12 tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.

He then took the covenant scroll and read it aloud to the people. They responded, “We will do and obey everything that the Lord has commanded.”

Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.”

oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense;

You must make it according to all that I show you—the pattern of the tabernacle as well as the pattern of all its furnishings.

Overlay it with pure gold; overlay it both inside and out. Also make a gold molding all around it.

Put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark.

Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the testimony that I will give you into the ark.

I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding all around it.

Make a three-inch frame all around it and make a gold molding for it all around its frame.

You are also to make its plates and cups, as well as its pitchers and bowls for pouring drink offerings. Make them out of pure gold.

Put the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

Their calyxes and branches are to be of one piece. All of it is to be a single hammered piece of pure gold.

The lampstand with all these utensils is to be made from 75 pounds of pure gold.

The length of each curtain should be 42 feet, and the width of each curtain six feet; all the curtains are to have the same measurements.

The length of each curtain should be 45 feet and the width of each curtain six feet. All 11 curtains are to have the same measurements.

Each plank must be connected together with two tenons. Do the same for all the planks of the tabernacle.

They are to be paired at the bottom, and joined together at the top in a single ring. So it should be for both of them; they will serve as the two corners.

Hang the veil under the clasps and bring the ark of the testimony there behind the veil, so the veil will make a separation for you between the holy place and the most holy place.

Make its pots for removing ashes, and its shovels, basins, meat forks, and firepans; make all its utensils of bronze.

“All the posts around the courtyard are to be banded with silver and have silver hooks and bronze bases.

The length of the courtyard is to be 150 feet, the width 75 feet at each end, and the height 7½ feet, all of it made of finely spun linen. The bases of the posts must be bronze.

All the tools of the tabernacle for every use and all its tent pegs as well as all the tent pegs of the courtyard are to be made of bronze.

“You are to command the Israelites to bring you pure oil from crushed olives for the light, in order to keep the lamp burning continually.

You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s garments for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.

Fasten both stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the Israelites. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a reminder.

and two chains of pure gold; you will make them of braided cord work, and attach the cord chains to the settings.

Place the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece for decisions, so that they will also be over Aaron’s heart whenever he comes before the Lord. Aaron will continually carry the means of decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.

Make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn on its lower hem and all around it. Put gold bells between them all the way around,

The robe must be worn by Aaron whenever he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he exits, so that he does not die.

It will be on Aaron’s forehead so that Aaron may bear the guilt connected with the holy offerings that the Israelites consecrate as all their holy gifts. It is always to be on his forehead, so that they may find acceptance with the Lord.

with unleavened bread, unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil. Make them out of fine wheat flour,

Take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him.