Exodus 18

The Advice of Jethro

1 s Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, thatt the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.s
2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back,3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (for Mosest had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”),

4 and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said,t “The God of my father has been my helpt and delivereds me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’t sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping byt the mountain of God.s6 He saids to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.”7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him;s they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent.

8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardshipt that had come on themt along the way, and howt the Lord had delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoicedt because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt.10 Jethro said, “Blessedt be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control!t11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.”t

12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, broughtt a burnt offering and sacrifices for God,s and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat foodt with the father-in-law of Moses before God.
13 On the next dayt Moses sat to judges the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening.

14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is thist that you are doing for the people?s Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”
15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquiret of God.

16 When they have a dispute,t it comes to me and I decidet between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.”t
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “Whatt you are doing is not good!18 You will surely wear out,t both you and these people who are with you, for this is toot heavy a burdent for you; you are not able to do it by yourself.19 Now listen to me,t I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God,t and you bringt their disputest to God;20 warnt them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walkt and the work they must do.t21 But you chooset from the people capable men,t God-fearing,t men of truth,t those who hate bribes,t and put them over the peoplet as rulerss of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.22 They will judget the people under normal circumstances,t and every difficult caset they will bring to you, but every small caset they themselves will judge, so thatt you may make it easier for yourself,t and they will bear the burdent with you.

23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you,t then you will be ablet to endure,t and all these peoplet will be able to got homet satisfied.”ts
24 Moses listened tot his father-in-law and did everything he had said.25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bringt to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way,t and so Jethrot wentt to his own land.s

Exodus 19

Israel at Sinai

1 s In the third month after the Israelites went outt from the land of Egypt, on the very day,t they came to the Desert of Sinai.

2 After they journeyedt from Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.s
3 Mosest went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the peoplet of Israel:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wingst and brought you to myself.s5 And now, if you will diligently listen to met and keept my covenant, then you will be myt special possessiont out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,

6 and you will be to met a kingdom of priestst and a holy nation.’t These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him,

8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!”t So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to comet to you in a dense cloud,t so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.”t And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify themt today and tomorrow, and make them washt their clothes11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.12 You must set boundariest for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heedt to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death!

13 No hand will touch hims – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being;t he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they mayt go up on the mountain.”
14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.”ts
16 Ont the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a denset cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loudt horn;t all the people who were in the camp trembled.17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain.18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace,s and the whole mountain shookt violently.

19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder,t Moses was speakingt and God was answering him with a voice.t
20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warnt the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish.t

22 Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break throught against them.”
23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us,t ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’”t24 The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.”

25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.s

Exodus 20

The Decalogue

1 s God spoke all these words:s

2 “I,s the Lord, am your God,t who brought yout from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.ts

3 “You shall have not other gods before me.t
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved imaget or any likenesst of anythingt that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below.t5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them,t for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealouss God, responding tot the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generationst of those who reject me,t

6 and showing covenant faithfulnesst to a thousand generationst of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not taket the name of the Lord your God in vain,t for the Lord will not hold guiltlesst anyone who takes his name in vain.
8 “Remembert the Sabbatht day to set it apart as holy.t9 For six dayst you may labort and do all your work,t10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on itt you shall not do any work, you,s or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates.s

11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

12 “Honort your father and your mother, that you may live a long timet in the lands the Lord your God is giving to you.

13 “You shall not murder.t

14 “You shall not commit adultery.s

15 “You shall not steal.s

16 “You shall not givet false testimonyt against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covett your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”s
18 All the people were seeingt the thundering and the lightning, and heardt the sound of the horn, and sawt the mountain smoking – and whent the people saw it they trembled with feart and kept their distance.t19 They said to Moses, “You speakt to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.”20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you,t that the fear of himt may be before you so that you do nott sin.”

21 The people keptt their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darknesss where God was.s

The Altar

22 s The Lord saidt to Moses: “Thus you will tell the Israelites: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven.

23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me,t nor make gods of gold for yourselves.ts
24 ‘You must make for me an altar made of earth,s and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings,s your sheep and your cattle. In every placet where I cause my name to be honoredt I will come to you and I will bless you.25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build itt of stones shaped with tools,t for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it.t

26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed.’t