Moses' Intercession

12 Moses said to the Lord, “See, (A)you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, (B)‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please (C)show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is (D)your people.” 14 And he said, (E)“My presence will go with you, and (F)I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, (G)“If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? (H)Is it not in your going with us, (I)so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, (J)for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” 18 Moses said, “Please (K)show me your glory.” 19 And he said, (L)“I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And (M)I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for (N)man shall not see me and live.” 21 And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a (O)cleft of the rock, and I will (P)cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall (Q)not be seen.”

Moses Makes New Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, (R)“Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, (S)and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, (T)which you broke. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me (U)on the top of the mountain. No (V)one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The Lord (W)descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and (X)proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, (Y)“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and (Z)gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast (AA)love and faithfulness, (AB)keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] (AC)forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but (AD)who will by no means clear the guilty, (AE)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly (AF)bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please (AG)let the Lord go in the midst of us, for (AH)it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for (AI)your inheritance.”

The Covenant Renewed

10 And he said, “Behold, (AJ)I am making a covenant. Before all your people (AK)I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an (AL)awesome thing that I will do with you.

11 “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, (AM)I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 12 (AN)Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a (AO)snare in your midst. 13 You shall (AP)tear down their altars and (AQ)break their pillars and cut down their (AR)Asherim 14 (for (AS)you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 (AT)lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they (AU)whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and (AV)you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of (AW)their daughters for your sons, and their daughters (AX)whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

17 (AY)“You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.

18 (AZ)“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in (BA)the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. 19 (BB)All that open the womb are mine, all your male[b] livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. 20 The (BC)firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And (BD)none shall appear before me empty-handed.

21 (BE)“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. 22 (BF)You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. 23 (BG)Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 For I will (BH)cast out nations before you and (BI)enlarge your borders; (BJ)no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

25 (BK)“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, (BL)or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. 26 (BM)The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. (BN)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:7 Or to the thousandth generation
  2. Exodus 34:19 Septuagint, Theodotion, Vulgate, Targum; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Moses and the Glory of the Lord

12 Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’(A) but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name(B) and you have found favor(C) with me.’ 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways(D) so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”(E)

14 The Lord replied, “My Presence(F) will go with you, and I will give you rest.”(G)

15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence(H) does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?(I) What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”(J)

17 And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked,(K) because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”(L)

18 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”(M)

19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass(N) in front of you, and I will proclaim my name,(O) the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.(P) 20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see(Q) me and live.”

21 Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock(R) and cover you with my hand(S) until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

The New Stone Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,(T) and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets,(U) which you broke.(V) Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai.(W) Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain;(X) not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

So Moses chiseled(Y) out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.(Z) Then the Lord came down in the cloud(AA) and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord.(AB) And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate(AC) and gracious God, slow to anger,(AD) abounding in love(AE) and faithfulness,(AF) maintaining love to thousands,(AG) and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.(AH) Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;(AI) he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”(AJ)

Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor(AK) in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us.(AL) Although this is a stiff-necked(AM) people, forgive our wickedness and our sin,(AN) and take us as your inheritance.”(AO)

10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant(AP) with you. Before all your people I will do wonders(AQ) never before done in any nation in all the world.(AR) The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command(AS) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(AT) 12 Be careful not to make a treaty(AU) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare(AV) among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a](AW) 14 Do not worship any other god,(AX) for the Lord, whose name(AY) is Jealous, is a jealous God.(AZ)

15 “Be careful not to make a treaty(BA) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute(BB) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.(BC) 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives(BD) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,(BE) they will lead your sons to do the same.

17 “Do not make any idols.(BF)

18 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(BG) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,(BH) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(BI) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

19 “The first offspring(BJ) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(BK) Redeem all your firstborn sons.(BL)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(BM)

21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;(BN) even during the plowing season and harvest(BO) you must rest.

22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits(BP) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering(BQ) at the turn of the year.[b] 23 Three times(BR) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations(BS) before you and enlarge your territory,(BT) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,(BU) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.(BV)

26 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(BW) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”(BX)

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:13 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  2. Exodus 34:22 That is, in the autumn