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Exodus

Chapter 34

Summary

Following Moses' bold intercession, the LORD instructs him to chisel two new stone tablets and return to the top of Mount Sinai. There, the LORD majestically reveals His character, proclaiming His profound mercy, grace, and forgiveness. He renews the covenant with Israel, promising to do great wonders and to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan, provided the Israelites do not worship other gods, make idols, or intermarry with the local people. He reiterates the laws of the Sabbath and the annual festivals. After spending another forty days and forty nights with the LORD, Moses returns with the newly inscribed Ten Commandments. The Israelites are terrified to approach him because his face is physically glowing from having been in the LORD's presence.

1

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Hew two tablets of stone like the first: and I will write upon these tablets the words that were in the first tablets, which you broke."

2

"And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain."

3

"And no man shall come up with you, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mountain; neither let the flocks nor herds graze before that mountain."

4

And he hewed two tablets of stone like the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone.

5

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6

And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed: "the LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,"

7

"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."

8

And Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the ground and worshipped.

9

And he said, "If now I have found favour in Your sight, O LORD, let my Lord, I pray You, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your inheritance."

10

And He said, "Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do wonders, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which you are shall see the work of the LORD: for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you."

11

Observe that which I command you this day: behold, I drive out before you the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12

Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you go, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you:

13

But you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

14

For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

15

Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one calls you, and you eat of his sacrifice;

16

And you take of their daughters unto your sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make your sons go a whoring after their gods.

17

You shall make for yourselves no molten gods.

18

The feast of unleavened bread shall you keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.

19

All that opens the womb is Mine; and every firstling among your cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.

20

But the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb: and if you redeem him not, then shall you break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty.

21

Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in the time of sowing and in harvest you shall rest.

22

And you shall observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

23

Thrice in the year shall all your men-children appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel.

24

For I will cast out the nations before you, and enlarge your borders: neither shall any man desire your land, when you shall go up to appear before the LORD your God thrice in the year.

25

You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left until the morning.

26

The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring unto the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in his mother's milk.

27

And the LORD said unto Moses, "Write these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

28

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread nor drink water. And He wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

29

And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of Testimony in Moses' hand, that Moses knew not that the [1] (skin of his face shone) while he talked with Him.

30

And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.

31

And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.

32

And afterward all the children of Israel came near: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.

33

And until Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34

But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spoke unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

35

And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.

Notes

[1]Hebrew: קָרַן עוֹר פָּנָיו (Qaran or panaiv). Literally 'the skin of his face shone.' This radiant light was a physical reflection of the divine glory Moses had witnessed on the mountain.