The Covenant Is Sealed

1The Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me, you and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel; and while you are still some distance away, bow down in worship. 2You alone, and none of the others, are to come near me. The people are not even to come up the mountain.”

3Moses went and told the people all the Lord's commands and all the ordinances, and all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the Lord has said.” 4Moses wrote down all the Lord's commands. Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 5Then he sent young men, and they burned sacrifices to the Lord and sacrificed some cattle as fellowship offerings. 6Moses took half of the blood of the animals and put it in bowls; and the other half he threw against the altar. 7Then he took the book of the Covenant, in which the Lord's commands were written, and read it aloud to the people. They said, “We will obey the Lord and do everything that he has commanded.”

8 Then Moses took the blood in the bowls and threw it on the people. He said, “This is the blood that seals the covenant which the Lord made with you when he gave all these commands.”

9Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel went up the mountain 10and they saw the God of Israel. Beneath his feet was what looked like a pavement of sapphire, as blue as the sky. 11God did not harm these leading men of Israel; they saw God, and then they ate and drank together.

Moses on Mount Sinai

12The Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain to me, and while you are here, I will give you two stone tablets which contain all the laws that I have written for the instruction of the people.” 13Moses and his helper Joshua got ready, and Moses began+ to go up the holy mountain. 14Moses said to the leaders, “Wait here in the camp for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you; and so whoever has a dispute to settle can go to them.”

15Moses went up Mount Sinai, and a cloud covered it. 16-17The dazzling light of the Lord's presence came down on the mountain. To the Israelites the light looked like a fire burning on top of the mountain. The cloud covered the mountain for six days, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from the cloud. 18 Moses went on up the mountain into the cloud. There he stayed for forty days and nights.