New Tablets of Stone
Study note
God told Moses to carve two new stone tablets, just like the first ones that Moses had smashed. God would write the same words on them again. This time, Moses had to come up Mount Sinai alone — no one else could be on the mountain, and even the animals had to stay away. This shows how holy and serious the meeting with God was. Moses obeyed, got up early, and climbed the mountain with the two blank tablets.
1 The Lord told Moses, "Carve out two new stone tablets, identical to the first ones. I will write the same words on them that were on the originals — the ones you smashed." And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.
2 "Be ready first thing in the morning. Climb Mount Sinai and present yourself before me at the summit." And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.
3 "Nobody may come with you. Nobody should even be visible anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let sheep or cattle graze near it." And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.
4 Moses carved two stone tablets just like the originals. Rising before dawn, he hiked up Mount Sinai as the Lord had directed, carrying the two stone tablets with him. And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
God Reveals His Character
Study note
The Lord came down in a cloud and stood with Moses on the mountain. Then God passed in front of Moses and announced His own name and nature. This passage, often called the 'Proclamation of God's Name,' is one of the most important descriptions of God in the entire Bible. God described Himself as merciful, gracious, patient, full of love and faithfulness, forgiving sin, yet not leaving the guilty unpunished. Moses immediately bowed down and worshipped, and he asked God to go with them and forgive them.
5 The Lord descended in a cloud and stood there beside him. He proclaimed his own name: "The Lord!" And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
6 The Lord passed directly in front of Moses, calling out: "The Lord! The Lord! A God full of mercy and grace, patient and slow to anger, overflowing with faithful love and reliability," And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
7 "He keeps showing faithful love to countless generations. He forgives wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But he does not ignore guilt. The results of parents' sins touch their children and grandchildren — even to the third and fourth generation." 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 Moses instantly dropped to the ground, bowing his face to the earth in worship. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
9 He prayed, "Lord, if I truly have your favor, then please travel with us. Yes, these are a stubborn people — but forgive our wrongdoing and our sin. Claim us as your very own." And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.
The Covenant Is Renewed
Study note
God agreed to renew the covenant and promised to do amazing things for Israel. He gave a set of commands that covered several important topics: do not make treaties with the people of Canaan, destroy their idols, do not worship other gods, keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread, give the firstborn to God, rest on the Sabbath, celebrate the harvest festivals, and do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. Moses stayed with God on the mountain for forty days and nights without eating or drinking, and he wrote the words of the covenant on the tablets.
10 The Lord declared, "Right here and now, I am establishing a covenant with you. In front of your entire nation, I will perform miracles never before seen anywhere on earth. Every nation around you will witness the Lord's work, because what I am about to do through you will be truly awesome." And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
11 "Follow the commands I am giving you today. I will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ahead of you." Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
12 "Whatever you do, do not make agreements with the people already living in the land you are entering. If you do, those agreements will turn into traps for you." Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
13 "Instead, tear apart their altars, smash their sacred pillars to pieces, and chop down their carved wooden idols." But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
14 "Never worship another god. The Lord's very name is 'Jealous' — he is a God who insists on your total devotion." For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
15 "Do not make treaties with the people in the land. Here is what will happen. When they worship their gods and offer sacrifices, they will invite you to join in. Then you will end up eating their sacred meals." Lest thou 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 call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
16 "Then you will let your sons marry their daughters. And when those women worship their false gods, they will pull your sons into the same idol worship." And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
17 "Do not create metal idols of any kind." Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
18 "Observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days, eat bread that has no yeast — just as I instructed you. Do this at the assigned time in the month of Abib, because that is when you departed from Egypt." The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
19 "Every firstborn male belongs to me. This includes every firstborn male from your herds and flocks, whether cattle or sheep." All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
20 "You may buy back a firstborn donkey by substituting a lamb. If you choose not to, you must break the donkey's neck. You must also buy back every one of your firstborn sons. Nobody may come before me without bringing an offering." But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.
21 "Work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest — even when it is planting season or harvest time." Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
22 "Celebrate the Festival of Weeks when you harvest the first wheat. And celebrate the Festival of Ingathering when the agricultural year wraps up." And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
23 "Three times every year, all the men must come and present themselves before the Lord God, the God of Israel." Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
24 "I will push other nations out of your way and expand your territory. Nobody will try to take your land during those times when you travel to appear before the Lord your God three times a year." For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.
25 "When you offer a blood sacrifice to me, do not include anything containing yeast. And do not let any meat from the Passover sacrifice sit until morning." Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.
26 "Bring the very finest of your first harvest to the house of the Lord your God. Do not cook a young goat in its own mother's milk." The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
27 The Lord then told Moses, "Write all of these words down. These are the specific terms of the covenant I am making with you and with Israel." And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 Moses remained there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights — eating nothing and drinking nothing the entire time. He wrote the covenant terms on the tablets — the Ten Commandments. 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 tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
Moses' Shining Face
Study note
When Moses came down from the mountain carrying the two tablets, he did not know that the skin of his face was shining brightly from being in God's presence. When Aaron and the people saw his glowing face, they were afraid to come near him. Moses called them over and told them everything God had said. After he finished speaking, Moses put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in to speak with God, he would take the veil off. When he came out and spoke to the people, his face would still be shining, and then he would put the veil back on.
29 When Moses finally came down from Mount Sinai, he carried the two stone tablets of the Testimony. He had no idea that his face was glowing with bright light. This happened from his time speaking with God. And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
30 Aaron and the rest of the Israelites took one look at Moses and saw his face blazing with light. They were too frightened to go anywhere near him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
31 But Moses called them over. Aaron and all the community leaders came to him first, and Moses spoke with them. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.
32 After that, all the other Israelites came closer. Moses passed along every command the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.
33 When Moses was done speaking, he covered his face with a veil. And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
34 Whenever Moses went to speak with the Lord, he removed the veil. He kept it off until he came back out. Then he would share with the Israelites whatever he had been told. 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 spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.
35 The people could see that Moses' face was glowing brightly. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face, keeping it on until he went back in to talk with the Lord again. 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.