Exodus, 34

1. The LORD said to Moses, "Cut two stone tablets like the former, that I may write on them the commandments which were on the former tablets that you broke.

1. Yahweh said to Moses, 'Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2. Get ready for tomorrow morning, when you are to go up Mount Sinai and there present yourself to me on the top of the mountain.

2. Be ready at dawn; at dawn come up Mount Sinai and wait for me there at the top of the mountain.

3. No one shall come up with you, and no one is even to be seen on any part of the mountain; even the flocks and the herds are not to go grazing toward this mountain."

3. No one may come up with you, no one may be seen anywhere on the mountain; the flocks and herds may not even graze in front of this mountain.'

4. Moses then cut two stone tablets like the former, and early the next morning he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets.

4. So he cut two tablets of stone like the first and, with the two tablets of stone in his hands, Moses went up Mount Sinai in the early morning as Yahweh had ordered.

5. Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with him there and proclaimed his name, "LORD."

5. And Yahweh descended in a cloud and stood with him there and pronounced the name Yahweh.

6. Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out, "The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity,

6. Then Yahweh passed before him and called out, 'Yahweh, Yahweh, God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in faithful love and constancy,

7. continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sin; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless, but punishing children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for their fathers' wickedness!"

7. maintaining his faithful love to thousands, forgiving fault, crime and sin, yet letting nothing go unchecked, and punishing the parent's fault in the children and in the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation!'

8. Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.

8. Moses immediately bowed to the ground in worship,

9. Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."

9. then he said, 'If indeed I do enjoy your favour, please, my Lord, come with us, although they are an obstinate people; and forgive our faults and sins, and adopt us as your heritage.'

10. "Here, then," said the LORD, "is the covenant I will make. Before the eyes of all your people I will work such marvels as have never been wrought in any nation anywhere on earth, so that this people among whom you live may see how awe-inspiring are the deeds which I, the LORD, will do at your side.

10. He then said, 'Look, I am now making a covenant: I shall work such wonders at the head of your whole people as have never been worked in any other country or nation, and all the people round you will see what Yahweh can do, for what I shall do through you will be awe-inspiring.

11. But you, on your part, must keep the commandments I am giving you today. "I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

11. Mark, then, what I command you today. I am going to drive out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites before you.

12. Take care, therefore, not to make a covenant with these inhabitants of the land that you are to enter; else they will become a snare among you.

12. Take care you make no pact with the inhabitants of the country which you are about to enter, or they will prove a snare in your community.

13. Tear down their altars; smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their sacred poles.

13. You will tear down their altars, smash their cultic stones and cut down their sacred poles,

14. You shall not worship any other god, for the LORD is 'the Jealous One'; a jealous God is he.

14. for you will worship no other god, since Yahweh's name is the Jealous One; he is a jealous God.

15. Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of that land; else, when they render their wanton worship to their gods and sacrifice to them, one of them may invite you and you may partake of his sacrifice.

15. Make no pact with the inhabitants of the country or, when they prostitute themselves to their own gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will partake of their sacrifice,

16. Neither shall you take their daughters as wives for your sons; otherwise, when their daughters render their wanton worship to their gods, they will make your sons do the same.

16. and then you will choose wives for your sons from among their daughters, and their daughters, prostituting themselves to their own gods, will induce your sons to prostitute themselves to their gods.

17. "You shall not make for yourselves molten gods.

17. 'You will not cast metal gods for yourself.

18. "You shall keep the feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days at the prescribed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you; for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

18. 'You will observe the feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days you will eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

19. "To me belongs every first-born male that opens the womb among all your livestock, whether in the herd or in the flock.

19. 'All that first issues from the womb belongs to me: every male, every first-born of flock or herd.

20. The firstling of an ass you shall redeem with one of the flock; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. The first-born among your sons you shall redeem. "No one shall appear before me empty-handed.

20. But the first-born donkey you will redeem with an animal from the flock; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. All the first-born of your sons you will redeem, and no one will appear before me empty-handed.

21. "For six days you may work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; on that day you must rest even during the seasons of plowing and harvesting.

21. 'For six days you will labour, but on the seventh day you will rest; you will stop work even during ploughing and harvesting.

22. "You shall keep the feast of Weeks with the first of the wheat harvest; likewise, the feast at the fruit harvest at the close of the year.

22. 'You will observe the feast of Weeks, of the first-fruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of Ingathering at the close of the year.

23. Three times a year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel.

23. 'Three times a year all your menfolk will appear before Lord Yahweh, God of Israel,

24. Since I will drive out the nations before you to give you a large territory, there will be no one to covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD, your God.

24. for I shall dispossess the nations before you and extend your frontiers, and no one will set his heart on your territory when you go away to appear before Yahweh your God three times a year.

25. "You shall not offer me the blood of sacrifice with leavened bread, nor shall the sacrifice of the Passover feast be kept overnight for the next day.

25. 'You will not offer the blood of my sacrificial victim with leavened bread, nor is the victim offered at the feast of Passover to be left until the following day.

26. "The choicest first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the LORD, your God. "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."

26. 'You will bring the best of the first-fruits of your soil to the house of Yahweh your God. 'You will not boil a kid in its mother's milk.'

27. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with them I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

27. Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Put these words in writing, for they are the terms of the covenant which I have made with you and with Israel.'

28. So Moses stayed there with the LORD for forty days and forty nights, without eating any food or drinking any water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

28. He stayed there with Yahweh for forty days and forty nights, eating and drinking nothing, and on the tablets he wrote the words of the covenant -- the Ten Words.

29. As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the commandments in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he conversed with the LORD.

29. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, as he was coming down the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face was radiant because he had been talking to him.

30. When Aaron, then, and the other Israelites saw Moses and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become, they were afraid to come near him.

30. And when Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin on his face was so radiant that they were afraid to go near him.

31. Only after Moses called to them did Aaron and all the rulers of the community come back to him. Moses then spoke to them.

31. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the community rejoined him, and Moses talked to them,

32. Later on, all the Israelites came up to him, and he enjoined on them all that the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai.

32. after which all the Israelites came closer, and he passed on to them all the orders that Yahweh had given to him on Mount Sinai.

33. When he finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.

33. Once Moses had finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face.

34. Whenever Moses entered the presence of the LORD to converse with him, he removed the veil until he came out again. On coming out, he would tell the Israelites all that had been commanded.

34. Whenever Moses went into Yahweh's presence to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out. And when he came out, he would tell the Israelites what orders he had been given,

35. Then the Israelites would see that the skin of Moses' face was radiant; so he would again put the veil over his face until he went in to converse with the LORD.

35. and the Israelites would see Moses' face radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak to him next time.