January 23
Exodus 16:22 —
20:26
22 And
it came about on the sixth day that they picked up twice as much bread, two omer
measures for one person. So all the chieftains of the assembly came and reported
it to Moses.
23 At
that he said to them: “It is what Jehovah has spoken. Tomorrow there will be a
sabbath observance of a holy sabbath to Jehovah. What YOU can bake, bake, and
what YOU can boil, boil, and all the surplus that there is save it up for YOU as
something to be kept until the morning.”
24 Accordingly
they saved it up until the morning, just as Moses had commanded; and it did not
stink nor did maggots develop in it.
25 Then
Moses said: “Eat it today, because today is a sabbath to Jehovah. Today YOU will
not find it in the field.
26 Six
days YOU will pick it up, but on the seventh day is a sabbath. On it none will
form.”
27 However,
it came about on the seventh day that some of the people did go out to pick [it]
up, but they found none.
28 Consequently
Jehovah said to Moses: “How long must YOU people refuse to keep my commandments
and my laws?
29 Mark
the fact that Jehovah has given YOU the sabbath. That is why he is giving YOU on
the sixth day the bread of two days. Keep sitting each one in his own place. Let
nobody go out from his locality on the seventh day.”
30 And
the people proceeded to observe the sabbath on the seventh day.
31 And
the house of Israel began to call its name “manna.” And it was white like
coriander seed, and its taste was like that of flat cakes with honey.
32 Then
Moses said: “This is the word that Jehovah has commanded, ‘Fill an omer measure
of it as something to be kept throughout YOUR generations, in order that they
may see the bread that I made YOU eat in the wilderness when I was bringing YOU
out of the land of Egypt.’”
33 So
Moses said to Aaron: “Take a jar and put in it an omerful of manna and deposit
it before Jehovah as something to be kept throughout YOUR generations.”
34 Just
as Jehovah had commanded Moses, Aaron proceeded to deposit it before the
Testimony as something to be kept.
35 And
the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until their coming to a land
inhabited. The manna was what they ate until their coming to the frontier of the
land of Canaan.
36 Now
an omer is a tenth of an ephah measure.
17
And
the entire assembly of the sons of Israel proceeded to depart from the
wilderness of Sin by stages, which they took according to the order of Jehovah,
and went camping at Rephidim.
But there was no water for the people to drink.
2 And
the people fell to quarreling with Moses and saying: “Give us water that we may
drink.” But Moses said to them: “Why are YOU quarreling with me? Why do YOU keep
putting Jehovah to the test?”
3 And
the people went on thirsting there for water, and the people kept murmuring
against Moses and saying: “Why is it that you have brought us up out of Egypt to
put us and our sons and our livestock to death by thirst?”
4 Finally
Moses cried out to Jehovah, saying: “What shall I do with this people? A little
longer and they will stone me!”
5 Then
Jehovah said to Moses: “Pass in front of the people and take with you some of
the older men of Israel and your rod with which you struck the Nile River. Take
it in your hand and you must walk on.
6 Look!
I am standing before you there on the rock in Horeb. And you must strike on the
rock, and water must come out of it, and the people must drink it.” Subsequently
Moses did so under the eyes of the older men of Israel.
7 So
he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah,
because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel and because of their putting
Jehovah to the test, saying: “Is Jehovah in our midst or not?”
8 And
the Amalekites
proceeded to come and fight against Israel in Rephidim.
9 At
this Moses said to Joshua: “Choose men for us and go out, fight against the Amalekites.
Tomorrow I am stationing myself upon the top of the hill, with the rod of the
[true] God in my hand.”
10 Then
Joshua did just as Moses had said to him, in order to fight against the Amalekites;
and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 And
it occurred that as soon as Moses would lift his hand up, the Israelites proved
superior; but as soon as he would let down his hand, the Amalekites
proved superior.
12 When
the hands of Moses were heavy, then they took a stone and put it under him, and
he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on this side and the
other on that side, so that his hands held steady until the sun set.
13 Hence
Joshua vanquished Amalek
and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Jehovah
now said to Moses: “Write this as a memorial in the book and propound it in
Joshua’s ears, ‘I shall completely wipe out the remembrance of Amalek
from under the heavens.’”
15 And
Moses proceeded to build an altar and to call its name Jehovah-nissi,
16 saying:
“Because a hand is against the throne of Jah, Jehovah will have war with Amalek
from generation to generation.”
18
Now
Jethro the priest of Midian,
Moses’ father-in-law, got to hear about all that God had done for Moses and for
Israel his people, how Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 So
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah,
Moses’ wife, after the sending of her away,
3 and
her two sons, the name of one of whom was Gershom, “because,” he said, “an
alien resident I have come to be in a foreign land”;
4 and
the name of the other was Eliezer,
“because,” to quote him, “the God of my father is my helper in that he delivered
me from Pharaoh’s sword.”
5 So
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, and his sons and his wife came to Moses into the
wilderness where he was camping, at the mountain of the [true] God.
6 Then
he sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law, Jethro, am come to you, and also
your wife and her two sons with her.”
7 At
once Moses went on out to meet his father-in-law, and he proceeded to prostrate
himself and to kiss him; and they each one began asking how the other was
getting along. After that they went into the tent.
8 And
Moses went to relating to his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to Pharaoh
and Egypt on account of Israel, and all the hardship that had befallen them in
the way, and yet Jehovah was delivering them.
9 Then
Jethro felt glad over all the good that Jehovah had done for Israel in that he
had delivered them from the hand of Egypt.
10 Consequently
Jethro said: “Blessed be Jehovah, who has delivered YOU from the hand of Egypt
and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the
hand of Egypt.
11 Now
I do know that Jehovah is greater than all the [other] gods by reason of this
affair in which they acted presumptuously against them.”
12 Then
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and
Aaron and all the older men of Israel came to eat bread with Moses’
father-in-law, before the [true] God.
13 And
it came about on the next day that Moses sat down as usual to serve as judge for
the people, and the people kept standing before Moses from the morning till the
evening.
14 And
Moses’ father-in-law got to see all that he was doing for the people. So he
said: “What kind of business is this that you are doing for the people? Why do
you alone continue sitting and all the people continue taking their stand before
you from morning till evening?”
15 Then
Moses said to his father-in-law: “Because the people keep coming to me to
inquire of God.
16 In
the event that they have a case arise, it must come to me and I must judge
between the one party and the other, and I must make known the decisions of the
[true] God and his laws.”
17 At
this Moses’ father-in-law said to him: “It is not good the way you are doing.
18 You
will surely wear out, both you and this people who are with you, because this
business is too big a load for you. You are unable to do it by yourself.
19 Now
listen to my voice. I shall advise you, and God will prove to be with you. You
yourself serve as representative for the people before the [true] God, and you
yourself must bring the cases to the [true] God.
20 And
you must warn them of what the regulations and the laws are, and you must make
known to them the way in which they should walk and the work that they should
do.
21 But
you yourself should select out of all the people capable men, fearing God,
trustworthy men, hating unjust profit; and you must set these over them as
chiefs over thousands, chiefs over hundreds, chiefs over fifties and chiefs over
tens.
22 And
they must judge the people on every proper occasion; and it must occur that
every big case they will bring to you, but every small case they themselves will
handle as judges. So make it lighter for yourself, and they must carry the load
with you.
23 If
you do this very thing, and God has commanded you, you will then certainly be
able to stand it and, besides, this people will all come to their own place in
peace.”
24 Immediately
Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
25 And
Moses proceeded to choose capable men out of all Israel and to give them
positions as heads over the people, as chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds,
chiefs of fifties and chiefs of tens.
26 And
they judged the people on every proper occasion. A hard case they would bring to
Moses, but every small case they themselves would handle as judges.
27 After
that Moses saw his father-in-law off, and he went his way to his land.
19
In
the third month after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, on the
same day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 And
they proceeded to pull away from Rephidim
and to come into the wilderness of Sinai and to encamp in the wilderness; and
Israel went camping there in front of the mountain.
3 And
Moses went up to the [true] God, and Jehovah began to call to him out of the
mountain, saying: “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to tell
the sons of Israel,
4 ‘YOU
yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, that I might carry YOU on
wings of eagles and bring YOU to myself.
5 And
now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then
YOU will certainly become my special property out of all [other] peoples,
because the whole earth belongs to me.
6 And
YOU yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These
are the words that you are to say to the sons of Israel.”
7 So
Moses came and called the older men of the people and set before them all these
words that Jehovah had commanded him.
8 After
that all the people answered unanimously and said: “All that Jehovah has spoken
we are willing to do.” Immediately Moses took back the words of the people to
Jehovah.
9 At
this Jehovah said to Moses: “Look! I am coming to you in a dark cloud, in order
that the people may hear when I speak with you, and that in you also they may
put faith to time indefinite.” Then Moses reported the words of the people to
Jehovah.
10 And
Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “Go to the people, and you must sanctify them
today and tomorrow, and they must wash their mantles.
11 And
they must prove ready for the third day, because on the third day Jehovah will
come down before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai.
12 And
you must set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Guard yourselves
against going up into the mountain, and do not touch the edge of it. Anybody
touching the mountain will positively be put to death.
13 No
hand is to touch him, because he will positively be stoned or will positively be
shot through. Whether beast or man, he will not live.’ At the blowing of the
ram’s horn they themselves may come up to the mountain.”
14 Then
Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and he set about sanctifying
the people; and they engaged in washing their mantles.
15 Accordingly
he said to the people: “Get ready during the three days. Do not YOU men come
near a woman.”
16 And
on the third day when it became morning it came about that thunders and
lightnings began occurring, and a heavy cloud upon the mountain and a very loud
sound of a horn, so that all the people who were in the camp began to tremble.
17 Moses
now brought the people out of the camp to meet the [true] God, and they went
taking their stand at the base of the mountain.
18 And
Mount Sinai smoked all over, due to the fact that Jehovah came down upon it in
fire; and its smoke kept ascending like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole
mountain was trembling very much.
19 When
the sound of the horn became continually louder and louder, Moses began to
speak, and the [true] God began to answer him with a voice.
20 So
Jehovah came down upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain. Then Jehovah
called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went on up.
21 Jehovah
now said to Moses: “Go down, warn the people, that they do not try to break
through to Jehovah to take a look and many of them have to fall.
22 And
let the priests also who regularly come near to Jehovah sanctify themselves,
that Jehovah may not break out upon them.”
23 At
this Moses said to Jehovah: “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai,
because you yourself already warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds for the mountain and
make it sacred.’”
24 However,
Jehovah said to him: “Go, descend, and you must come up, you and Aaron with you;
but let not the priests and the people break through to come up to Jehovah, that
he may not break out upon them.”
25 Accordingly
Moses descended to the people and told them.
20
And God proceeded to speak all these words, saying:
2 “I
am Jehovah your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slaves.
3 You
must not have any other gods against my face.
4 “You
must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the
heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under
the earth.
5 You
must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your
God am a God exacting exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of
fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation, in
the case of those who hate me;
6 but
exercising loving-kindness toward the thousandth generation in the case of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You
must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way, for Jehovah
will not leave the one unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.
8 “Remembering
the sabbath day to hold it sacred,
9 you
are to render service and you must do all your work six days.
10 But
the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work, you
nor your son nor your daughter, your slave man nor your slave girl nor your
domestic animal nor your alien resident who is inside your gates.
11 For
in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that
is in them, and he proceeded to rest on the seventh day. That is why Jehovah
blessed the sabbath day and proceeded to make it sacred.
12 “Honor
your father and your mother in order that your days may prove long upon the
ground that Jehovah your God is giving you.
13 “You
must not murder.
14 “You
must not commit adultery.
15 “You
must not steal.
16 “You
must not testify falsely as a witness against your fellowman.
17 “You
must not desire your fellowman’s house. You must not desire your fellowman’s
wife, nor his slave man nor his slave girl nor his bull nor his ass nor anything
that belongs to your fellowman.”
18 Now
all the people were seeing the thunders and the lightning flashes and the sound
of the horn and the mountain smoking. When the people got to see it, then they
quivered and stood at a distance.
19 And
they began to say to Moses: “You speak with us, and let us listen; but let not
God speak with us for fear we may die.”
20 So
Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid, because for the sake of putting YOU
to the test the [true] God has come, and in order that the fear of him may
continue before YOUR faces that YOU may not sin.”
21 And
the people kept standing at a distance, but Moses went near to the dark cloud
mass where the [true] God was.
22 And
Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “This is what you are to say to the sons of
Israel, ‘YOU yourselves have seen that it was from the heavens I spoke with YOU.
23 YOU
must not make along with me gods of silver, and YOU must not make gods of gold
for yourselves.
24 An
altar of ground you are to make for me, and you must sacrifice upon it your
burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices, your flock and your herd. In
every place where I shall cause my name to be remembered I shall come to you and
shall certainly bless you.
25 And
if you should make an altar of stones for me, you must not build them as hewn
stones. In the event that you do wield your chisel upon it, then you will
profane it.
26 And
you must not go up by steps to my altar, that your private parts may not be
exposed upon it.’