Exodus 19

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Three months to the day after leaving Egypt, the Israelites reached the desert of Sinai.	1 In the third month of the departure of Israel from the land of Egypt, in that day, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.
2 Setting out from Rephidim, they reached the desert of Sinai and pitched camp in the desert; there,facing the mountain, Israel pitched camp.	2 Thus, setting out from Raphidim, and going directly to the desert of Sinai, they encamped in the same place, and there Israel pitched their tents away from the region of the mountain.
3 Moses then went up to God, and Yahweh cal ed to him from the mountain, saying, 'Say this to theHouse of Jacob! Tel the Israelites,	3 Then Moses ascended to God. And the Lord called to him from the mountain, and he said: “This you shall say to the house of Jacob, and announce to the sons of Israel:
4 "You have seen for yourselves what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you away on eagle'swings and brought you to me.	4 ‘You have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, in what way I carried you upon the wings of eagles and how I have taken you for myself.
5 So now, if you are real y prepared to obey me and keep my covenant, you, out of all peoples, shall bemy personal possession, for the whole world is mine.	5 If, therefore, you will hear my voice, and you will keep my covenant, you will be to me a particular possession out of all people. For all the earth is mine.
6 For me you shal be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation." Those are the words you are to say to theIsraelites.'	6 And you will be to me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the sons of Israel.”
7 So Moses went and summoned the people's elders and acquainted them with everything that Yahwehhad bidden him,	7 Moses went, and calling together those greater by birth among the people, he set forth all the words which the Lord had commanded.
8 and the people al replied with one accord, 'Whatever Yahweh has said, we will do.' Moses thenreported to Yahweh what the people had said.	8 And all the people responded together: “Everything that the Lord has spoken, we shall do.” And when Moses had related the words of the people to the Lord,
9 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I shal come to you in a dense cloud so that the people wil hearwhen I speak to you and believe you ever after.' Moses then told Yahweh what the people had said.	9 the Lord said to him: “Soon now, I will come to you in the mist of a cloud, so that the people may hear me speaking to you, and so that they may believe you continuously.” Therefore, Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord,
10 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go to the people and tel them to sanctify themselves today andtomorrow. They must wash their clothes	10 who said to him: “Go to the people, and sanctify them today, and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments.
11 and be ready for the day after tomorrow; for the day after tomorrow, in the sight of al the people,Yahweh wil descend on Mount Sinai.	11 And let them be prepared on the third day. For on the third day, the Lord will descend, in the sight of all the people, over Mount Sinai.
12 You wil mark out the limits of the mountain and say, "Take care not to go up the mountain or to touchthe edge of it. Anyone who touches the mountain wil be put to death.	12 And you will establish limits for the people all around, and you will say to them: ‘Take care not to ascend to the mountain, and that you do not touch its parts. All who touch the mountain, shall die a death.’
13 No one may lay a hand on him: he must be stoned or shot by arrow; whether man or beast, he shalnot live." When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they must go up the mountain.'	13 Hands shall not touch him, but he shall be crushed with stones, or he shall be pierced through with darts. Whether it be a beast or a man, he shall not live. For when the trumpet begins to sound, perhaps they might go up toward the mountain.”
14 So Moses came down from the mountain to the people; he made the people sanctify themselves andthey washed their clothes.	14 And Moses came down from the mountain to the people, and he sanctified them. And when they had washed their garments,
15 He then said to the people, 'Be ready for the day after tomorrow; do not touch a woman.'	15 he said to them, “Be prepared on the third day, and do not draw near to your wives.”
16 Now at daybreak two days later, there were peals of thunder and flashes of lightning, dense cloud onthe mountain and a very loud trumpet blast; and, in the camp, al the people trembled.	16 And now, the third day arrived and the morning dawned. And behold, thunders began to be heard, and also lightning flashed, and a very dense cloud covered the mountain, and the noise of the trumpet resounded vehemently. And the people who were in the camp were fearful.
17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the bottom ofthe mountain.	17 And when Moses had led them out to meet God, from the place of the camp, they stood at the base of the mountain.
18 Mount Sinai was entirely wrapped in smoke, because Yahweh had descended on it in the form of fire.The smoke rose like smoke from a furnace and the whole mountain shook violently.	18 Then all of Mount Sinai was smoking. For the Lord had descended over it with fire, and smoke ascended from it, as from a furnace. And the entire mountain was terrible.
19 Louder and louder grew the trumpeting. Moses spoke, and God answered him in the thunder.	19 And the sound of the trumpet gradually increased to be louder, and extended to be longer. Moses was speaking, and God was answering him.
20 Yahweh descended on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and Yahweh cal ed Moses to the topof the mountain; and Moses went up.	20 And the Lord descended over Mount Sinai, to the very top of the mountain, and he called Moses to its summit. And when he had ascended there,
21 Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Go down and warn the people not to break through to look at Yahweh,or many of them wil perish.	21 he said to him: “Descend, and call the people to witness, lest they might be willing to transgress the limits, so as to see the Lord, and a very great multitude of them might perish.
22 Even the priests, who do have access to Yahweh, must sanctify themselves, or Yahweh may burstout against them.'	22 Likewise, the priests who approach toward the Lord, let them be sanctified, lest he strike them down.”
23 Moses said to Yahweh, 'The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, since you yourself warned us tomark out the limits of the mountain and declare it sacred.'	23 And Moses said to the Lord: “The people are not able to ascend to Mount Sinai. For you testified, and you commanded, saying: ‘Set limits around the mountain, and sanctify it.’ ”
24 Yahweh said, 'Away with you! Go down! Then come back bringing Aaron with you. But do not al owthe priests and people to break through to come up to Yahweh, or he may burst out against them.'	24 And the Lord said to him, “Go, descend. And you shall ascend, and Aaron with you. But let not the priests or the people transgress the limits, nor ascend to the Lord, lest perhaps he may put them to death.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.	25 And Moses descended to the people, and he explained everything to them.