Exodus 24

¹ He then said to Moses, 'Come up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of theelders of Israel and bow down at a distance.

² Moses alone will approach Yahweh; the others wil not approach, nor wil the people come up withhim.'

³ Moses went and told the people al Yahweh's words and al the laws, and al the people answered withone voice, 'All the words Yahweh has spoken we wil carry out!'

⁴ Moses put al Yahweh's words into writing, and early next morning he built an altar at the foot of themountain, with twelve standing-stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁵ Then he sent certain young Israelites to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice bul ocks to Yahweh ascommunion sacrifices.

⁶ Moses then took half the blood and put it into basins, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.

⁷ Then, taking the Book of the Covenant, he read it to the listening people, who then said, 'We shall do everything that Yahweh has said; we shall obey.'

⁸ Moses then took the blood and sprinkled it over the people, saying, 'This is the blood of the covenantwhich Yahweh has made with you, entailing all these stipulations.'

⁹ Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel then went up,

¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel beneath whose feet there was what looked like a sapphire pavementpure as the heavens themselves,

¹¹ but he did no harm to the Israelite notables; they actually gazed on God and then ate and drank.

¹² Yahweh said to Moses, 'Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the stonetablets -- the law and the commandment -- which I have written for their instruction.'

¹³ Moses made ready, with Joshua his assistant, and they went up the mountain of God.

¹⁴ He said to the elders, 'Wait here for us until we come back to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you;if anyone has any matter to settle, let him go to them.'

¹⁵ Moses then went up the mountain. Cloud covered the mountain.

¹⁶ The glory of Yahweh rested on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh dayYahweh cal ed to Moses from inside the cloud.

¹⁷ To the watching Israelites, the glory of Yahweh looked like a devouring fire on the mountain top.

¹⁸ Moses went right into the cloud and went on up the mountain. Moses stayed on the mountain for fortydays and forty nights.