Exodus 24:1-18 Moses Goes On the Mountain to Speak with the Lord God

 

Moses Goes On the Mountain to Speak with the Lord God

Exodus 24:1-18            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

[The Lord God told] Moses, Come up to the Lord [with] Aaron, Nadab, Abihu & 70 of the elders of Israel & worship from [far away.] Moses alone, shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come [near] & neither shall the people go up with him.

Moses [came] & told the people all the words & judgments of the Lord & all the people answered with 1 voice & said, All the words the Lord [has] said we will do.  Moses wrote [down] all the words of the Lord. He rose early & built an altar with 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel.

He sent young men of the children [people] of Israel, [who] offered burnt offerings & sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. Moses took ½ of the blood & put it in basins & he sprinkled ½ of the blood on the altar.

[Then,] he took the Book of the Covenant & read [so] the [Israelites could hear] & they said, All the Lord has said, we will do & be obedient. Moses took the blood & sprinkled it on the people & said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.

Then, Moses went up Aaron, Nadab, Abihu & 70 of the elders of Israel & they saw the God of Israel & under His feet were [what seemed] like paved work of sapphire stone, [like] it were the [clear blue sky] of heaven. [The Lord God] did not lay His hand on the nobles of the children of Israel, so they saw God & [ate & drank.]

Then, the Lord [told] Moses to come up to Him on the [mountain,] so the Lord could give him [tablets] of stone with the law & commandments [that] I have written [on them,] so that you may teach them. Moses rose up & took his [assistant,] Joshua, up into the [mountain] of God.

And [Moses] said to the elders, [Wait] here until we come [back] to you, again. [Remember] Aaron & Hur are with you & if anyone has [a dispute,] let him [ go] to them. Moses went up into the [mountain] & a cloud covered [it.] The glory of the Lord [rested] on Mount Sinai & the cloud covered it 6 days.

On the 7th day, [the Lord God] called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. The sight of the glory of the Lord [looked] like a [consuming] fire on top of the [mountain] in the sight of the eyes of the children [people] of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud & went up into the mountain for 40 days & 40 nights.

Exodus 23:1-33 False Reports, Bribes & Justice

 

False Reports, Bribes & Justice

Exodus 23:1-33            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

You shall not [spread] false reports. Don’t [join] with the wicked to be a unrighteous witness. [Psalm 35:11 false witnesses did rest up & they [charged Me with things I [didn’t] know [about.] You shall not follow a [crowd] to do evil, [neither] shall you [falsely testify] in a [dispute to pervert] justice. You shall not show [preference] to a poor man in his [dispute, but should always be fair.]

If you [come across] your enemy’s [stray] ox or [donkey,] you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the [donkey] of [someone who] hates you [fallen down under its load] & you shall surely help him & [not turn away.] You shall not [twist] the judgment of the poor in his [dispute.]

Keep [yourselves] far from a false matter & do not kill the innocent & righteous, for I will not justify the wicked. Do not take [bribes,] because a bribe [blinds] the wise & perverts the words of the righteous.

Also, you shall not oppress a stranger, [because] you were strangers in the land of Egypt & [know what it’s like.] 6 years you shall [seed] your land & gather its [produce,] but the 7th year, you shall let it rest & lie [fallow,] [so] that the poor of your people may eat & the beasts of the field may eat what the [poor] leave.

[This shall also be done] in your vineyard & olive [groves.] 6 days you shall do your work & on the 7th day you shall rest, [so] that your ox & [donkey] may rest & the son of your handmaid & the stranger, may be refreshed.

In all things I have told you, be [cautious] not to mention the name of other gods, neither let it be heard [coming] out of your mouth. 3 times a year, you shall keep a feast to Me.

You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread & (you shall eat unleavened bread 7 days, as I commanded you, in the appointed time in the month, Abib, [because that’s when] you came out of Egypt & none shall appear before Me empty [handed].) [Leviticus 2:11 No [meat/grain] offering, [that] you shall bring to the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for you shall burn no leaven [yeast,] nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.]

[Also,] the Feast of Harvest, [of] the first fruits of your labors, which you [have] sown in the field & the Feast of Ingathering, at the end of the year, when you [have] gathered in [the fruits] of your labors out of the field. 3 times a year, all your males shall appear before the Lord God.

You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread, nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. The first fruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God & you shall not [boil] a kid [goat] in its mother’s milk.

[Look,] I send an Angel [who will go] before you [in the journey] to keep you in the [road] & to bring you into the place I have prepared. Beware of Him & obey His voice & don’t  provoke Him, for He won’t pardon your transgressions, [because] My name is in Him.

But if you shall indeed obey His voice & do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies & an adversary to your adversaries. My Angel shall go before you & bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites & Jebusites, and I will cut them off.

You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them or do their works, but you shall utterly overthrow them & break down their images.

[So,] you shall serve the Lord your God & He shall bless your bread & water & I will take sickness from the midst of you, nor will [any one or animal suffer miscarriage] or be barren in your land & I will fulfill the number of your days.

I will send the fear of My fear before you & I will destroy all the people to whom you come [with confusion] & your enemies will turn their backs & run. I will send hornets before you & drive out the Hivite, Canaanite & Hittite from before you.

I won’t drive them out in 1 year, lest the land become desolate & the beasts of the field [become too numerous] against you. Little by little, I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased & you inherit the land.

And I will set your [boundaries] from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, & from the desert to the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand & you shall drive them out before you.

You shall make no covenant [contract] with them, nor their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.

Exodus 22:1-31 Laws About Making Restitution

 

Laws About Making Restitution

Exodus 22:1-31            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

If a man [steals] an ox or a sheep & [kills] it or [sells] it, he shall restore 5 oxen for [the stolen] ox, or 4 sheep for [the stolen] sheep. If the thief is [caught] breaking [in] & is [hit with great force & dies,] no blood [should] be shed for him. If the sun has risen on him, there shall be [guilt for his bloodshed] & he should make full restitution;

If he [has] nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. [Exodus 21:2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve 6 years & the 7th year, he shall go out free [not owing money.]  If the theft [of the thing stolen] is certainly found alive in his hand, whether [it’s] an ox, [donkey,] or sheep, he shall restore double.

If a man [puts] his animals in another man’s field or vineyard to [graze] in it & causes [it] to be eaten, he shall make restitution [from] the best of his own field or vineyard. If fire [breaks] out & [spreads] to the [thorn bushes] & causes the stacks of corn, standing corn, or the field to be [burned,] the [person who started] the fire shall surely make restitution.

If a man [asks] his neighbor to keep [either] money or [articles for him] & they [are] stolen [from] his house & the thief is found, let him pay double. If the thief isn’t found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see [if] he put his hands on his neighbor’s [property.]

[When there is a dispute over] an ox, [donkey,] sheep, [clothing,] or any [type] of lost thing, which another [claims] to be his, both parties should come before the judges & whom the judges condemn shall pay double to the neighbor.

If a man [gives] his neighbor a [donkey,] ox, sheep, or any [animal] to keep [for him] & it dies, is hurt, or is driven away & no [one sees it,] then [they] both [need to take] an oath [to] the Lord, that he hasn’t [caused this to happen] & the owner shall accept [that] & [not pursue the matter.]

[But] if the [animal] is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to the owner [for it.] If the [animal] is torn to pieces, then let him bring it [as evidence] & he [isn’t responsible for] what was torn.

If a man borrows any [anything from] his neighbor & it is hurt or it dies & the owner wasn’t with it, [the man who borrowed it] shall surely make it good. But if the owner [was] with it, [the person who borrowed it isn’t responsible.] If the [animal] was hired [rented,] it came for its [fee.]

If a man [entices] a [maiden] who is not [engaged & lies] with her, he shall surely [pay the dowry] for her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. You shall not [allow] a witch to live.

Whoever lies with [an animal] shall surely be put to death. He who sacrifices to any god, [except] to the Lord [God] only, he shall be utterly destroyed. You shall neither [mistreat,] nor oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

You shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child, for if you afflict them in any [way] & they cry out to Me, I [the Lord God] will hear their cry & My [anger] will [become] hot & I will kill you with the sword & your wives shall be widows & your children fatherless.

If you lend money to any of My people who are poor [among] you, don’t be like [moneylenders]; don’t charge him [interest.] If you take your neighbor’s [garment as security,] you shall return it by sunset, [because it’s] his only covering for his skin, [in what] shall he sleep?

It shall [happen,] when he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious. You shall not revile the gods [judges,] nor curse the ruler of your people. You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe [produce, wine] & the firstborn of your sons, you shall give to Me.

You shall do likewise with your oxen & sheep. It shall be with [its mother] 7 days & on the 8th day you shall give it to Me. And you shall be holy men to Me & shall neither eat [meat] torn by beasts in the field & you shall [throw] it to the dogs.

Exodus 21:1-36 Laws About Violence & About Animals

 

Laws About Violence & About Animals

Exodus 21:1-36            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

[The Lord God has Moses tell these to the Israelites:] These are the judgments you shall set before them. If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve 6 years & shall go out free in the 7th year & [owe] nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he [was] married, his wife shall go out with him.

If the master [has] given him a wife & she has bore him sons or daughters, he shall go out by himself & his wife & the children shall be her master’s. But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, wife & children & I will not go out free, then his master shall bring him to the judges & also bring him to the door or doorpost.

The master will [pierce] his ear with an awl & he shall serve him forever. If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.

If she doesn’t please her master, who [has chosen to marry her,] then he shall let her be redeemed & has no [right] to sell her to a [foreign] nation, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. If he [has arranged for her to marry] his son, he shall deal with her [according] to the [custom] of daughters.

If he takes another wife [for himself,] he shall [continue to give her the same amount of:] food, clothing,] and her [marriage rights] shall not be [reduced.] If he doesn’t do all three of these [for] her, she shall go out free without [owing] money. He who [strikes] a man & so that he [dies,] shall surely be put to death.

If he didn’t lie in wait [for him,] but God delivered [the man] into his hand, then I will appoint a place where he shall flee. But if a man [makes plans in advance] to [kill] his neighbor [& slyly kills him,] you shall take him from My altar, [so] that he may die. The [man who strikes] his father or mother shall surely be put to death.

He who curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death. The [person who kidnaps] a man & [sells] him or if the [kidnaped person] is found [with him,] the [kidnapper] shall surely be put to death. He [who] curses his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

If men [quarrel with each other] & one [strikes] the other with a stone or his fist & he does not die, but is [confined to] bed, the man who struck him shall be [acquitted] if he rises again & walks [outside] with his staff & only pay for the loss of the [injured man’s] time & shall [pay] for him to be thoroughly healed.

If a man [strikes] his servant or maid, with a rod & he [dies] under his hand, he shall surely be punished. [However,] if the [the servant recovers after] a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his money.

If men [fight] & hurt a [pregnant] woman, so that she [gives birth prematurely,] [but] no [harm] follows, he shall surely be punished according as the woman’s husband [demands from] him & he shall pay as the judges determine.

But if any [harm follows,] then you [shall] give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for [whip] stripe. If a man [strikes] the eye of his servant or maid & [destroys it,] he shall let him go free for the sake [of] his eye.

If he [knocks] out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his [tooth.] If an ox [gores] a man or a woman [to death,] the ox shall surely be stoned & its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox is [acquitted.]

If the ox had a [tendency] to push with his horn in [the] past & the owner [knew it] & didn’t keep [it confined] & [has] killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned & the owner shall be put to death. If a sum of money is [demanded of] him, then to [redeem] his life, he shall [whatever amount is required of] him.

Whether [the ox] gored a son or a daughter, according to this judgment, it shall be done to him. If the ox [pushes] a male servant or maid servant, he shall give their master 30 shekels of silver & the ox shall be stoned.

If a man shall open a pit, or if a man [digs] an open pit & doesn’t cover it & an ox or a [donkey] falls in it, the owner of the pit shall make it good & give money to [their] owner, but the dead [animal] shall be the [pit owner’s.] If one man’s ox [kills] another man’s ox, they shall sell the live ox & divide the money [from] it & divide the dead ox.

If it is known that the ox [tended] to push [his horn] in the past, but his owner [didn’t keep him confined,] he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead [animal] shall be his.

Exodus 20:1-26 The Lord Told Moses the 10 Commandments to Share with the Israelites

 

The Lord Told Moses the 10 Commandments to Share with the Israelites

Exodus 20:1-26            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

God [spoke] all these words [The 10 Commandments] saying: I am the Lord your God [Who] brought you out of the land of Egypt & out of the house of bondage. [1] You shall not have [any] other gods before Me.

[2] You shall not make for yourself a [carved] image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow yourself down to them nor serve them: for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the 3rd & 4th generations of [those who] hate Me, but showing mercy to 1,000’s of [those who] love Me & keep My commandments.

[3] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless [anyone] who takes His name in vain. [4] Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 6 days you shall labor & do all your work, but the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

In it you shall [not] do [any] work: you, your son or daughter, your [male or female servant,] your cattle, nor your stranger [who] is within your gates. For in 6 days the Lord made heaven & earth & sea & all that is in them & rested the 7th day. [Therefore] the Lord blessed the Sabbath day & hallowed it.

[5] Honor your father & mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives you. [6] You shall not kill. [7] You shall not commit adultery. [8] You shall not steal. [9] You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. [Proverbs 14:5 A faithful witness won’t lie, but a false witness will [say] lies.]

[10] You shall not covet [envy] your neighbor’s house, his wife, his [male or female servant,] his ox, nor his [donkey,] nor anything that is your neighbor’s. And all the people trembled & stood far [away as] they saw the thunderings, [lightning flashes] & the mountain smoking & the noise of the trumpet.

And they said to Moses, You speak with us & we will hear [from you what God wants to tell us,] but [don’t] let God speak with us, lest we die. Moses [told] the people, [Don’t be fearful,] for God [has] come to [test] you & that the fear [respect of Him] may be before your faces, [so] that you don’t sin.

The people stood far [away, but] Moses drew near into the thick darkness where God was. The Lord said to Moses, You shall say [this] to the children [people] of Israel, You have seen that I [the Lord God] have talked with you from heaven.

You shall not make any gods of silver, neither shall you make [yourselves] gods of gold to be [worshiped] with Me. You shall make [for] Me an [altar] of earth & you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings & peace offerings, your sheep & oxen:

..in all the places where I record My name, I will come to you & I will bless you. If you make Me an altar of stone, it shall not be of [cut] stone, for if you [use] your [tools] on it, you [will] have [defiled] it. Neither shall there be steps for you to go up to [My] altar, so your nakedness is not [exposed there.] [Exodus 28:42 And you shall make them linen [trousers] to cover their nakedness: from the loins & shall reach even to the thighs.]

Exodus 19:1-25 No One is to Touch Mount Sinai & the Lord Comes to Moses in a Thick Cloud

 

No One is to Touch Mount Sinai & the Lord Comes to Moses in a Thick Cloud

Exodus 19:1-25            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

In the 3rd month, [after] the children [people] of Israel [departed] from the land of Egypt, the same day, they came into the Wilderness of Sinai. They departed from Rephidim & [came] to the desert of Sinai & had [camped] in the wilderness. Israel camped there [in front of] the mount.

And Moses went up [Mount Sinai] to God & the Lord called him out of the mountain, saying, Tell the house of Jacob & children of Israel [this;] You have seen what I did to the Egyptians & how I [bore] you on eagles’ wings & brought you to Myself.

Therefore, now if you indeed obey My voice & keep My covenant [contract,] then you shall be a [special] treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine. You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests & a holy nation. These are the words you shall [say] to the children of Israel.

Moses came & called for the elders of the people & [put] before them all the words [that] the Lord commanded him. And the people answered together & said, We will do all that the Lord has spoken. Moses [brought back] to the Lord, the words of the people.

The Lord said to Moses, [Look,] I come to you in a thick cloud, [so] that the people may hear when I speak to you & believe you forever. Moses told these words of the people to the Lord. The Lord said to Moses, Go to the people & sanctify them today & tomorrow & let them wash their clothes.

And let them be ready [in preparation for] the 3rd day: For the 3rd day, the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set [boundaries all around the mountain,] saying,

…[Pay attention] to not go up into the [mountain] or touch its border. [For] whoever touches the [mountain,] shall surely be put to death. Whether it’s man or an [animal that] touches it, shall surely be stoned or shot through & shall not live. When the trumpet [sound is] long, they shall come [near] the [mountain.]

And Moses went down from the [mountain] & sanctified the people & they washed their clothes. He said to the people, Be ready [for] the 3rd day & not to [be intimate with] your wives.

It [happened] on the 3rd day in the morning, that there were [thunderings] & lightnings & a thick cloud on the [mountain] & an exceedingly loud trumpet [sound,] so that all the people in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God & they stood at the [lowest] part of the [mountain.]

Mount Sinai [was covered  in] smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire & the smoke ascended [up like] the smoke of a furnace & the whole [mountain] quaked greatly.

[After] the trumpet blast was long & [grew] louder & louder, Moses [spoke] & God answered by a voice. And the Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai & the Lord called Moses up to the top of the [mountain] & Moses went up. The Lord said to Moses, Go down & [warn] the people, lest they break through & gaze at the Lord & many of them perish.

Let the priests [who] come near the Lord, also sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break [out against] them. Moses said, The people can’t come up to Mount Sinai: for You [warned] us, saying, Set [boundaries] around the mountain & sanctify it.

And the Lord said to him, [Go] away & get [yourself] down & [then] you shall come up & [bring only] Aaron up with you. But don’t let the priests & the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break [out] against them. So Moses went down to the people & [spoke] to them.

Exodus 18:1-27 Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-Law, Suggests He Appoint Judges to Share the Load

 

Jethro, Moses’ Father-in-Law, Suggests He Appoint Judges to Share the Load

Exodus 18:1-27            The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus

When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses & for Israel, His people & that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Jethro [took care of] Moses’ wife, Zipporah & his 2 sons, [when Moses] sent her back. One of her 2 sons was Gershom [which means: I have been an alien in a strange land.]

The name of the other was Eliezer [which means:] The God of my father, said He, was [my] help & delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with Moses’ sons & wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he [camped] at the mount of God.

He said to Moses, I, your father-in-law, have come to you, [with] your wife & 2 sons.  Moses went out to meet his father-in-law & [bowed] & kissed him & they asked [about each other’s well-being] & they went into the tent.

Moses told [Jethro] all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh & the Egyptians, for Israel’s sake & how the Lord had delivered them from all the [hardships] on the way. Jethro rejoiced & blessed the Lord for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel & delivered [them] out of the hand of the Egyptians.

Jethro said, Blessed [is] the Lord, Who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians & out of the hand of Pharaoh, Who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, [because God] [rescued Israel from their proud enemies] & He was [over] them. Jethro took a burnt offering & sacrifices for God. And Aaron & the elders of Israel came to eat bread with [Jethro] before God.

[The next day,] Moses sat to judge the people [of Israel] [who] stood from morning until evening. Moses’ father-in-law saw all of this & said, What is [this that you do] to the people? Why [do you sit] alone & all the people stand by you from morning to evening?

Moses said to [Jethro,] The people come to me to [inquire] of God & when they have a matter, they come to me & I judge between 1 & another & make them know the statutes of God & His laws. [Jethro] said to [Moses,] The thing you [do isn’t] good.

You will surely [get worn out] & the people with you, for this is [too heavy a burden] for you & you aren’t able to perform [this] by [yourself] alone. [Listen] & I will give you [my advice] & God [shall be with you, so] you may bring the causes to God:

You shall teach them the ordinances & laws & shall show them the way they must [follow] & the work they must do. You shall [also select] able men of truth, [who] hate [envy] & [who] fear [respect] God & place them [as leaders] over the [Israelites] rulers of: 1,000’s, 100’s, 50’s & 10’s.

Let them judge the smaller matters of the people at all [times & only] bring to you every [large] matter, but every small matter they shall judge. So, it shall be easier for you & [the appointed judges] will help bear the burden with you. If you shall do this thing & God commands you [to do] so, you shall be able to endure & all [these] people shall go to their place in peace.

So, Moses [listened] to his father-in-law’s voice & did all that he said. Moses chose able men out of all of Israel & made them [leaders] over the people, rulers of: 1,000’s, 100’s, 50’s, & 10’s.

And they judged the people [through all seasons] & brought the hard [matters] to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves. And Moses let his father-in-law depart & he went [on] his way to his own land.