Exodus 19

¹In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out from the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

²They had set out from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they camped in the wilderness; and Israel camped there before the mountain.

³And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel:

⁴You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

⁵Now therefore, if you will indeed heed my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be to me a special possession above all peoples, for all the earth is mine.

⁶And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.'

⁷And Moses came and called for the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.

⁸And all the people answered together and said, 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do.' And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.

⁹And the LORD said to Moses, 'Behold, I am about to come to you in the thickness of the cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe in you forever.' And Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.

¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments.

¹¹And let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down before the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai.

¹²You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Take heed to yourselves against going up onto the mountain or touching the edge of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

¹³No hand shall touch him, for he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether animal or man, he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they may go up onto the mountain."

¹⁴Moses came down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.

¹⁵And he said to the people, 'Be ready for three days; do not approach a woman.'

¹⁶And it came to pass on the third day, when the morning came, that there were thunderclaps and lightning and a heavy cloud upon the mountain and a very loud sound of a shofar, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

¹⁷And Moses brought out the people to meet God from the camp, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.

¹⁸Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, because the Lord had descended on it in fire; its smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.

¹⁹And the sound of the shofar kept growing louder and louder; Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice.

²⁰And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹And the Lord said to Moses, 'Go down; warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look, and many of them fall.'

²²And also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.

²³Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself solemnly warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.'"

²⁴The Lord said to him, "Go, come down, and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them."

²⁵Moses went down to the people and told them.