Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.”arise from the ground Meaning, perhaps, from their wretched condition, cf. Hos. 2.2; or “gain ascendancy over the country.” In contrast to others “get them up out of the land.”
the various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlesslybthe various labors that they made them perform. Ruthlessly Moved up from the end of the verse for clarity. they made life bitter for them with harsh labor at mortar and bricks and with all sorts of tasks in the field.
saying, “When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool:cbirthstool More precisely, the brick or stone supports used by Egyptian women during childbirth. if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous. Before the midwife can come to them, they have given birth.”
When she could hide him no longer, she got a wicker basket for him and caulked it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child into it and placed it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the Nile, while her maidens walked along the Nile. She spied the basket among the reeds and sent her handmaid to fetch it.
When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who made him her son. She named him Moses,aMoses Heb. Mosheh from Egyptian for “born of”; here associated with mashah “draw out.” explaining, “I drew him out of the water.”
Some time after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen.
He retorted, “Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was frightened, and thought: Then the matter is known!
When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrivedbarrived Lit. “sat” or “settled.” in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well.
A long time after that, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites were groaning under the bondage and cried out; and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God.
Now Moses, tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, drove the flock into the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
An angelaAn angel Heb. “A messenger.” of GOD appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed.
When GOD saw that he had turned aside to look, GodbGod This label can refer to the angel, as acting on God’s behalf; cf. Ibn Ezra here and at v. 7. called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.”
and continued, “I am the God of your fatherdyour father Including his household.—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.eGod Or “a divine being.”
And GODfGOD Cf. note at v. 4. continued, “I have marked well the plight of My people in Egypt and have heeded their outcry because of their taskmasters; yes, I am mindful of their sufferings.
I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the region of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
“I will be with you; that shall be your sign that it was I who sent you. And when you have freed the people from Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
Moses said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathersgyour fathers Including their households. has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘By which name?’hBy which name? I.e., which aspect was manifested? Cf. Ramban; lit. “What is His name?” what shall I say to them?”
And God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh,”iEhyeh-Asher-Ehyeh Meaning of Heb. uncertain; variously translated: “I Am That I Am”; “I Am Who I Am”; “I Will Be What I Will Be”; etc. continuing, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’”
And God said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the Israelites: GOD [יהוה],jיהוה This divine name (y-h-w-h; traditionally pronounced as Adonai, lit. “[the] Sovereign”) is here associated with the verb hayah “to be.” the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you:This shall be My name forever,This My appellation for all eternity.
“Go and assemble the elders of Israel and say to them: The ETERNAL, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared tokappeared to Or “communicated with.” me and said, ‘I have taken note of you and of what is being done to you in Egypt,
and I have declared: I will take you out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’
They will listen to you; then you shall go with the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt and you shall say to him, ‘The ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews, became manifest to us. Now therefore, let us go a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the ETERNAL our God.’
Each woman shall borrow from her neighbor and the lodger in her house objects of silver and gold, and clothing, and you shall put these on your sons and daughters, thus stripping the Egyptians.”
But Moses spoke up and said, “What if they do not believe me and do not listen to me, but say: GOD did not appear toaappear to Or “communicate with.” you?”
“that they may believe that the ETERNAL, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, did appear tobappear to See note at v. 1. you.”
GOD said to him further, “Put your hand into your bosom.” He put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out, his hand was encrusted with snowy scales!cscales Cf. Lev. 13.2–3.
And [God] said, “Put your hand back into your bosom.”—He put his hand back into his bosom; and when he took it out of his bosom, there it was again like the rest of his body.—
And if they are not convinced by both these signs and still do not heed you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and it—the water that you take from the Nile—will turn to blood on the dry ground.”
But Moses said to GOD, “Please, O my Sovereign, I have never been a man of words, either in times past or now that You have spoken to Your servant; I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
GOD became angry with Moses and said, “There is your brother Aaron the Levite. He, I know, speaks readily. Even now he is setting out to meet you, and he will be happy to see you.
and he shall speak for you to the people. Thus he shall serve as your spokesman, with you playing the role of Godeplaying the role of God Cf. 7.1. to him.
Moses went back to his father-in-law JetherfJether I.e., Jethro. and said to him, “Let me go back to my kinsfolk in Egypt and see how they are faring.”ghow they are faring Lit. “whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
And GOD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the marvels that I have put within your power. I, however, will stiffen his heart so that he will not let the people go.
At a night encampment on the way, GODhGOD This label may refer to an angel, as acting on God’s behalf. So Rashbam, Ibn Ezra; cf. Septuagint, Targum. encountered him and sought to kill him.
iMeaning of verses uncertain. So Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched his legs with it, saying, “You are truly a bridegroom of blood to me!”
Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: Let My people go that they may celebrate a festival for Me in the wilderness.”
They answered, “The God of the Hebrews has become manifest to us. Let us go, we pray, a distance of three days into the wilderness to sacrifice to the ETERNAL our God, lest we be struck with pestilence or sword.”
And Pharaoh continued, “The people of the land are already so numerous,aThe people of the land are already so numerous Samaritan “Even now they are more numerous than the people of the land,” i.e., than the native population (cf. Gen. 23.7). and you would have them cease from their labors!”bfrom their labors See 1.5–11.
But impose upon them the same quota of bricks as they have been making heretofore; do not reduce it, for they are shirkers; that is why they cry, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God!’
And the overseers of the Israelites, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten. “Why,” they were asked, “did you not complete the prescribed amount of bricks, either yesterday or today, as you did before?”
and they said to them, “May GOD look upon you and punish you for making us loathsome to Pharaoh and his courtiers—putting a sword in their hands to slay us.”
Then GOD said to Moses, “You shall soon see what I will do to Pharaoh: he shall let them go because of a greater might; indeed, because of a greater might he shall drive them from his land.”
I appeared toaappeared to Or “communicated with.” Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai, but I did not make Myself known to them by My name GOD [יהוה].bיהוה This divine name is traditionally not pronounced; instead, Adonai, lit. “(the) Sovereign,” is regularly substituted for it.
Say, therefore, to the Israelite people: I am GOD. I will free you from the labors of the Egyptians and deliver you from their bondage. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and through extraordinary chastisements.
And I will take you to be My people, and I will be your God. And you shall know that I, the ETERNAL, am your God who freed you from the labors of the Egyptians.
I will bring you into the land that I sworecswore Lit. “raised My hand.” to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession, I GOD.”
But Moses appealed to GOD, saying, “The Israelites would not listen to me; how then should Pharaoh heed me, me—who gets tongue-tied!”dwho gets tongue-tied Lit. “uncircumcised of lips.”
So GOD spoke to both Moses and Aaron in regard to the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, instructing them to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt.
The following are the heads of their respective clans.The sons of Reuben, Israel’s first-born: EnocheEnoch Or “Hanoch”; cf. note at Gen. 46.9. and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; those are the families of Reuben.
The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and SaulfSaul Or “Shaul”; cf. note at Gen. 46.10. the son of a Canaanite woman; those are the families of Simeon.
And Aaron’s son Eleazar took to wife one of Putiel’s daughters, and she bore him Phinehas. Those are the heads of the ancestral houses of the Levites by their families.
When Pharaoh does not heed you, I will lay My hand upon Egypt and deliver My ranks, My people the Israelites, from the land of Egypt with extraordinary chastisements.
“When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, ‘Produce your marvel,’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh.’ It shall turn into a serpent.”
So Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh and did just as GOD had commanded: Aaron cast down his rod in the presence of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and it turned into a serpent.
Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is coming out to the water, and station yourself before him at the edge of the Nile, taking with you the rod that turned into a snake.
And say to him, ‘The ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you to say, “Let My people go that they may worship Me in the wilderness.” But you have paid no heed until now.
Thus says GOD, “By this you shall know that I am GOD.” See, I shall strike the water in the Nile with the rod that is in my hand, and it will be turned into blood;
And GOD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron: Take your rod and hold out your arm over the waters of Egypt—its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water—that they may turn to blood; there shall be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.”
Moses and Aaron did just as GOD commanded: he lifted up the rod and struck the water in the Nile in the sight of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and all the water in the Nile was turned into blood
and the fish in the Nile died. The Nile stank so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile; and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.
bThis verse is labeled as 8.1 in some editions. GOD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says GOD: Let My people go that they may worship Me.
The Nile shall swarm with frogs, and they shall come up and enter your palace, your bedchamber and your bed, the houses of your courtiers and your people, and your ovens and your kneading bowls.
And GOD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron: Hold out your arm with the rod over the rivers, the canals, and the ponds, and bring up the frogs on the land of Egypt.”
Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with GOD to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to GOD.”
And Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have this triumph over me: for what time shall I plead in behalf of you and your courtiers and your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses, to remain only in the Nile?”
And they did so. Aaron held out his arm with the rod and struck the dust of the earth, and vermin came upon human and animal; all the dust of the earth turned to lice throughout the land of Egypt.
And GOD said to Moses, “Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh, as he is coming out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says GOD: Let My people go that they may worship Me.
For if you do not let My people go, I will let loose swarms of insectsaswarms of insects In contrast to others “wild beasts.” against you and your courtiers and your people and your houses; the houses of the Egyptians, and the very ground they stand on, shall be filled with swarms of insects.
But on that day I will set apart the region of Goshen, where My people dwell, so that no swarms of insects shall be there, that you may know that I GOD am in the midst of the land.
And GOD did so. Heavy swarms of insects invaded Pharaoh’s palace and the houses of his courtiers; throughout the country of Egypt the land was ruined because of the swarms of insects.
But Moses replied, “It would not be right to do this, for what we sacrifice to the ETERNAL our God is untouchable to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice that which is untouchable to the Egyptians before their very eyes, will they not stone us!
And Moses said, “When I leave your presence, I will plead with GOD that the swarms of insects depart tomorrow from Pharaoh and his courtiers and his people; but let not Pharaoh again act deceitfully, not letting the people go to sacrifice to GOD.”
But GOD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of the Egyptians, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites.
When Pharaoh inquired, he found that not a head of the livestock of Israel had died; yet Pharaoh remained stubborn, and he would not let the people go.
It shall become a fine dust all over the land of Egypt, and cause an inflammation breaking out in boils on human and animal throughout the land of Egypt.”
So they took soot of the kiln and appeared before Pharaoh; Moses threw it toward the sky, and it caused an inflammation breaking out in boils on human and animal.
The magicians were unable to confront Moses because of the inflammation, for the inflammation afflicted the magicians as well as all the other Egyptians.
GOD said to Moses, “Early in the morning present yourself to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go to worship Me.
For this time I will send all My plagues upon your person, and your courtiers, and your people, in order that you may know that there is none like Me in all the world.
Therefore, order your livestock and everything you have in the open brought under shelter; every human and animal that is found outside, not having been brought indoors, shall perish when the hail comes down upon them!’”
GOD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm toward the sky that hail may fall on all the land of Egypt, upon human and animal and all the grasses of the field in the land of Egypt.”
So Moses held out his rod toward the sky, and GOD sent thunder and hail, and fire streamed down to the ground, as GOD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
Throughout the land of Egypt the hail struck down all that were in the open, both human and animal; the hail also struck down all the grasses of the field and shattered all the trees of the field.
Moses said to him, “As I go out of the city, I shall spread out my hands to GOD; the thunder will cease and the hail will fall no more, so that you may know that the earth is GOD’s.
Leaving Pharaoh, Moses went outside the city and spread out his hands to GOD: the thunder and the hail ceased, and no rain came pouring down upon the earth.
Then GOD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them,
and that you may recount in the hearing of your child and of your child’s child how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I displayed My signs among them—in order that you may know that I am GOD.”
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go that they may worship Me.
They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the surviving remnant that was left to you after the hail; and they shall eat away all your trees that grow in the field.
Moreover, they shall fill your palaces and the houses of all your courtiers and of all the Egyptians—something that neither your fathers nor fathers’ fathers have seen from the day they appeared on earth to this day.’” With that he turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
Pharaoh’s courtiers said to him, “How long shall this one be a snare to us? Let those involvedathose involved I.e., a delegation of leaders; cf. Ramban at v. 8. In contrast to others “the men” or “the people.” go to worship the ETERNAL their God! Are you not yet aware that Egypt is lost?”
Moses replied, “We will all go—regardless of our stationbregardless of our station Lit. “with our underlings and with our elders.” Or “young and old.”—we will go with our sons and daughters, our flocks and herds; for we must observe GOD’s festival.”
Then GOD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat up all the grasses in the land, whatever the hail has left.”
So Moses held out his rod over the land of Egypt, and GOD drove an east wind over the land all that day and all night; and when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.
Locusts invaded all the land of Egypt and settled within all the territory of Egypt in a thick mass; never before had there been so many, nor will there ever be so many again.
They hid all the land from view, and the land was darkened; and they ate up all the grasses of the field and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left, so that nothing green was left, of tree or grass of the field, in all the land of Egypt.
GOD caused a shift to a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and hurled them into the Sea of Reeds;cSea of Reeds Traditionally, but incorrectly, “Red Sea.” not a single locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
our own livestock, too, shall go along with us—not a hoof shall remain behind: for we must select from it for the worship of the ETERNAL our God; and we shall not know with what we are to worship GOD until we arrive there.”
And GOD said to Moses, “I will bring but one more plague upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt; after that he shall let you go from here; indeed, when he lets you go, he will drive you out of here one and all.
GOD disposed the Egyptians favorably toward the people. Moreover, Moses himself was much esteemed in the land of Egypt, among Pharaoh’s courtiers and among the people.
and every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave woman who is behind the millstones; and all the first-born of the cattle.
but not a dog shall snarlasnarl In contrast to others “move (or whet) his tongue.” at any of the Israelites, at human or animal—in order that you may know that GOD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
“Then all these courtiers of yours shall come down to me and bow low to me, saying, ‘Depart, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will depart.” And he left Pharaoh’s presence in hot anger.
Moses and Aaron had performed all these marvels before Pharaoh, but GOD had stiffened the heart of Pharaoh so that he would not let the Israelites go from his land.
Speak to the whole community of Israelawhole community of Israel Or the leadership, on everyone’s behalf; cf. v. 21. and say that on the tenth of this month each family shall take for itself a lamb,blamb Or “kid.” Heb. seh means either “sheep” or “goat”; cf. v. 5. a lamb to a household.
But if the household is too small for a lamb, let it share one with a neighbor who dwells nearby, in proportion to the number of persons: you shall contribute for the lamb according to what each household will eat.
You shall keep watch over it until the fourteenth day of this month; and all the assembled congregation of the Israelites shall slaughter it at twilight.
This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly: it is a passover offeringcpassover offering Or “protective offering”; Heb. pesaḥ. to GOD.
For that night I will go through the land of Egypt and strike down every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, both human and animal; and I will mete out punishments to all the gods of Egypt, I GOD.
And the blood on the houses where you are staying shall be a sign for you: when I see the blood I will pass overdpass over Or “protect”; cf. v. 11 and note there. you, so that no plague will destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to GOD throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time.
Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the very first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
You shall celebrate a sacred occasion on the first day, and a sacred occasion on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them; only what every person is to eat, that alone may be prepared for you.
You shall observe the [Feast of] Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your ranks out of the land of Egypt; you shall observe this day throughout the ages as an institution for all time.
In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
No leaven shall be found in your houses for seven days. For whoever eats what is leavened, that person—whether a stranger or a citizen of the country—shall be cut off from the community of Israel.
Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and to the two doorposts. None of you shall go outside the door of your house until morning.
For GOD, when going through to smite the Egyptians, will see the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, and GOD will pass overepass over See note at v. 13. the door and not let the Destroyer enter and smite your home.
you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to GOD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when smiting the Egyptians, but saved our houses.’”Those assembled then bowed low in homage.
In the middle of the night GOD struck down all the [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on the throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle.
And Pharaoh arose in the night, with all his courtiers and all the Egyptians—because there was a loud cry in Egypt; for there was no house where there was not someone dead.
And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, since they had been driven out of Egypt and could not delay; nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
That was for GOD a night of vigil to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is GOD’s, one of vigil for all the children of Israel throughout the ages.
If a stranger who dwells with you would offer the passovergstranger … would offer the passover Which is done on a per-household basis; cf. vv. 3–4. to GOD, all his males must be circumcised; then he shall be admitted to offer it; he shall then be as a citizen of the country. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.
And Moses said to the people,“Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how GOD freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten.
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4
הַיּ֖וֹם אַתֶּ֣ם יֹצְאִ֑ים בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב׃
You go free on this day, in the monthain the month Or “on the new moon.” of Abib.
So, when GOD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which was sworn to your fathersbfathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; see Gen. 24.7; 26.3; 50.24; Deut. 1.8. to be given you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall observe in this month the following practice:
Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory.
“And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your foreheadcon your forehead Lit. “between your eyes”; cf. Deut. 6.8.—in order that GOD’s Teaching may be in your mouth—that with a mighty hand GOD freed you from Egypt.
“And when GOD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites, as was sworn to you and to your fathers,dfathers See note at v. 5. and has given it to you,
But every firstling donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children.
And when, in time to come, a child of yours asks you, saying, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall reply, ‘It was with a mighty hand that GOD brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.
When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, GOD slew every [male] first-born in the land of Egypt, the first-born of both human and animal. Therefore I sacrifice to GOD every first male issue of the womb, but redeem every male first-born among my children.’
“And so it shall be as a sign upon your hand and as a symbolesymbol In contrast to others “frontlet.” on your forehead that with a mighty hand GOD freed us from Egypt.”
Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
So God led the people round about, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds.Now the Israelites went up armedfarmed Meaning of Heb. ḥamushim uncertain. out of the land of Egypt.
And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
GOD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel day and night.
Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.
Then I will stiffen Pharaoh’s heart and he will pursue them, that I may gain glory through Pharaoh and all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am GOD.And they did so.
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change of heart about the people and said, “What is this we have done, releasing Israel from our service?”
he took six hundred of his picked chariots, and the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officersbofficers Heb. shalish; originally “third man on royal chariot”; hence “adjutant,” “officer.” in all of them.
GOD stiffened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he gave chase to the Israelites. As the Israelites were departing defiantly,cdefiantly Lit. “with upraised hand”; cf. Num. 33.3.
the Egyptians gave chase to them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, his riders, and his warriors overtook them encamped by the sea, near Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.
And they said to Moses, “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, taking us out of Egypt?
Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us be, and we will serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness’?”
But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance that GOD will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
And I will stiffen the hearts of the Egyptians so that they go in after them; and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his warriors, his chariots, and his riders.
The angeldangel Heb. “messenger.” of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them,
and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell uponeand it cast a spell upon From root ʼ-r-r, “cast a spell” or “curse.” the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night.
Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and GOD drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split,
[God] lockedflocked From root ʼ-s-r, with several ancient versions. In contrast to others “took off.” the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for GOD is fighting for them against Egypt.”
Then GOD said to Moses, “Hold out your arm over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians and upon their chariots and upon their riders.”
Moses held out his arm over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state, and the Egyptians fled at its approach. But GOD hurled the Egyptians into the sea.
And when Israel saw the wondrous power that GOD had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared GOD; they had faith in GOD and in Moses—God’s servant.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to GOD. They said:I will sing to GOD, who has triumphed gloriously;Horse and driver have been hurled into the sea.
YahaYah A shortened form of this deity’s personal name, which is written as y-h-w-h. is my strength and might,bmight In contrast to others “song.” And has become my deliverance.This is my God whom I will enshrine;The God of my father,cmy father Including his household. whom I will exalt.
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3
יְהֹוָ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֑ה יְהֹוָ֖ה שְׁמֽוֹ׃
The ETERNAL One, the Warrior—Whose name is GOD [יהוה]!dיהוהSee note at 6.3.
The foe said,“I will pursue, I will overtake,I will divide the spoil;My desire shall have its fill of them.I will bare my sword—My hand shall subdue them.”
Who is like You, O ETERNAL One, among the celestials;ecelestials In contrast to others “mighty.” Who is like You, majestic in holiness,Awesome in splendor, working wonders!
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12
נָטִ֙יתָ֙ יְמִ֣ינְךָ֔ תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ אָֽרֶץ׃
You put out Your right hand,The earth swallowed them.
Terror and dread descend upon them;Through the might of Your arm they are still as stone—Till Your people cross over, O ETERNAL One,Till Your people cross whom You have ransomed.
You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain,The place You made to dwell in, O ETERNAL One,The sanctuary, O my Sovereign, that Your hands established.
For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and riders, went into the sea; and GOD turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a hand-drum,fpicked up a hand-drum As drummers, it was women who set the tempo during Israel’s public celebrations; cf. Jer. 31.4; Ps. 68.26. and all the women went out after her in dance with hand-drums.
Then Moses caused Israel to set out from the Sea of Reeds. They went on into the wilderness of Shur; they traveled three days in the wilderness and found no water.
So he cried out to GOD, and GOD showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet.There a fixed rule was made for them; there they were put to the test:
“If you will heed the ETERNAL your God diligently, doing what is upright in My sight, giving ear to My commandments and keeping all My laws,hMy…My…My Heb. 3rd person. then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I GOD am your healer.”
Setting out from Elim, the whole Israelite community came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.
In the wilderness, the whole Israelite communityawhole Israelite community Or the leadership, on everyone’s behalf; cf. v. 22. grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by GOD’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death.”
And GOD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people shall go out and gather each day that day’s portion—that I may thus test them, to see whether they will follow My instructions or not.
Since it is GOD,” Moses continued, “who will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full—because GOD has heard the grumblings you utter—what is our part? Your grumbling is against GOD, not against us!”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community:bwhole Israelite community See note at v. 2. Advance toward GOD, who has heard your grumbling.”
“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Speak to them and say: By evening you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; and you shall know that I the ETERNAL am your God.”
When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”cWhat is it? Heb. man huʼ; in contrast to others “It is manna.”—for they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread that GOD has given you to eat.
This is what GOD has commanded: Each household shall gather as much as it requires to eat—an omer to a person for as many of you as there are; each household shall fetch according to those in its tent.”
But when they measured it by the omer, anyone who had gathered much had no excess, and anyone who had gathered little had no deficiency: each household had gathered as much as it needed to eat.
But they paid no attention to Moses; some of them left of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
he said to them, “This is what GOD meant: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy sabbath of GOD. Bake what you would bake and boil what you would boil; and all that is left put aside to be kept until morning.”
Mark that it is GOD who, having given you the sabbath, therefore gives you two days’ food on the sixth day. Let everyone remain in place: let no one leave the vicinity on the seventh day.”
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30
וַיִּשְׁבְּת֥וּ הָעָ֖ם בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִעִֽי׃
So the people remained inactive on the seventh day.
The house of Israel named it manna;dmanna Heb. man. it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like wafersewafers Meaning of Heb. ṣappiḥith uncertain. in honey.
Moses said, “This is what GOD has commanded: Let one omer of it be kept throughout the ages, in order that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.”
From the wilderness of Sin the whole Israelite community continued by stages as GOD would command. They encamped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.
But the people thirsted there for water; and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”
Then GOD said to Moses, “Pass before the people; take with you some of the elders of Israel, and take along the rod with which you struck the Nile, and set out.
I will be standing there before you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock and water will issue from it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
The place was named MassahaMassah I.e., “Trial.” and Meribah,bMeribah I.e., “Quarrel.” because the Israelites quarreled and because they tried GOD, saying, “Is GOD present among us or not?”
Moses said to Joshua, “Pick some troops for us, and go out and do battle with Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in my hand.”
But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set.
Then GOD said to Moses, “Inscribe this in a document as a reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven!”
He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throneethrone Meaning of Heb. kes uncertain. of Yah!’fYah See note at 15.2. GOD will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”
Jethro priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel—God’s people: how the ETERNAL had brought Israel out from Egypt.
and the other was named Eliezer,bEliezer Lit. “(My) God is help.” meaning, “The God of my fathercmy father Including his household. was my help, delivering me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
Moses then recounted to his father-in-law everything that GOD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had befallen them on the way, and how GOD had delivered them.
“Blessed be GOD,” Jethro said, “who delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
Now I know that GOD is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].”dyes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people] Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before God with Moses’ father-in-law.
But when Moses’ father-in-law saw how much he had to do for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing to the people? Why do you acteact Lit. “sit” as magistrate; cf. v. 13. alone, while all the people stand about you from morning until evening?”
You shall also seek out, from among all the people, those who are capable and who fear God—trustworthy ones who spurn ill-gotten gain. Set these over them as chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and
let them judge the people at all times. Have them bring every major dispute to you, but let them decide every minor dispute themselves. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the burden with you.
and Moses went up to God. The ETERNAL called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel:
Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine,
All the peopleaAll the people Or the assembled elders, on the people’s behalf. answered as one, saying, “All that GOD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the people’s words to GOD.
And GOD said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” Then Moses reported the people’s words to GOD,
You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death
without being touched—by being either stoned or shot; animal or person, a trespasser shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast,csounds a long blast Meaning of Heb. uncertain. they may go up on the mountain.”
And he said to the men,dthe men Heb. “the people.” Moses’ intended audience is not further specified because it goes without saying: by convention in Israelite society, only men are treated as the active agent in heterosexual relations. “Be ready for the third day: do not go near a woman.”
On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.
Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for GOD had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountainethe whole mountain Some Hebrew manuscripts and the Greek read “all the people”; cf. v. 16. trembled violently.
So GOD said to him, “Go down, and come back together with Aaron; but let not the priests or the people break through to come up to GOD—who would break out against them.”
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25
וַיֵּ֥רֶד מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵהֶֽם׃
And Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.
God spoke all these words,athese words Tradition varies as to the division of the Commandments in vv. 2–14, and as to the numbering of the verses from 2 on. Cf. note at Deut. 5.6. saying:
You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.
You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the ETERNAL your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,
You shall not swear falsely bybswear falsely by In contrast to others “take in vain.” the name of the ETERNAL your God; for GOD will not clear one who swears falsely by that name.
but the seventh day is a sabbath of the ETERNAL your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
For in six days GOD made heaven and earth and sea—and all that is in them—and then rested on the seventh day; therefore GOD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
YoudYou Addressing those whose social position enables them to act on such desires and cravings; i.e., (stereotypically male) householders. shall not covet your neighbor’s house:ehouse I.e., the corporate household—its persons and possessions. (Cf. Deut. 5.18.) you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox or donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance.
Moses answered the people, “Be not afraid; for God has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of God may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray.”
Make for Me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being,fsacrifices of well-being In contrast to others “peace-offerings.” Meaning of Heb. shelamim uncertain. your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.
his master shall take him before God.abefore God In contrast to others “to the judges.” He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall then remain his master’s slave for life.
If she proves to be displeasing to her master, who designated her for himself, he must let her be redeemed; he shall not have the right to sell her to outsiders, since he broke faith with her.
If it was not by design—it came about by an act of God—I will assign you a place to which that person can flee.ca place to which that person can flee The case of a female culprit may have been more complex.
When [two or more] parties fight, and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other damage ensues, [the one responsible] shall be fined according as the woman’s husband may exact, the payment to be based on reckoning.fon reckoning In contrast to others “as the judges determine.”
If, however, that ox has been in the habit of goring, and its owner, though warned, has failed to guard it, and it kills a man or a woman—the ox shall be stoned and its owner, too, shall be put to death.
If, however, it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring, and its owner has failed to guard it, [that party] must restore ox for ox, but shall keep the dead animal.
gThis verse is labeled as 22.1 in some editions. When someone steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, five oxen shall be paid for the ox, and four sheep for the sheep.—
If the sun had already risen, there is bloodguilt in that case.—[The thief] must make restitution, and if lacking the means, shall be sold for the theft.
When someone who owns livestock lets it loose to graze in another’s land, and so allows a field or a vineyard to be grazed bare, restitution must be made for the impairmentbimpairment Lit. “excellence.” of that field or vineyard.
When a fire is started and spreads to thorns, so that stacked, standing, or growingcgrowing Lit. “field.” grain is consumed, the one who started the fire must make restitution.
(In all charges of misappropriation—pertaining to an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other loss, whereof one party alleges, “This is it”—the case of both parties shall come before God: the one whom God declares guilty shall pay double to the other.)
When one person gives to another a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to guard, and it dies or is injured or is carried off, with no witness about,
an oath before GOD shall decide between the two of them that the one has not laid hands on the property of the other; the owner must acquiesce, and no restitution shall be made.
If a man seduces a virgin for whom the bride-price has not been paid,ethe bride-price has not been paid So that she is unmarried; cf. Deut. 20.7; 22.23ff. and lies with her, he must make her his wife by payment of a bride-price.
it is the only available clothing—it is what covers their skin. In what else shall they sleep? Therefore, if [your neighbor] cries out to Me, I will pay heed, for I am compassionate.
You shall not put off the skimming of the first yield of your vats.iput off the skimming of the first yield of your vats Meaning of Heb. uncertain. You shall give Me the male first-born among your children.
You shall do the same with your cattle and your flocks: seven days their male first-bornjtheir male first-born Heb. “it.” shall remain with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.
You shall neither side with the mightyamighty In contrast to others “multitude.” to do wrong—you shall not give perverse testimony in a dispute so as to pervert it in favor of the mighty—
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3
וְדָ֕ל לֹ֥א תֶהְדַּ֖ר בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃
nor shall you show deference to a poor person in a dispute.
When you see the donkey of your enemy lying under its burden and would refrain from raisingbraising For this use of the verb ʻzb, cf. Neh. 3.8, 34. For the whole verse, see Deut. 22.4. it, you must nevertheless help raise it.
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6
לֹ֥א תַטֶּ֛ה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט אֶבְיֹנְךָ֖ בְּרִיבֽוֹ׃
You shall not subvert the rights of your needy in their disputes.
but in the seventh you shall let it rest and lie fallow. Let the needy among your people eat of it, and what they leave let the wild beasts eat. You shall do the same with your vineyards and your olive groves.
Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest, and that your home-born slave and the stranger may be refreshed.
You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days as I have commanded you—at the set time in the monthcin the month See note at 13.4. of Abib, for in it you went forth from Egypt; and none shall appear before Me empty-handed;
and the Feast of the Harvest, of the first fruits of your work, of what you sow in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in the results of your work from the field.
I am sending an angeldan angel Or “a messenger,” namely Moses; cf. Gersonides, Luzzatto. before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready.
When My angeleangel See note at v. 20. goes before you and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I annihilate them,
I will send forth My terror before you, and I will throw into panic all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn tailftail Lit. “back.” before you.
I will send a plaguegplague Meaning of Heb. ṣirʻah uncertain. Cf. Deut. 7.20. ahead of you, and it shall drive out before you the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites.
I will set your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of Philistia, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands, and you will drive them out before you.
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32
לֹֽא־תִכְרֹ֥ת לָהֶ֛ם וְלֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם בְּרִֽית׃
You shall make no covenant with them and their gods.
Moses went and repeated to the people all GOD’s commands and all the rules; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, “All the things that GOD has commanded we will do!”
Moses then wrote down all GOD’s commands.Early in the morning, he set up an altar at the foot of the mountain, with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
He designated some assistantsaassistants Or “young men.” among the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as offerings of well-being to GOD.
Then he took the record of the covenant and read it aloud to the people. And they said, “All that GOD has spoken we will faithfully do!”bwe will faithfully do Lit. “we will do and obey.”
Moses took the blood and dashed it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that GOD now makes with you concerning all these commands.”
Yet [God] did not raise a hand against the leaderscleaders Meaning of Heb. ʼaṣilim uncertain. of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.
GOD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and wait there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and commandments that I have inscribed to instruct them.”
To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you; let anyone who has a legal matter approach them.”
tanned ram skins,atanned ram skins In contrast to others “rams’ skins dyed red.” dolphinbdolphin Or “dugong,” or a certain hue of dyed cowhide leather; meaning of Heb. taḥash uncertain. skins, and acacia wood;
The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other, the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover.
There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you—from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the Ark of the Pact—all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people.
You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand shall be made of hammered work; its base and its shaft, its cups, calyxes, and petals shall be of one piece.
On one branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals, and on the next branch there shall be three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand.
a calyx, of one piece with it, under a pair of branches; and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the second pair of branches, and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the last pair of branches; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand.
As for the tabernacle,atabernacle Heb. mishkan refers here specifically to the lowest of the covers of the Tabernacle, and so its rendering is not capitalized. make it of ten strips of cloth; make these of fine twisted linen, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, with a design of cherubim worked into them.
Each plank shall have two tenons, parallelcparallel Meaning of Heb. meshullaboth uncertain. to each other; do the same with all the planks of the Tabernacle.
making forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under the one plank for its two tenons and two sockets under each following plank for its two tenons;
They shall match at the bottom, and terminate alike at the top inside one ring;eThey shall match … inside one ring Meaning of Heb. uncertain. thus shall it be with both of them: they shall form the two corners.
Thus there shall be eight planks with their sockets of silver: sixteen sockets, two sockets under the first plank, and two sockets under each of the other planks.
Hang the curtain under the clasps, and carry the Ark of the Pact there, behind the curtain, so that the curtain shall serve you as a partition between the Holy and the Holy of Holies.
Place the table outside the curtain, and the lampstand by the south wall of the Tabernacle opposite the table, which is to be placed by the north wall.
You shall make the enclosure of the Tabernacle:On the south side,asouth side Cf. note at 26.18. a hundred cubits of hangings of fine twisted linen for the length of the enclosure on that side—
Again a hundred cubits of hangings for its length along the north side—with its twenty posts and their twenty sockets of copper, the hooks and bands of the posts to be of silver.
and for the gate of the enclosure, a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen, done in embroidery, with their four posts and their four sockets.
The length of the enclosure shall be a hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout; and the height five cubits—[with hangings] of fine twisted linen. The sockets shall be of copper:
all the utensils of the Tabernacle,bof the Tabernacle I.e., of the outer enclosure. (Inside the tent, the furnishings are to be of gold.) for all its service, as well as all its pegs and all the pegs of the court, shall be of copper.
Aaron and his sons shall set them up in the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is over [the Ark of] the Pact, [to burn] from evening to morning before GOD. It shall be a due from the Israelites for all time, throughout the ages.
You shall bring forward your brother Aaron, with his sons, from among the Israelites, to serve Me as priests: Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron.
Next you shall instruct all who are skillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill,askillful, whom I have endowed with the gift of skill Lit. “wise of heart, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom.” to make Aaron’s vestments, for consecrating him to serve Me as priest.
These are the vestments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a fringedbfringed Meaning of Heb. uncertain. tunic, a headdress, and a sash. They shall make those sacral vestments for your brother Aaron and his sons, for priestly service to Me;
And the decorated band that is upon it shall be made like it, of one piece with it: of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.
attach the two stones to the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, as stones for remembrance of the Israelite people, whose names Aaron shall carry upon his two shoulder-pieces for remembrance before GOD.
You shall make a breastpiece of decision,cdecision See v. 30 below; in contrast to others “judgment.” worked into a design; make it in the style of the ephod: make it of gold, of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen.
Set in it mounted stones, in four rows of stones. The first row shall be a row ofdcarnelian, chrysolite,… The identity of several of the following twelve stones is uncertain. carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald;
The stones shall correspond [in number] to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, corresponding to their names. They shall be engraved like seals, each with its name, for the twelve tribes.
And make two other rings of gold and fasten them on the front of the ephod, low on the two shoulder-pieces, close to its seam above the decorated band.
The breastpiece shall be held in place by a cord of blue from its rings to the rings of the ephod, so that the breastpiece rests on the decorated band and does not come loose from the ephod.
Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel on the breastpiece of decision over his heart, when he enters the sanctuary, for remembrance before GOD at all times.
Inside the breastpiece of decision you shall place the Urim and Thummim,eUrim and Thummim Meaning of these two words uncertain. They designate a kind of oracle; cf. Num. 27.21. so that they are over Aaron’s heart when he comes before GOD. Thus Aaron shall carry the instrument of decision for the Israelites over his heart before GOD at all times.
The opening for the head shall be in the middle of it; the opening shall have a binding of woven work round about—it shall be like the opening of a coat of mail—so that it does not tear.
Aaron shall wear it while officiating, so that the sound of it is heard when he comes into the sanctuary before GOD and when he goes out—that he may not die.
It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may take away any sin arising from the holy things that the Israelites consecrate, from any of their sacred donations; it shall be on his forehead at all times, to win acceptance for them before GOD.
Put these on your brother Aaron and on his sons as well; anoint them, and ordain themfand ordain them Lit. “and fill their hands.” and consecrate them to serve Me as priests.
They shall be worn by Aaron and his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to officiate in the sanctuary, so that they do not incur punishment and die. It shall be a law for all time for him and for his offspring to come.
Then take the vestments, and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod.
and wind turbans upon them. And gird both Aaron and his sons with sashes. And so they shall have priesthood as their right for all time.You shall then ordain Aaron and his sons.
Take all the fat that covers the entrails, the protuberance on the liver, and the two kidneys with the fat on them, and turn them into smoke upon the altar.
Slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the ridgearidge Or “lobe.” of Aaron’s right ear and on the ridges of his sons’ right ears, and on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet; and dash the rest of the blood against every side of the altar round about.
Take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle upon Aaron and his vestments, and also upon his sons and his sons’ vestments. Thus shall he and his vestments be holy, as well as his sons and his sons’ vestments.
You shall take from the ram the fat parts—the broad tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the protuberance on the liver, the two kidneys with the fat on them—and the right thigh; for this is a ram of ordination.
Take them from their hands and turn them into smoke upon the altar with the burnt offering, as a pleasing odor before GOD; it is an offering by fire to GOD.
You shall consecrate the breast that was offered as an elevation offering and the thigh that was offered as a gift offering from the ram of ordination—from that which was Aaron’s and from that which was his sons’—
and those parts shall be a due for all time from the Israelites to Aaron and his sons. For they are a gift; and so shall they be a gift from the Israelites, their gift to GOD out of their sacrifices of well-being.
These things shall be eaten only by those for whom expiation was made with them when they were ordained and consecrated; they may not be eaten by a lay person, for they are holy.
And if any of the flesh of ordination, or any of the bread, is left until morning, you shall put what is left to the fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.
and each day you shall prepare a bull as a purgation offering for expiation; you shall purge the altar by performing purification upon it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it.
Seven days you shall perform purification for the altar to consecrate it, and the altar shall become most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become consecrated.
There shall be a tenth of a measure of choice flour with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil mixed in, and a libation of a quarter hin of wine for one lamb;
and you shall offer the other lamb at twilight, repeating with it the grain offering of the morning with its libation—an offering by fire for a pleasing odor to GOD,
a regular burnt offering throughout the generations, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before GOD.For there I will meet with you, and there I will speak with you,
And they shall know that I the ETERNAL am their God, who brought them out from the land of Egypt that I might abide among them—I, the ETERNAL, their God.
And make two gold rings for it under its molding; make them on its two side walls, on oppositeaopposite Lit. “its two.” sides. They shall serve as holders for poles with which to carry it.
Once a year Aaron shall perform purification upon its horns with blood of the purgation offering of purification; purification shall be performed upon it once a year throughout the ages. It is most holy to GOD.
When you take a census of the IsraelitesbIsraelites I.e., those qualified for the nation’s militia. according to their army enrollment, each shall pay GOD a ransom for himself on being enrolled, that no plague may come upon them through their being enrolled.
This is what everyone who is entered in the records shall pay: a half-shekel by the sanctuary weight—twenty gerahs to the shekel—a half-shekel as an offering to GOD.
You shall take the expiation money from the Israelites and assign it to the service of the Tent of Meeting; it shall serve the Israelites as a reminder before GOD, as expiation for your persons.
When they enter the Tent of Meeting they shall wash with water, that they may not die; or when they approach the altar to serve, to turn into smoke an offering by fire to GOD,
Next take choice spices: five hundred weight of solidifiedcsolidified In contrast to others “flowing.” myrrh, half as much—two hundred and fifty—of fragrant cinnamon, two hundred and fifty of aromatic cane,
Moreover, I have assigned to him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have also granted skill to all who are skillful, that they may make everything that I have commanded you:
the servicebservice In contrast to others “plaited.” vestments—the sacral vestments of Aaron the priest and the vestments of his sons—for their service as priests;
Speak to the Israelite people and say: Nevertheless, you must keep My sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that I GOD have consecrated you.
You shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy for you. One who profanes it shall be put to death: whoever does work on it, that person shall be cut off from among kin.
Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, holy to GOD; whoever does work on the sabbath day shall be put to death.
it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days GOD made heaven and earth, [before] ceasing from work and being refreshed on the seventh day.
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the peopleathe people Or the tribal or clan leaders, on the people’s behalf. gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for we do not know what has happened to Moses—the man who brought us from the land of Egypt.”
This he took from them and cast in a mold,bcast in a mold Cf. Zech. 11.13 (beth hayyoṣer, “foundry”); in contrast to others “fashioned it with a graving tool.” and made it into a molten calf. And they exclaimed, “This is your god,cThis is your god Lit. “These are your gods.” O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them. They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it and sacrificed to it, saying: ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”
But Moses implored the ETERNAL his God, saying, “Let not Your anger, O ETERNAL One, blaze forth against Your people, whom You delivered from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand.
Let not the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he delivered them, only to kill them off in the mountains and annihilate them from the face of the earth.’ Turn from Your blazing anger, and renounce the plan to punish Your people.
Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, how You swore to them by Your Self and said to them: I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your offspring this whole land of which I spoke, to possess forever.”
Thereupon Moses turned and went down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, tablets inscribed on both their surfaces: they were inscribed on the one side and on the other.
As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
Moses saw that the people were out of control—since Aaron had let them get out of control—so that they were a menaceda menace In contrast to others “an object of derision.” to any who might oppose them.
He said to them, “Thus says the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: Each of you put sword on thigh, go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay sibling, neighbor, and kin.”
And Moses said, “Dedicate yourselveseDedicate yourselves Lit. “fill your hands.” to GOD this day—for each of you has been against blood relationsfblood relations Lit. “son and brother.”—so that a blessing may be bestowed upon you today.”
Go now, lead the people where I told you. See, My angelgangel Heb. “messenger.” shall go before you. But when I make an accounting, I will bring them to account for their sins.”
Then GOD sent a plague upon the people, for what they did with the calf that Aaron made.hfor what they did with the calf that Aaron made Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
Then GOD said to Moses, “Set out from here, you and the people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring will I give it’—
GOD said to Moses, “Say to the Israelite people, ‘You are a stiffnecked people. If I were to go in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now, then, leave off your finery, and I will consider what to do to you.’”
Now Moses would take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp, at some distance from the camp. It was called the Tent of Meeting, and whoever sought GOD would go out to the Tent of Meeting that was outside the camp.
Whenever Moses went out to the Tent, all the people would rise and stand, at the entrance of each tent, and gaze after Moses until he had entered the Tent.
GOD would speak to Moses face to face, as one person speaks to another. And he would then return to the camp; but his attendant, Joshua son of Nun, [serving as] deputy,a[serving as] deputy Or “a youth.” would not stir out of the Tent.
Moses said to GOD, “See, You say to me, ‘Lead this people forward,’ but You have not made known to me whom You will send with me. Further, You have said, ‘I have singled you out by name, and you have, indeed, gained My favor.’
Now, if I have truly gained Your favor, pray let me know Your ways, that I may know You and continue in Your favor. Consider, too, that this nation is Your people.”
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14
וַיֹּאמַ֑ר פָּנַ֥י יֵלֵ֖כוּ וַהֲנִחֹ֥תִי לָֽךְ׃
And [God] said, “I will go in the lead and willbI will go in the lead and will Lit. “My face will go and I will.” lighten your burden.”
For how shall it be known that Your people have gained Your favor unless You go with us, so that we may be distinguished, Your people and I, from every people on the face of the earth?”
And [God] answered, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name GOD [יהוה],cיהוה See note at 6.3. and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show,”dand the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show Lit. “and I will grant the grace that I will grant and show the compassion that I will show.”
GOD said to Moses: “Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you shattered.
No one else shall come up with you, and no one else shall be seen anywhere on the mountain; neither shall the flocks and the herds graze at the foot of this mountain.”
So Moses carved two tablets of stone, like the first, and early in the morning he went up on Mount Sinai, as GOD had commanded him, taking the two stone tablets with him.
The ETERNAL passed before him and proclaimed: “GOD! GOD!band proclaimed: “GOD! GOD!…” Or “and GOD proclaimed: ‘GOD! a Deity compassionate…’”; cf. Num. 14.17–18. a Deity compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness,
extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin—yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”
and said, “If I have gained Your favor, O my Sovereign, pray, let my Sovereign go in our midst, even though this is a stiffnecked people. Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own!”
[God] said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will work such wonders as have not been wrought on all the earth or in any nation; and all the people who are with youcwho are with you Lit. “in whose midst you are.” shall see how awesome are GOD’s deeds that I will perform for you.
Mark well what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
You must not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for they will lust after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and invite you, and you will eat of their sacrifices.
And when you take wives from among their daughters for your sons, their daughters will lust after their gods and will cause your sons to lust after their gods.
You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread—eating unleavened bread for seven days, as I have commanded you—at the set time of the montheof the month See note at 13.4. of Abib, for in the month of Abib you went forth from Egypt.
Every first issue of the womb is Mine, from all your livestock that drop a malefmale Heb. tizzakhar, form uncertain. as firstling, whether cattle or sheep.
But the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a sheep; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. And you must redeem every male first-born among your children.None shall appear before Me empty-handed.
I will drive out nations from your path and enlarge your territory; no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before the ETERNAL your God three times a year.
You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with anything leavened; and the sacrifice of the Feast of Passover shall not be left lying until morning.
And he was there with GOD forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water; and he wrote down on the tablets the terms of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
So Moses came down from Mount Sinai. And as Moses came down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, Moses was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with God.
Whenever Moses went in before GOD to converse, he would leave the veil off until he came out; and when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,
Moses then convoked the whole Israelite communityawhole Israelite community Or the leadership, on everyone’s behalf. and said to them:These are the things that GOD has commanded you to do:
On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to GOD; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.
Take from among you gifts to GOD; everyone whose heart is so moved shall bring them—gifts for GOD:bOn the list that follows, see 25.4–7 and the notes there. gold, silver, and copper;
And everyone who excelled in ability and everyone whose spirit was moved came, bringing to GOD an offering for the work of the Tent of Meeting and for all its service and for the sacral vestments.
Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to GOD, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendantsdpendants Meaning of Heb. kumaz uncertain; cf. Num. 31.50.—gold objects of all kinds.
everyone who would make gifts of silver or copper brought them as gifts for GOD; and everyone who possessed acacia wood for any work of the service brought that.
Thus the Israelites, all the men and women whose hearts moved them to bring anything for the work that GOD, through Moses, had commanded to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to GOD.
have been endowed with the skill to do any work—of the carver, the designer, the embroiderer in blue, purple, crimson yarns, and in fine linen, and of the weaver—as workers in all crafts and as makers of designs.
Let, then, Bezalel and Oholiab and all the skilled persons whom GOD has endowed with skill and ability to perform expertly all the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary carry out all that GOD has commanded.
Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every skilled person whom GOD had endowed with skill, everyone who excelled in ability, to undertake the task and carry it out.
They took over from Moses all the gifts that the Israelites had brought, to carry out the tasks connected with the service of the sanctuary. But when these continued to bring freewill offerings to him morning after morning,
Moses thereupon had this proclamation made throughout the camp: “Not a single man or woman should make further effort toward gifts for the sanctuary!” So the people stopped bringing:
Then all the skilled among those engaged in the work made the tabernacle of ten strips of cloth, which they made of fine twisted linen, blue, purple, and crimson yarns; into these they worked a design of cherubim.
And they made fifty gold clasps and coupled the unitsaunits Lit. “strip of cloth,” here used collectively. to one another with the clasps, so that the tabernacle became one whole.
making forty silver sockets under the twenty planks, two sockets under one plank for its two tenons and two sockets under each following plank for its two tenons;
They matched at the bottom, but terminated as one at the top into one ring;eThey matched … one ring See note at 26.24. they did so with both of them at the two corners.
five bars for the planks of the other side wall of the Tabernacle, and five bars for the planks of the wall of the Tabernacle at the rear, to the west;
The cherubim had their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They faced each other; the faces of the cherubim were turned toward the cover.
He made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand—its base and its shaft—of hammered work; its cups, calyxes, and petals were of one piece with it.
There were three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on one branch; and there were three cups shaped like almond-blossoms, each with calyx and petals, on the next branch; so for all six branches issuing from the lampstand.
a calyx, of one piece with it, under a pair of branches; and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the second pair of branches; and a calyx, of one piece with it, under the last pair of branches; so for all six branches issuing from it.
He made the laver of copper and its stand of copper, from the mirrors of the women who performed tasksawomen who performed tasks Precise nuance of Heb. ṣoveʼot ʼasher ṣaveʼu uncertain. at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
and fifteen cubits of hangings on the other flank—on each side of the gate of the enclosurecenclosure Which accounts for the remaining 20 cubits; cf. v. 18.—with their three posts and their three sockets.
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16
כׇּל־קַלְעֵ֧י הֶחָצֵ֛ר סָבִ֖יב שֵׁ֥שׁ מׇשְׁזָֽר׃
All the hangings around the enclosure were of fine twisted linen.
The sockets for the posts were of copper, the hooks and bands of the posts were of silver, the overlay of their tops was of silver; all the posts of the enclosure were banded with silver.—
The screen of the gate of the enclosure, done in embroidery, was of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen. It was twenty cubits long. Its height—or width—was five cubits, like that ofdIts height—or width—was five cubits, like that of Meaning of Heb. uncertain. the hangings of the enclosure.
These are the records of the Tabernacle, the Tabernacle of the Pact, that were drawn up at Moses’ bidding—the work of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.
at his side was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, carver and designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson yarns and in fine linen.
All the gold that was used for the work, in all the work of the sanctuary—the elevation offering of gold—came to 29 talentsetalents A talent here equals 3,000 shekels. and 730 shekels by the sanctuary weight.
a half-shekelfhalf-shekel Heb. beqaʻ. a head, half a shekel by the sanctuary weight, for each one who was entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, 603,550 men.
The 100 talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the sanctuary and the sockets for the curtain, 100 sockets to the 100 talents, a talent a socket.
the sockets of the enclosure round about and the sockets of the gate of the enclosure; and all the pegs of the Tabernacle and all the pegs of the enclosure round about.
Of the blue, purple, and crimson yarns they alsoaalso See 36.8. made the service vestments for officiating in the sanctuary; they made Aaron’s sacral vestments—as GOD had commanded Moses.
The ephod was madebwas made Here and elsewhere in this chapter, the singular active verb (lit. “he made”) is used impersonally. of gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen.
The decorated band that was upon it was made like it, of one piece with it; of gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and fine twisted linen—as GOD had commanded Moses.
The stones corresponded [in number] to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, corresponding to their names; engraved like seals, each with its name, for the twelve tribes.
They made two other rings of gold and fastened them on the front of the ephod, low on the two shoulder-pieces, close to its seam above the decorated band.
The breastpiece was held in place by a cord of blue from its rings to the rings of the ephod, so that the breastpiece rested on the decorated band and did not come loose from the ephod—as GOD had commanded Moses.
the hangings of the enclosure, its posts and its sockets, the screen for the gate of the enclosure, its cords and its pegs—all the furnishings for the service of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting;
and anoint them as you have anointed their father, that they may serve Me as priests. This their anointing shall serve them for everlasting priesthood throughout the ages.
and brought the ark inside the Tabernacle. Then he put up the curtain for screening, and screened off the Ark of the Pact—just as GOD had commanded Moses.
At the entrance of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting he placed the altar of burnt offering. On it he offered up the burnt offering and the grain offering—as GOD had commanded Moses.
For over the Tabernacle a cloud of GOD rested by day, while fire would appear in that cloudathat cloud Heb. “it.” by night—in the view of all the house of Israel throughout their journeys.