Exodus 17–19

1All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, starting according to Yahweh’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.

2Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?”

3The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

4Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5Yahweh said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go.

6Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

7He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us, or not?”

8Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us, and go out to fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with God’s rod in my hand.”

10So Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

11When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12But Moses’ hands were heavy; so they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side. His hands were steady until sunset.

13Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14Yahweh said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sky.”

15Moses built an altar, and called its name “Yahweh our Banner”.

16He said, “Yah has sworn: ‘Yahweh will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.’”

1Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her away,

3and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land”.

4The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh’s sword.”

5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with Moses’ sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

6He said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her.”

7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.

8Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them.

9Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10Jethro said, “Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the way that they treated people arrogantly.”

12Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

13On the next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.

14When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, “What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?”

15Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

16When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.”

17Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.

18You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.

19Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.

20You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.

21Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

22Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.

23If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”

24So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

25Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

27Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.

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

2When they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.

3Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, “This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:

4‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to myself.

5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among 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 which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

7Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yahweh commanded him.

8All the people answered together, and said, “All that Yahweh has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to Yahweh.

9Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh.

10Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,

11and be ready for the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.

12You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death.

13No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.”

14Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

15He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”

16On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.

17Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lower part of the mountain.

18All of Mount Sinai smoked, because Yahweh descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

19When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

20Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish.

22Let the priests also, who come near to Yahweh, sanctify themselves, lest Yahweh break out on them.”

23Moses said to Yahweh, “The people can’t come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify it.’”

24Yahweh said to him, “Go down! You shall bring Aaron up with you, but don’t let the priests and the people break through to come up to Yahweh, lest he break out against them.”

25So Moses went down to the people, and told them.