New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 The Lord said to Moses, "Go, leave this place, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "To your descendants I will give it.'
1
And the Lord said to Moses, Go forward from this place, you and the people whom you have taken up out of the land of Egypt, to that land about which I made an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your seed will I give it.
2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
2
And I will send an angel before you, driving out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite:
3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people."
3
Go up to that land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, for fear that I send destruction on you while you are on the way.
4 When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments.
4
Hearing this bad news the people were full of grief, and no one put on his ornaments.
5 For the Lord had said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, "You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.' "
5
And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, You are a stiff-necked people: if I come among you, even for a minute, I will send destruction on you; so take off all your ornaments, so that I may see what to do with you.
6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.
6
So the children of Israel took off their ornaments at Mount Horeb, and did not put them on again.
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp.
7
Now it was Moses' way to put up the Tent of meeting outside the tent-circle, at some distance away; giving it the name of The Tent of meeting. And everyone desiring to make his prayer to the Lord went to the Tent of meeting outside the tent-circle.
8 Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent.
8
And whenever Moses went out to the Tent of meeting, all the people got up and everyone went to the door of his tent, looking after Moses till he went inside the Tent.
9 When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.
9
And whenever Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud came down, and took its place by the door of the Tent, as long as the Lord was talking with Moses.
10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, all of them, at the entrance of their tent.
10
And all the people saw the cloud at the door of the Tent, and they went down on their faces, everyone at the door of his tent.
11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent.
11
And the Lord had talk with Moses face to face, as a man may have talk with his friend. And when Moses came back to the tents, his servant, the young man Joshua, the son of Nun, did not come away from the Tent.
12 Moses said to the Lord, "See, you have said to me, "Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.'
12
And Moses said to the Lord, See, you say to me, Be this people's guide on their journey, but you have not made clear to me whom you will send with me. But you have said, I have knowledge of you by name, and you have grace in my eyes.
13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people."
13
If then I have grace in your eyes, let me see your ways, so that I may have knowledge of you and be certain of your grace; and my prayer is that you will keep in mind that this nation is your people.
14 He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
14
And he said, I myself will go with you and give you rest.
15 And he said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.
15
And Moses said, If you yourself are not going with us, do not send us on from here.
16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth."
16
For is not the fact of your going with us the sign that I and this people have grace in your eyes, so that we, that is, I and your people, are separate from all other people on the face of the earth?
17 The Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."
17
And the Lord said to Moses, I will do as you say: for you have grace in my eyes, and I have knowledge of you by your name.
18 Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray."
18
And Moses said, O Lord, let me see your glory.
19 And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, "The Lord'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
19
And he said, I will make all the light of my being come before you, and will make clear to you what I am; I will be kind to those to whom I will be kind, and have mercy on those on whom I will have mercy.
20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live."
20
But it is not possible for you to see my face, for no man may see me and still go on living.
21 And the Lord continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock;
21
And the Lord said, See, there is a place near me, and you may take your place on the rock:
22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;
22
And when my glory goes by, I will put you in a hole in the rock, covering you with my hand till I have gone past:
23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."
23
Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back: but my face is not to be seen.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.