The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 God spoke to Moses: "Cut out two tablets of stone just like the originals and engrave on them the words that were on the original tablets you smashed.
1
Then the LORD told Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the same words that were on the tablets you smashed.
2 Be ready in the morning to climb Mount Sinai and get set to meet me on top of the mountain.
2
Be ready in the morning to climb up Mount Sinai and present yourself to me on the top of the mountain.
3 Not a soul is to go with you; the whole mountain must be clear of people, even animals - not even sheep or oxen can be grazing in front of the mountain."
3
No one else may come with you. In fact, no one is to appear anywhere on the mountain. Do not even let the flocks or herds graze near the mountain.”
4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone just like the originals. He got up early in the morning and climbed Mount Sinai as God had commanded him, carrying the two tablets of stone.
4
So Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning he climbed Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands.
5 God descended in the cloud and took up his position there beside him and called out the name, God.
5
Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh.
6 God passed in front of him and called out, "God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient - so much love, so deeply true -
6
The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD ! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7 loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn't ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father's sins to the third and even fourth generation."
7
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”
8 At once, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped,
8
Moses immediately threw himself to the ground and worshiped.
9 saying, "Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us."
9
And he said, “O Lord, if it is true that I have found favor with you, then please travel with us. Yes, this is a stubborn and rebellious people, but please forgive our iniquity and our sins. Claim us as your own special possession.”
10 And God said, "As of right now, I'm making a covenant with you: In full sight of your people I will work wonders that have never been created in all the Earth, in any nation. Then all the people with whom you're living will see how tremendous God's work is, the work I'll do for you.
10
The LORD replied, “Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the LORD —the awesome power I will display for you.
11 Take careful note of all I command you today. I'm clearing your way by driving out Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
11
But listen carefully to everything I command you today. Then I will go ahead of you and drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
12 Stay vigilant. Don't let down your guard lest you make covenant with the people who live in the land that you are entering and they trip you up.
12
“Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped.
13 "Tear down their altars, smash their phallic pillars, chop down their fertility poles.
13
Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.
14 Don't worship any other god. God - his name is The-Jealous-One - is a jealous God.
14
You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.
15 Be careful that you don't make a covenant with the people who live in the land and take up with their sex-and-religion life, join them in meals at their altars,
15
“You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them.
16 marry your sons to their women, women who take up with any convenient god or goddess and will get your sons to do the same thing.
16
Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods.
17 "Don't make molten gods for yourselves.
17
You must not make any gods of molten metal for yourselves.
18 "Keep the Feast of Unraised Bread. Eat only unraised bread for seven days in the month of Abib - it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.
18
“You must celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Celebrate this festival annually at the appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib, for that is the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.
19 "Every firstborn from the womb is mine, all the males of your herds, your firstborn oxen and sheep.
19
“The firstborn of every animal belongs to me, including the firstborn males from your herds of cattle and your flocks of sheep and goats.
20 "Redeem your firstborn donkey with a lamb. If you don't redeem it you must break its neck. "Redeem each of your firstborn sons. "No one is to show up in my presence empty-handed.
20
A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the LORD by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son. “No one may appear before me without an offering.
21 "Work six days and rest the seventh. Stop working even during plowing and harvesting.
21
“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.
22 "Keep the Feast of Weeks with the first cutting of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
22
“You must celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first crop of the wheat harvest, and celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the harvest season.
23 "All your men are to appear before the Master, the God of Israel, three times a year.
23
Three times each year every man in Israel must appear before the Sovereign, the LORD, the God of Israel.
24 You won't have to worry about your land when you appear before your God three times each year, for I will drive out the nations before you and give you plenty of land. Nobody's going to be hanging around plotting ways to get it from you.
24
I will drive out the other nations ahead of you and expand your territory, so no one will covet and conquer your land while you appear before the LORD your God three times each year.
25 "Don't mix the blood of my sacrifices with anything fermented. "Don't leave leftovers from the Passover Feast until morning.
25
“You must not offer the blood of my sacrificial offerings together with any baked goods containing yeast. And none of the meat of the Passover sacrifice may be kept over until the next morning.
26 "Bring the finest of the firstfruits of your produce to the house of your God. "Don't boil a kid in its mother's milk."
26
“As you harvest your crops, bring the very best of the first harvest to the house of the LORD your God. “You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
27 God said to Moses: "Now write down these words, for by these words I've made a covenant with you and Israel."
27
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write down all these instructions, for they represent the terms of the covenant I am making with you and with Israel.”
28 Moses was there with God forty days and forty nights. He didn't eat any food; he didn't drink any water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
28
Moses remained there on the mountain with the LORD forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the LORD wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments —on the stone tablets.
29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai carrying the two Tablets of The Testimony, he didn't know that the skin of his face glowed because he had been speaking with God.
29
When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD .
30 Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, saw his radiant face, and held back, afraid to get close to him.
30
So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.
31 Moses called out to them. Aaron and the leaders in the community came back and Moses talked with them.
31
But Moses called out to them and asked Aaron and all the leaders of the community to come over, and he talked with them.
32 Later all the Israelites came up to him and he passed on the commands, everything that God had told him on Mount Sinai.
32
Then all the people of Israel approached him, and Moses gave them all the instructions the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face,
33
When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil.
34 but when he went into the presence of God to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,
34
But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the LORD had given him,
35 they would see Moses' face, its skin glowing, and then he would again put the veil on his face until he went back in to speak with God.
35
and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the LORD .
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.