Exodus 24

And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

1The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me. Bring Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu with you. Bring seventy of Israel's leaders too. All of you must worship from far away."

2And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

2"Only Moses may come close to me. The others must stay back. The people must not come up the mountain at all."

3And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

3Moses came and told the people everything the LORD had said. He told them all of God's rules. All the people answered together, "We will do everything the LORD said."

4And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

4Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up. He built an altar at the bottom of the mountain. An altar is a stone table for giving gifts to God. He also set up twelve stone posts, one for each family group of Israel.

5And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

5He sent some young men of Israel to bring gifts to God. They burned whole animals as gifts to the LORD. They also gave young bulls as peace offerings, gifts that are shared as a meal.

6And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.

6Moses took half of the blood and poured it into bowls. He splashed the other half on the altar.

7And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.

7Then he took the book of the agreement and read it out loud to the people. They said, "We will do all that the LORD said. We will obey."

8And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

8Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people. He said, "This is the blood of the agreement. The LORD has made this agreement with you, and these are its words."

9Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

9Then Moses went up the mountain. Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu went with him. Seventy of Israel's leaders went too.

10And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a floor of blue stone. It was as clear and bright as the sky itself.

11And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

11God did not raise his hand against these leaders of Israel. They saw God, and they ate and drank.

Note"He laid not his hand" on them is an old way of saying God did not hurt them.

12And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

12The LORD said to Moses, "Come up the mountain to me and stay here. I will give you flat stones. I have written the law and the commands on them. Then you can teach them to the people."

NoteThe old words "tables of stone" mean flat pieces of stone to write on, not tables you sit at.

13And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.

13So Moses got up, and so did Joshua his helper. Moses went up the mountain of God.

NoteHere "minister" means a helper or servant. It does not mean a church leader.

14And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

14Moses said to the leaders, "Wait here for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has an argument, he can go to them."

15And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.

15Moses went up the mountain, and a cloud covered it.

16And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

16The bright glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai. The cloud covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh day God called to Moses from inside the cloud.

17And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

17The people of Israel watched from below. To them, the glory of the LORD looked like a burning fire on top of the mountain.

18And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

18Moses went into the middle of the cloud and climbed higher up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.