17:1 1 The whole community 2 of the Israelites traveled on their journey 3 from the Desert of Sin according to the Lord’s instruction, and they pitched camp in Rephidim. 4 Now 5 there was no water for the people to drink. 6 17:2 So the people contended 7 with Moses, and they said, “Give us water to drink!” 8 Moses said to them, “Why do you contend 9 with me? Why do you test 10 the Lord?” 17:3 But the people were very thirsty 11 there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world 12 did you bring us up out of Egypt – to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” 13
17:4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What will I do with 14 this people? – a little more 15 and they will stone me!” 16 17:5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go over before the people; 17 take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile and go. 17:6 I will be standing 18 before you there on 19 the rock in Horeb, and you will strike 20 the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink.” 21 And Moses did so in plain view 22 of the elders of Israel.
17:7 He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the Lord, 23 saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
17:8 24 Amalek came 25 and attacked 26 Israel in Rephidim. 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our 27 men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
17:10 So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him; 28 and Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 17:11 Whenever Moses would raise his hands, 29 then Israel prevailed, but whenever he would rest 30 his hands, then Amalek prevailed. 17:12 When 31 the hands of Moses became heavy, 32 they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other, 33 and so his hands were steady 34 until the sun went down. 17:13 So Joshua destroyed 35 Amalek and his army 36 with the sword. 37
17:14 The Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in the 38 book, and rehearse 39 it in Joshua’s hearing; 40 for I will surely wipe out 41 the remembrance 42 of Amalek from under heaven. 17:15 Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,” 43 17:16 for he said, “For a hand was lifted up to the throne of the Lord 44 – that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” 45
18:1 46 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, that 47 the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 48
18:2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her back, 18:3 and her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (for Moses 49 had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land”), 18:4 and the other Eliezer (for Moses had said, 50 “The God of my father has been my help 51 and delivered 52 me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
18:5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ 53 sons and his wife, came to Moses in the desert where he was camping by 54 the mountain of God. 55 18:6 He said 56 to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons with her.” 18:7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him; 57 they each asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent. 18:8 Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt for Israel’s sake, and all the hardship 58 that had come on them 59 along the way, and how 60 the Lord had delivered them.
18:9 Jethro rejoiced 61 because of all the good that the Lord had done for Israel, whom he had delivered from the hand of Egypt. 18:10 Jethro said, “Blessed 62 be the Lord who has delivered you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of Pharaoh, who has delivered the people from the Egyptians’ control! 63 18:11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for in the thing in which they dealt proudly against them he has destroyed them.” 64 18:12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought 65 a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, 66 and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat food 67 with the father-in-law of Moses before God.
18:13 On the next day 68 Moses sat to judge 69 the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. 18:14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this 70 that you are doing for the people? 71 Why are you sitting by yourself, and all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”
18:15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire 72 of God. 18:16 When they have a dispute, 73 it comes to me and I decide 74 between a man and his neighbor, and I make known the decrees of God and his laws.” 75
18:17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What 76 you are doing is not good! 18:18 You will surely wear out, 77 both you and these people who are with you, for this is too 78 heavy a burden 79 for you; you are not able to do it by yourself. 18:19 Now listen to me, 80 I will give you advice, and may God be with you: You be a representative for the people to God, 81 and you bring 82 their disputes 83 to God; 18:20 warn 84 them of the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they must walk 85 and the work they must do. 86 18:21 But you choose 87 from the people capable men, 88 God-fearing, 89 men of truth, 90 those who hate bribes, 91 and put them over the people 92 as rulers 93 of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 18:22 They will judge 94 the people under normal circumstances, 95 and every difficult case 96 they will bring to you, but every small case 97 they themselves will judge, so that 98 you may make it easier for yourself, 99 and they will bear the burden 100 with you. 18:23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, 101 then you will be able 102 to endure, 103 and all these people 104 will be able to go 105 home 106 satisfied.” 107
18:24 Moses listened to 108 his father-in-law and did everything he had said. 18:25 Moses chose capable men from all Israel, and he made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 18:26 They judged the people under normal circumstances; the difficult cases they would bring 109 to Moses, but every small case they would judge themselves.
18:27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, 110 and so Jethro 111 went 112 to his own land. 113
19:1 114 In the third month after the Israelites went out 115 from the land of Egypt, on the very day, 116 they came to the Desert of Sinai. 19:2 After they journeyed 117 from Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 118
19:3 Moses 119 went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people 120 of Israel: 19:4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings 121 and brought you to myself. 122 19:5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me 123 and keep 124 my covenant, then you will be my 125 special possession 126 out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, 19:6 and you will be to me 127 a kingdom of priests 128 and a holy nation.’ 129 These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
19:7 So Moses came and summoned the elders of Israel. He set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him, 19:8 and all the people answered together, “All that the Lord has commanded we will do!” 130 So Moses brought the words of the people back to the Lord.
19:9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come 131 to you in a dense cloud, 132 so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.” 133 And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
19:10 The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them 134 today and tomorrow, and make them wash 135 their clothes 19:11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 19:12 You must set boundaries 136 for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed 137 to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! 19:13 No hand will touch him 138 – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being; 139 he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may 140 go up on the mountain.”
19:14 Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 19:15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” 141
19:16 On 142 the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense 143 cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud 144 horn; 145 all the people who were in the camp trembled. 19:17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. 19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, 146 and the whole mountain shook 147 violently. 19:19 When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, 148 Moses was speaking 149 and God was answering him with a voice. 150
19:20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 19:21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn 151 the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish. 152 19:22 Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through 153 against them.”
19:23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, 154 ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’” 155 19:24 The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.” 19:25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. 156