He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” ¹ 

biblegateway Exo 19:15

He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."

He said to the people, "Be prepared by the third day. Do not have sexual relations with women."

Then Moses said to the people, "Be ready two days from now. Don’t disqualify yourselves by having sexual intercourse."

biblegateway Exo 19:15

Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations."

And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."

bibleoremus Exo 19:15

And he said to the people, "Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman."

He said, “Be ready by the third day; do not go near a woman.”

biblegateway Exo 19:15

And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives."

And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at [your] wives.

biblegateway Exo 19:15

He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” ¹ 

¹ tn Heb “do not go near a woman”; NIV “Abstain from sexual relations.”

¹ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 537) notes that as the people were to approach him they were not to lose themselves in earthly love. Such separations prepared the people for meeting God. Sinai was like a bride, forbidden to anyone else. Abstinence was the spiritual preparation for coming into the presence of the Holy One.