Book of Exodus

The second book of the Pentateuch, which the Jews refer to by its opening words: V^e‘'they^eword, The Book of Exodus, which the Septuagint and subsequently the Vulgate call Exodus (ἔξοδος, Exodus), meaning "departure, departure," recounts the circumstances in which the Hebrews, after having multiplied remarkably in Egypt, abandoned that land which had suddenly become inhospitable. However, this is only part of the subject, for Exodus also explains, in great detail, how the theocratic covenant was established at Sinai. 

This book is closely linked to Genesis ; It begins where it ends, with the death of Joseph. Only, the genre is no longer the same. Genesis contains a series of patriarchal biographies and ancient genealogical charts; here we read the history of a fully formed nation. Genesis offered promises and hopes; here we are witnessing the first fulfillment of those promises. 

The Book of Exodus covers the 360 years between the death of Joseph and the erection of the tabernacle (a little over a year after the Exodus from Egypt). But the narrative glosses over most of this period (chapters 1 and 2); 38 out of 40 chapters (3-40) are devoted to the events of the last two years, the one preceding and the one immediately following the Exodus.

We do not find in Exodus the formulas by which the sacred writer himself had so ostentatiously divided the periods described in Book of Genesis; Nevertheless, the subject matter can be divided quite well into three parts: 1° the events prior to the exodus from Egypt, 1, 1-12, 36; 2° the exodus itself, 12, 37-18, 27; 3° the covenant made at Sinai, 19, 1-40, 36. The first two parts are historical, and describe the marvelous redemption of Israel; the third is mainly legal, and sets forth the legislation of Sinai in its essential points.

The importance of the Book of Exodus This is evident from the preceding brief account. With it, the history of revelation enters a completely new era. Israel, which was once merely a family (Gen. 50:22), suddenly appears to us as a people numbering two million souls, with its leaders, its priesthood, its worship, its special laws: the theocracy is established. Even if Exodus contained only the Decalogue, it would offer an extraordinary religious and moral perspective.

The wide variety of subjects – history, geography, legislation, fine arts, religion – further enhances the importance of the book.

Exodus 1

¹ These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; they came there with Jacob, each with his family: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, ³ Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, ⁴ Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Aser. ⁵ All the descendants of Jacob numbered seventy, and Joseph was already in Egypt. ⁶ Joseph died, as did all his brothers and that entire generation. ⁷ The children of Israel were fruitful and multiplied, they became numerous and very powerful, and the land was filled with them. ⁸ A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. ⁹ He said to his people, «Behold, the children of Israel are a people greater in number and mightier than we are. ¹⁰ Come now. Let us take precautions against it, lest it increase in number, and, if war breaks out, join our enemies to fight us, and then leave the country.» ¹¹ The Egyptians therefore established taskmasters over Israel to burden them with arduous labor. This is how they built cities to serve as storehouses for Pharaoh, namely Pithom and Ramses. ¹² But the more they oppressed it, the more it multiplied and increased, and the children of Israel came to abhor it. ¹³ The Egyptians forced the children of Israel to work, ¹⁴ They made their lives bitter with hard labor, mortar, bricks, and all kinds of field work, all the work which they imposed on them harshly. ¹⁵ The king of Egypt also spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Zipporah, and the other Phua. ¹⁶ He told them, «When you give birth women of the Hebrews, and when you see them on the two stones, if it is a son, put him to death; if it is a daughter, she may live.» ¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. ¹⁸ The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you acted this way, and let the boys live?"« ¹⁹ The midwives replied to Pharaoh: "That's because women "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women: they are vigorous, and they give birth before the midwife arrives."» ²⁰ And God was kind to the midwives, and the people became numerous and exceedingly strong. ²¹ Because the midwives had feared God, God made their house prosper. ²² Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: «You shall throw into the river every son that is born, but you shall let all the daughters live.»

Exodus 2

¹ A man from the house of Levi had gone and taken a daughter of Levi as his wife. ² This woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Seeing that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. ³ Since she could no longer keep him hidden, she took a rush box and, having coated it with bitumen and pitch, she put the child in it and laid it among the reeds on the bank of the river. ⁴ The child's sister stood at some distance to find out what would happen to him. ⁵ Pharaoh's daughter went down to the river to bathe, and her companions strolled along the riverbank. Having spotted the chest among the reeds, she sent her servant to retrieve it. ⁶ She opened it and saw the child: it was a little boy crying, and she felt sorry for him and said, "This is a Hebrew child."« ⁷ Then the child's sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Do you want me to go and get you a wet nurse from among them?" women "Hebrews to breastfeed this child?"» ⁸ «"Go," said Pharaoh's daughter, and the girl went to find the child's mother. ⁹ Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." The woman took the child and nursed him. ¹⁰ When he had grown up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became like a son to her. She named him Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water."« ¹¹ At that time, Moses, having grown up, went out to his brothers, and he witnessed their hard labors; he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brothers. ¹² Having looked this way and that, and seeing that there was no one there, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ He went out again the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were quarreling. He said to the guilty one, «Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?» ¹⁴ And the man replied, «Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?» Moses was afraid and said, «Surely this is known.» ¹⁵ Pharaoh, having learned what had happened, sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and withdrew to the land of Midian, and sat down by the well. ¹⁶ The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds arrived and drove them away, so Moses stood up, defended them, and watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they returned to Raguel, their father, he said, "Why have you come back so early today?"« ¹⁹ They replied, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds, and even drew water for us and gave the flock a drink."« ²⁰ He said to his daughters, "Where is he? Why did you leave that man? Call him back so he can have some food."« ²¹ Moses agreed to stay with this man, who gave him his daughter Zipporah as a wife. ²² She gave birth to a son, whom he named Gersam, "for," he said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land."» ²³ During those long days, the king of Egypt died. The children of Israel, still groaning under their bondage, cried out, and these cries, torn from them by their bondage, rose up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning, and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ God looked at the children of Israel and recognized them.

Exodus 3

¹ Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock beyond the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. ² The angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from the midst of the bush. And Moses saw that the bush was on fire, yet it was not consumed. ³ Moses said, "I want to take a detour to consider this great vision, and see why the bush is not burned."« ⁴ The Lord saw that he turned away to look, and God called to him from the midst of the bush, and said, «Moses. Moses.» He answered, «Here I am.» ⁵ God said, «Do not come near this place; take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.» ⁶ He added, «I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.» Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. ⁷ The Lord said: «I have indeed seen the suffering of my people who are in Egypt, and I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, for I know their pains. ⁸ I have come down to deliver him from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring him up out of that land into a fertile and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live. ⁹ And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression which the Egyptians are inflicting upon them. ¹⁰ And now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out.» ¹¹ Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"« ¹² God said, «I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.» ¹³ Moses said to God, «I will go to the Israelites and say to them, »The God of your ancestors has sent me to you.’ If they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ then what shall I tell them?” ¹⁴And God said to Moses, «I am who I am.» And he added, «This is what you are to say to the children of Israel: »He who is has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also said to Moses: «Say this to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my remembrance throughout all generations.”. ¹⁶ Go, gather the elders of Israel and tell them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to me, saying: I have visited you, I have seen what is being done to you in Egypt, ¹⁷ And I said, I will bring you up out of Egypt, where you are oppressed, to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey. ¹⁸ They will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, “The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has come to us. Now let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.”. ¹⁹ I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, except by force of a powerful hand. ²⁰ I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of wonders that I will perform in the midst of it, after which he will let you go. ²¹ I will even make this people find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, and when you leave, you will not leave empty-handed. ²² But each woman will ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing to put on your sons and daughters. And you will plunder Egypt.»

Exodus 4

¹ Moses replied, saying, "They will not believe me or listen to my voice, but will say, 'The Lord did not appear to you.'"« ² The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He replied, "A staff."« ³ And the Lord said, «Throw it on the ground.» So he threw it on the ground, and the staff became a snake, and Moses ran from it. ⁴ The Lord said to Moses, «Stretch out your hand and take hold of it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and the snake became a staff in his hand., ⁵ so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.» ⁶ The Lord said to him again, «Put your hand inside your bosom.» He put his hand inside his bosom, then took it out, and behold, it was covered with leprosy, white as snow. ⁷ The Lord said, «Put your hand back into your bosom,” and he put his hand back into his bosom, then he took it out again, and behold, it was restored to its original form. ⁸ If they do not believe you and if they do not listen to the voice of the first sign, they will believe the voice of the second. ⁹ And if they do not believe even in these two signs and do not listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the river and pour it on the ground, and the water you take from the river will turn into blood on the ground.» ¹⁰ Moses said to the Lord, «Ah, Lord, I am not a man of eloquent speech, and this has been the case from yesterday and the day before, and even since you have been speaking to your servant, I have found it very difficult to express myself.» ¹¹ The Lord said to him, «Who gave man his mouth, and who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” ¹² Go then, I will be with your mouth and I will teach you what you should say.» ¹³ Moses said, "Ah, Lord, send your message by whomever you wish to send it."« ¹⁴ Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, «Is not Aaron, your brother the Levite? I know that he will speak well. Indeed, he is coming to meet you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart.”. ¹⁵ You will speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you must do. ¹⁶ He will speak for you to the people, he will be your spokesperson, and you will be like a god to him. ¹⁷ As for this staff, take it in your hand; this is what you will use to make the signs.» ¹⁸ Moses went away. When he returned to Jethro, his father-in-law, he said to him, «Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see if they are still alive.» Jethro said to Moses, «Go in peace.» ¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses in Midian, «Go back to Egypt, for all those who sought your life are dead.» ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and sons and, having put them on donkeys, returned to the land of Egypt, Moses took the staff of God in his hand. ²¹ The Lord said to Moses, «When you go back to Egypt, consider all the wonders I have given you the power to perform before Pharaoh. But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.”. ²² You shall say to Pharaoh: Thus says the Lord: «Israel is my son, my firstborn. ²³ I tell you, let my son go so that he may serve me; if you refuse to let him go, I will kill your firstborn son.» ²⁴ On the road, in a place where Moses spent the night, the Lord came to meet him and wanted to kill him. ²⁵ Zipporah took a sharp stone, cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' feet with it, saying, "You are a bridegroom of blood to me."« ²⁶ And the Lord let him go. Then she said, «Bridegroom of blood,» because of the circumcision. ²⁷ The Lord said to Aaron, «Go to meet Moses in the desert.» Aaron went and, having met Moses at the mountain of God, he kissed him. ²⁸ Moses made known to Aaron all the words with which the Lord had sent him and all the signs which he had commanded him to perform. ²⁹ Moses and Aaron continued on their way and they gathered all the elders of the children of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron reported all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹ And the people believed, they learned that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that he had seen their suffering, and they bowed down and worshiped.

Exodus 5

¹ Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, «This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.» ² Pharaoh replied, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go."« ³ They said, «The God of the Hebrews has appeared to us. Let us go on a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord, so that he will not strike us with plague or sword.» ⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, «Why, Moses and Aaron, are you leading the people away from their work? Go back to your forced labor.» ⁵ Pharaoh said, "Now the people of the land are numerous, and you would make them stop their forced labor."« ⁶ That very day, Pharaoh gave this order to the foremen and overseers: ⁷ «"You will no longer give straw to the people to make bricks, as has been done until now; let them go and gather straw themselves. ⁸ Nevertheless, you will impose on them the same quantity of bricks as before, without taking anything away, for they are lazy, that is why they cry out, saying: We want to go and make sacrifices to our God. ⁹ "Let's give these people work, let them be busy, and let them stop listening to lies."» ¹⁰ So the taskmasters and overseers came and told the people, «This is what Pharaoh says: I will no longer give you straw, ¹¹ "Go and get some straw yourselves wherever you can find it, because nothing will be taken away from your work."» ¹² The people spread throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble and make chopped straw. ¹³ The foremen urged them on, saying, "Finish your work, as has been assigned for each day, just as when we had straw."« ¹⁴ They beat the scribes of the children of Israel, those whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had assigned to them, saying, "Why have you not finished yesterday and today your brick-making work, as before?"« ¹⁵ The scribes of the children of Israel went to complain to Pharaoh, saying, «Why do you treat your servants like this? ¹⁶ »Your servants are not given straw, yet we are told, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten, and your people are found guilty.” ¹⁷ Pharaoh replied, "You are lazy, lazy. That is why you say: We would like to go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.". ¹⁸ "Now go to work; you won't be given straw, and you'll deliver the same quantity of bricks."» ¹⁹ The scribes of the children of Israel saw their cruel situation, since they were told: "You shall not remove any of your bricks, each day the task of the day."« ²⁰ Having found Moses and Aaron, who were standing there waiting for them as they left Pharaoh's presence, ²¹ They said to them, "May the Lord see you and judge you, who have turned our favor into hatred in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hands to kill us."« ²² Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, «Lord, why have you harmed this people? Why then did you send me?” ²³ Since I went to Pharaoh to speak on your behalf, he has mistreated this people, and you have in no way delivered your people.»

Exodus 6

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «You will soon see what I will do to Pharaoh: by his mighty hand he will let them go; by his mighty hand he will drive them out of his land.» ² God spoke to Moses, saying, «I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name of the Lord I did not make myself known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimages, where they stayed as foreigners. ⁵ I heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage, and I remembered my covenant. ⁶ Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord, I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians, I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will save you with an outstretched arm and with mighty judgments. ⁷ I will take you as my people, I will be your God, and you will know that I am the Lord your God, who freed you from the bondage of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you as a possession: I am the Lord.» ⁹ Thus spoke Moses to the children of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their anguish and their harsh bondage. ¹⁰ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹¹ «"Go and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, so that he will let the children of Israel go out of his country."» ¹² Moses answered in the presence of the Lord, «Look, the Israelites have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak so difficultly?» ¹³ The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them instructions concerning the children of Israel and concerning Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ These are the heads of their houses: Sons of Reuben, firstborn of Israel: Enoch, Phallu, Hezron and Charmi, these are the families of Reuben. ¹⁵ The sons of Simeon: Jamuel, Jamin, Ahod, Jachin, Zoar, and Saul, son of the Canaanite woman, these are the families of Simeon. ¹⁶ These are the names of the sons of Levi with their descendants: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The years of Levi's life were one hundred and thirty-seven years.  ¹⁷ Sons of Gerson: Lobni and Semei, according to their families. ¹⁸ The sons of Kaath: Amram, Isaar, Hebron and Oziel. The years of Kaath's life were one hundred and thirty-three years. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi. These are the families of Levi with their descendants. ²⁰ Amram married his aunt Jehoshebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred and thirty-seven years. ²¹ The sons of Isaar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zechariah. ²² Sons of Oziel: Misael, Elisaphan and Sethri. ²³ Aaron took as his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Aminadab, sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abiu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴ The sons of Korah: Asher, Elkanah and Abiasaph, these are the families of the Korahites. ²⁵ Eleazar, son of Aaron, married one of the daughters of Phutiel, who bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levite houses, according to their families. ²⁶ These are Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, «Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.» ²⁷ These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt; these are Moses and Aaron. ²⁸When the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ The Lord said to Moses, «I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, everything I tell you.» ³⁰ And Moses answered in the presence of the Lord, «Behold, I have a difficult word to speak; how will Pharaoh listen to me?»

Exodus 7

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. ² You shall say everything I command you, and Aaron, your brother, shall speak to Pharaoh, so that he will let the children of Israel leave his country. ³ And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. ⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you, and I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my armies, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. ⁵The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of their midst.» ⁶ Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded them; they did so. ⁷ Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh. ⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ⁹  »When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, »Perform a miracle,’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, and it will become a snake.’” ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord had commanded. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and he became a snake. ¹¹ Pharaoh also summoned his wise men and enchanters, and the magicians of Egypt also did the same thing through their enchantments: ¹² They each threw down their staffs, and these staffs became snakes. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ And Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had said. ¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, «Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. ¹⁵ Go to Pharaoh early in the morning, for he will come out to the riverbank, and you will stand there to wait for him. You will take in your hand the staff that was turned into a snake, ¹⁶ and you shall say to him: The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you to say: Let my people go, so that they may serve me in the wilderness. And behold, until now you have not listened. ¹⁷ Thus says the Lord: By this you will know that I am the Lord: I will strike the waters of the river with the staff that is in my hand, and they will be turned into blood. ¹⁸ The fish in the river will die, the river will become foul, and the Egyptians will be reluctant to drink its water.» ¹⁹ The Lord said to Moses, «Tell Aaron, »Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over its rivers, its canals, its ponds, and all its reservoirs. They will become blood, and there will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, in the wooden vessels as well as in the stone vessels.’” ²⁰ Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded. Aaron raised his staff and struck the waters in the river in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and all the waters of the river turned to blood. ²¹ The fish that were in the river died, the river became foul, the Egyptians could no longer drink the water of the river, and there was blood throughout the land of Egypt. ²² But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing by their enchantments, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had said. ²³ Pharaoh returned home and, having entered his house, did not apply his heart to these things. ²⁴ All the Egyptians dug around the river to find drinking water, because they could not drink the water from the river. ²⁵ Seven days passed after the Lord struck the river. ²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, «Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.’”. ²⁷ If you refuse to let it go, behold, I will strike the whole extent of your land with the plague of frogs. ²⁸ The river will swarm with frogs; they will come up and enter your house, your bedroom and your bed, the houses of your servants and the midst of your people, your ovens and your kneading troughs, ²⁹ "Frogs will come up on you, on your people, and on all your servants."»

Exodus 8

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Tell Aaron, »Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, the canals, and the ponds, and make the frogs come up over the land of Egypt.’” ² Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ³ But the magicians did the same thing by their enchantments; they made the frogs come up over the land of Egypt. ⁴ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, «Pray to the Lord to remove the frogs from me and my people, and I will let the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.» ⁵ Moses said to Pharaoh, «Give me your instructions. When should I pray for you, for your servants, and for your people, so that the Lord will remove the frogs from you and your houses, so that only the Nile remains?» ⁶ He replied, "Tomorrow." And Moses said, "It shall be so, so that you may know that there is none like the Lord our God.". ⁷ The frogs will leave you and your houses, your servants and your people; they will remain only in the river.» ⁸ Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, and Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs with which he had afflicted Pharaoh. ⁹ The Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards, and in the fields. ¹⁰ They piled them up in heaps and the country became infected. ¹¹ But Pharaoh, seeing that they were breathing, hardened his heart and did not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had said. ¹² The Lord said to Moses, «Tell Aaron, »Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground, and it will become gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” ¹³ They did so, and Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the ground, and gnats came upon people and animals. All the dust of the ground throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. ¹⁴ The magicians did the same with their enchantments, in order to produce mosquitoes, but they could not. The mosquitoes were on the men and on the animals. ¹⁵ And the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of a god." But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. ¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, «Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he goes out to the water. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go so that they may serve me.’”. ¹⁷ If you do not let my people go, I will send beetles against you, against your servants, against your people and against your houses; the houses of the Egyptians will be filled with beetles, as well as the land they inhabit. ¹⁸ But on that day I will distinguish the land of Geshen, where my people dwell, and there will be no beetles there, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am in the midst of this land. ¹⁹ I will thus establish a distinction between my people and your people; this sign will take place tomorrow.» ²⁰ The Lord did so, and a multitude of beetles came into the house of Pharaoh and his servants, and the whole land of Egypt was ravaged by the beetles. ²¹ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, «Go, offer sacrifices to your God in this land.» ²² Moses replied, «It is not right to do so, for it is an abomination to the Egyptians that the sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God, and if we offer sacrifices that are an abomination to the Egyptians in their sight, will they not stone us? ²³ We will go on a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he will tell us.» ²⁴ Pharaoh said, "As for me, I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the desert, but do not go too far. Pray for me."« ²⁵ Moses replied, »I will now leave your presence and pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the beetles will depart from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. But Pharaoh must not deceive us again by withholding the people’s permission to go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.” ²⁶ Moses left Pharaoh's presence and prayed to the Lord. ²⁷ And the Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the scarabs departed from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. ²⁸ But Pharaoh hardened his heart once again and he did not let the people go.

Exodus 9

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.’”. ² If you refuse to let him go and if you hold him back, ³ behold, the hand of the Lord will be upon your flocks which are in the field, upon the horses, upon the donkeys, upon the camels, upon the oxen and upon the sheep: it will be a very deadly plague. ⁴ The Lord will distinguish between the flocks of Israel and the flocks of Egypt, and nothing belonging to the children of Israel will perish.» ⁵ The Lord set the time, saying, «Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.» ⁶ And the Lord did so the very next day. All the livestock of the Egyptians perished, but not one of the livestock of the children of Israel died. ⁷ Pharaoh inquired, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel had perished. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not let the people go. ⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, «Take your hands full of ashes from the furnace and have Moses throw them toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh, ⁹ "May it become a fine dust throughout the land of Egypt, and may it form swellings and pustules on both people and animals throughout the land of Egypt."» ¹⁰ They took ashes from the furnace and presented themselves before Pharaoh, Moses threw them towards the sky and they produced tumors budding into pustules on men and animals. ¹¹ The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the tumors, for the tumors were on the magicians, as on all the Egyptians. ¹² And the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and Aaron, as the Lord had told Moses. ¹³ The Lord said to Moses, «Get up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may serve me.’”. ¹⁴ For this time I will send all my plagues against your heart, and also against your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ If I had stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with the plague, you would have been wiped off the face of the earth. ¹⁶ But for this purpose I have allowed you to remain, so that you may see my power and that my name may be praised throughout the earth. ¹⁷ You are still putting yourself up as a barrier in front of my people, preventing them from going. ¹⁸ Behold, tomorrow at this time, I will cause hail to fall so heavy, that there has not been anything like it in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. ¹⁹ »Now then, bring your livestock and everything you have in the fields to safety, because every person and animal found in the fields that is not brought back to their homes will be struck by hail and will die.” ²⁰ Those of Pharaoh's servants who feared the word of the Lord brought their servants and their flocks back into their homes. ²¹ But those who did not apply their hearts to the word of the Lord left their servants and their flocks in the fields. ²² The Lord said to Moses, «Stretch out your hand toward the sky, so that hail may fall throughout the land of Egypt on people, animals, and all the plants of the field.» ²³ Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire rushed down upon the earth. The Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. ²⁴ Hail and fire mingled with hail fell, so heavy that there had been nothing like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ The hail struck everything in the fields throughout the land of Egypt, both men and animals; the hail also struck all the grass in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields. ²⁶ Only in the land of Geshen, where the children of Israel were, did no hail fall. ²⁷ Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, «This time I have sinned; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty. ²⁸ Pray to the Lord that there will be no more thunder and hail, and I will let you go and you will not be detained any longer.» ²⁹ Moses said to him, «When I go out of the city, I will lift up my hands to the Lord, and the thunder will cease and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But I know that you and your servants still do not fear the Lord God.» ³¹ The flax and the barley had been struck, for the barley was in ear and the flax in bloom. ³² but wheat and spelt had not been affected, because they are late-ripening. ³³ Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city, he raised his hands to the Lord and the thunder and hail ceased and the rain no longer fell on the earth. ³⁴ Pharaoh, seeing that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, continued to sin. ³⁵ And he hardened his heart, both his own and that of his servants. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had said through Moses.

Exodus 10

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his servants, so that I may perform my signs among them.” ² "And so that you may tell your son and your son's son what great things I did in Egypt and what signs I performed among them, and you will know that I am the Lord."» ³ Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, «This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may serve me. ⁴ If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts throughout your land. ⁵ They will cover the face of the earth so that the earth will no longer be visible; they will devour what little remained, what the hail left you, and they will devour all the trees growing in your fields., ⁶ They will fill your houses, the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians. Your fathers and your fathers' fathers have never seen such a calamity from the beginning of their existence on earth until this day.» Moses withdrew and left Pharaoh's presence. ⁷ Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let these people go and let them serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet see that Egypt is headed for ruin?"« ⁸ Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, «Go, serve the Lord your God. Who are those who are to go?» ⁹ Moses replied, "We will go with our children and our elderly, with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and our oxen, for it is a festival for us in honor of the Lord."« ¹⁰ Pharaoh said to them, «The Lord be with you, as I am about to let you and your children go. Beware, for you have evil plans.”. ¹¹ "No, no, go, you men, and serve the Lord, since that is what you ask." And they were driven out from before Pharaoh. ¹² The Lord said to Moses, «Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come up over the land of Egypt and eat all the vegetation in the land, everything that the hail has left.» ¹³ Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord caused an east wind to blow over the land all that day and all that night. In the morning, the east wind had brought locusts. ¹⁴ The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled over all the territory of Egypt, in such great numbers that there had never been, nor will ever be, anything like it. ¹⁵ They covered the face of the whole earth, and the earth was darkened; they devoured all the grass of the earth and all the fruit of the trees, which the hail had left, and there was no green left on the trees or on the grass of the fields, throughout all the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ Pharaoh immediately summoned Moses and Aaron and said, «I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. ¹⁷ But forgive my sin just this once more, and pray to the Lord your God that he may at least remove this deadly plague from me.» ¹⁸ Moses left Pharaoh's presence and prayed to the Lord. ¹⁹ And the Lord caused a very strong west wind to blow, which swept the locusts away and drove them into the Red Sea; not a single locust remained in all the extent of Egypt. ²⁰ The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh did not let the children of Israel go. ²¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Stretch out your hand toward the sky, and let darkness fall over the land of Egypt; let the darkness be felt.» ²² Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven and there was thick darkness over all the land of Egypt for three days. ²³ They could not see one another, and no one rose from the place where he was, for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in the places where they lived. ²⁴ Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, «Go, serve the Lord. Only your sheep and cattle will remain, and even your little ones may go with you.» ²⁵ Moses replied, "You must put into our hands the means to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our flocks will also come with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for it is from them that we will take what we need to serve the Lord our God. And we ourselves do not know until we get there how we ought to serve the Lord.» ²⁷ The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh would not let them go. ²⁸ Pharaoh said to Moses, «Get out of my presence. Do not appear before me again, for the day you appear before me you will surely die.» ²⁹ And Moses replied, "You have said so: I will not appear before you again."«

Exodus 11

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt, and after that he will let you go from here, and when he lets you go completely, he will even drive you out of here. ² "Speak to the people, so that each man may ask his neighbor and each woman her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold."» ³ And the Lord caused the people to find favor in the sight of the Egyptians; Moses himself was highly regarded in the land of Egypt in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. ⁴ Moses said, «This is what the Lord says: At midnight I will pass through Egypt, ⁵ and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the millstone, and every firstborn of the livestock. ⁶ There will be a great outcry throughout the land of Egypt, such as there has never been before and will never be again. ⁷ But among all the children of Israel, not one, from man to beast, not even a dog, will move his tongue, so that you may know what difference the Lord makes between Egypt and Israel. ⁸ Then all your servants who are here shall come down to me and bow down before me, saying, 'Come out, you and all the people who follow you.' After that, I will come out." And Moses went out from Pharaoh's presence in great anger. ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, «Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.» ¹⁰ Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go out of his country.

Exodus 12

¹ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: ² «"Let this month be for you the beginning of months; it shall be for you the first month of the year. ³ Speak to the whole assembly of Israel and say: On the tenth day of this month, each one shall take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. ⁴ If the house is too small for a lamb, it will be taken in common with the nearest neighbor, according to the number of people, you will count for this lamb according to what each can eat. ⁵ It will be a lamb without defect, male, one year old, you will take either a lamb or a kid. ⁶ You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and the whole assembly of Israel shall kill it at twilight. ⁷ They will take some of his blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the door in the houses where they will eat it. ⁸ We will eat its flesh that night, roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ⁹ You shall not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but everything shall be roasted over the fire, head, legs and entrails. ¹⁰ You shall leave nothing of it until morning, and if anything remains, you shall burn it in the fire. ¹¹ You shall eat it thus: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. ¹² I will pass through the land of Egypt that night and strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human and animal, and I will execute judgments on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. ¹³ The blood will be a sign in your favor on the houses where you are: I will see the blood and I will pass over you, and there will be no deadly plague for you when I strike the land of Egypt. ¹⁴ You shall keep this day as a memorial and celebrate it with a feast in honor of the Lord, you shall celebrate it from generation to generation as a perpetual institution. ¹⁵ For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and from the first day there shall be no more leaven in your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel. ¹⁶ On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and on the seventh day you shall have a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days, except to prepare food for everyone. ¹⁷ You shall observe the unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. You shall observe this day throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance. ¹⁸ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the evening of the twenty-first day. ¹⁹ For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether a foreigner or an Israelite born in the land. ²⁰ You shall not eat leavened bread; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.» ²¹ Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, «Choose and take a lamb for your families and sacrifice the Passover lamb. ²² Then, taking a bunch of hyssop, you shall dip it in the blood that is in the basin and you shall touch with the blood that is in the basin the lintel and the two doorposts. None of you shall leave the entrance of your house until morning. ²³ The Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass through your gates and will not allow the Destroyer to enter your houses to strike. ²⁴ You will observe this order as an institution for you and your children in perpetuity. ²⁵ When you enter the land that the Lord will give you, according to his promise, you shall observe this sacred rite. ²⁶ And when your children ask you: What does this sacred rite mean to you? ²⁷ You shall answer: It is a Passover sacrifice in honor of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he struck Egypt and spared our houses.» The people bowed down and prostrated themselves. ²⁸ And the children of Israel went away and did what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. ²⁹ At midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive in his prison and to all the firstborn of animals. ³⁰ Pharaoh arose during the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great outcry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not a dead person. ³¹ That same night, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, «Get up, leave from among my people, you and the children of Israel, and go serve the Lord, as you have said. ³² "Take your sheep and your oxen, as you said, go and bless me."» ³³ The Egyptians were pressing the people hard, eager to send them out of the country, for they were saying, "We are all dead."« ³⁴ The people took their dough before it had risen, having gathered the baskets in their cloaks, they put them on their shoulders. ³⁵ The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; they asked the Egyptians for articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. ³⁶ And the Lord had caused the people to find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, who granted their request. And they plundered the Egyptians. ³⁷ The children of Israel set out from Rameses for Socoth, numbering about six hundred thousand men, not including the children. ³⁸ In addition, a great multitude of people of all kinds went up with them, they also had considerable flocks of sheep and cattle. ³⁹ They baked unleavened cakes of the dough they had brought from Egypt, for it was unleavened, because they had been driven out of Egypt without being able to delay or take provisions with them. ⁴⁰ The Israelites stayed in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. ⁴¹ And at the end of four hundred and thirty years, on that very day, all the armies of the Lord left the land of Egypt. ⁴² It was a night of vigil for the Lord when he brought Israel out of the land of Egypt; this same night shall be a vigil in honor of the Lord, for all the children of Israel according to their generations. ⁴³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, «This is the ordinance concerning the Passover: No foreigner shall eat of it. ⁴⁴ You shall circumcise every slave acquired with money, and he shall eat of it, ⁴⁵ but the resident and the employee will not eat any of it. ⁴⁶ It must be eaten only in the house; you must not carry any of the meat outside the house and you must not break any of the bones. ⁴⁷ The entire assembly of Israel will celebrate Passover. ⁴⁸ If a foreigner staying with you wants to keep the Lord’s Passover, every male in his household must be circumcised, and then he may come near to keep it, and he will be like an Israelite native to the land, but no uncircumcised person may eat of it. ⁴⁹ The same law shall apply to the Israelite born in the land and to the foreigner residing among you.» ⁵⁰ All the children of Israel did what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron; they did so. ⁵¹ And on that same day the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

Exodus 13

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² «Consecrate to me every firstborn male among the children of Israel, whether of man or beast; he is mine.» ³ Moses said to the people, «Remember the day you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for it was by the power of his hand that the Lord brought you out of it. You shall not eat leavened bread.”. ⁴ You are going out today, in the month of the ears of corn. ⁵ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall observe this rite in this same month. ⁶ For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast in honor of the Lord. ⁷ You shall eat unleavened bread for seven days; you shall not see any leavened bread among you, nor shall you see any leaven among you, throughout all your land. ⁸ Then you shall say to your son: This is in remembrance of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt. ⁹ This will be for you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes, so that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth, for it was by his mighty hand that the Lord brought you out of Egypt. ¹⁰ You shall observe this ordinance at the appointed time, year after year. ¹¹ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your ancestors and gave it to you, ¹² You shall dedicate to the Lord every firstborn, even every firstborn of the animals that are yours: the males belong to the Lord. ¹³ You shall redeem with a lamb every firstborn of a donkey, and if you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. You shall also redeem every firstborn of man among your sons. ¹⁴ And when your son asks you one day, saying, "What does this mean?" you will answer him: "By his mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.". ¹⁵ Because Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of humans and the firstborn of animals. That is why I offer to the Lord every firstborn male of the animals, and I redeem every firstborn of my sons. ¹⁶ It will be like a sign on your hand and like frontlets between your eyes, for it was by the power of his hand that the Lord brought us out of Egypt.» ¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, although it was the shortest route, for God said, «The people might repent when they see the war and return to Egypt.» ¹⁸ But God led the people around by way of the desert, towards the Red Sea. The children of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt in good order. ¹⁹ Moses took Joseph's bones with him, for Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you must carry my bones away from here."« ²⁰ Having left Socoth, they camped at Etham, at the edge of the desert. ²¹ The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to guide them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could walk by day and by night. ²² The pillar of cloud did not depart from before the people during the day, nor the pillar of fire during the night.

Exodus 14

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² «Tell the children of Israel to turn around and come and encamp before Phihahiroth, between Magdalum and the sea, opposite Beelsephon, you shall encamp opposite this place, near the sea. ³ Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are lost in the land; the desert has confined them. ⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them; I will cause my glory to be revealed in Pharaoh and in all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.» And the children of Israel did so. ⁵ The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled. Then Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about the people, and they said, «What have we done, letting Israel go and depriving ourselves of their services?» ⁶ And Pharaoh had his chariot harnessed and took his people with him. ⁷ He took six hundred elite chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, and on all of them there were commanders. ⁸ The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and Pharaoh pursued the children of Israel, and the children of Israel came out with their hands held high. ⁹ So the Egyptians pursued them and caught up with them as they were encamped near the sea; all the horses of Pharaoh’s chariots, his horsemen and his army caught up with them near Phihahiroth, opposite Beelsephon. ¹⁰ Pharaoh was approaching. The children of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them and the children of Israel, seized with great fear, cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ They said to Moses, «Were there no tombs in Egypt, that you brought us to die in the desert? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt?” ¹² Isn't that what we told you in Egypt: "Leave us alone to serve the Egyptians, for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert"?» ¹³ Moses answered the people, «Do not be afraid; stand firm and see the salvation the Lord will give you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.”. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you need only to remain still.» ¹⁵ The Lord said to Moses, «Why are you crying out to me? Tell the children of Israel to move forward. ¹⁶ You, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel will go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will cause my glory to shine forth in Pharaoh and in all his army, his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I have displayed my glory upon Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.» ¹⁹ The angel of God, who had been marching in front of the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud that had been in front of them moved and stood behind them. ²⁰ It came and stood between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and this cloud was dark on one side and on the other it lit up the night, and the two camps did not approach each other all night long. ²¹ When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind that blew all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. ²² The children of Israel entered the midst of the sea on dry ground, and the waters formed a wall for them on their right and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen followed them into the middle of the sea. ²⁴ At the dawn of morning, the Lord, in the pillar of fire and smoke, looked down on the Egyptian camp and threw terror into the Egyptian camp. ²⁵ He knocked the wheels off their chariots, which then struggled to move forward. The Egyptians then said, «Let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.» ²⁶ The Lord said to Moses, «Stretch out your hand over the sea, and the waters will return upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.» ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, at daybreak, the sea returned to its usual place, the fleeing Egyptians met it and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. ²⁸ The waters, returning, covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all of Pharaoh's army that had entered the sea following the children of Israel, and not one of them escaped. ²⁹ But the children of Israel had walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea, the waters having formed a wall for them on their right and on their left. ³⁰ On that day the Lord delivered Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore of the sea. ³¹ Israel saw the mighty hand that the Lord had shown against the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in Moses, his servant.

Exodus 15

¹ Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, they said: I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously: he has hurled horse and rider into the sea. ² The Lord is my strength and the object of my songs, he is the one who saved me, he is my God: I will praise him, the God of my father: I will exalt him. ³ The Lord is a valiant warrior, the Lord is his name. ⁴ He threw Pharaoh's chariots and army into the sea; the elite of his captains were swallowed up in the Red Sea. ⁵ The waves cover them; they have sunk to the bottom of the waters like a stone. ⁶ Your right hand, O Lord, has distinguished itself by its strength; your right hand, O Lord, has crushed the enemy. ⁷ In the fullness of your majesty, you overthrow your adversaries, you unleash your anger, it consumes them like stubble. ⁸ At the breath of your nostrils, the waters gathered. The waves rose up like a heap, the waves hardened within the sea. ⁹ The enemy said: "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils, my vengeance will be satisfied, I will draw my sword, my hand will destroy them."« ¹⁰ You blew with your breath, the sea covered them, they sank, like lead, into the vast waters. ¹¹ Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in praise, working wonders? ¹² You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up. ¹³ By your grace you lead this people whom you have delivered, by your power you guide them to your holy dwelling. ¹⁴ The peoples have learned of it, they tremble, terror grips the Philistines, ¹⁵ Already the princes of Edom are in terror, anguish grips the forts of Moab, all the inhabitants of Canaan have lost heart, ¹⁶ Terror and distress will fall upon them, by the greatness of your arm, they will become as still as a stone, until your people have passed away, O Lord, until they have passed away, the people whom you have acquired. ¹⁷ You will bring them and settle them on the mountain of your inheritance, in the place where you have made your dwelling, O Lord, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have prepared. ¹⁸ The Lord will reign forever and ever. ¹⁹ For Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought the waters of the sea back upon them, but the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. ²⁰ Married, The prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand and all women They followed him with tambourines and dancing. ²¹ Married answered the children of Israel: Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously: he has hurled horse and rider into the sea. ²² Moses led Israel from the Red Sea. They advanced towards the desert of Sur and walked for three days in this desert without finding water. ²³ They arrived at Mara, but they could not drink the water of Mara, because it was bitter. That is why this place was called Mara. ²⁴ The people murmured against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"« ²⁵ Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord gave the people a statute and a right, and there he tested them. ²⁶ He said, «If you listen to the voice of the Lord your God, if you do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commandments and observe all his statutes, I will not put on you any of the diseases I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.» ²⁷ They arrived at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the water.

Exodus 16

¹ They set out from Elim and the whole assembly of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of the land of Egypt. ² The whole assembly of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. ³ The Israelites said to them, «If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt, when we sat around pots of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole crowd with hunger.» ⁴ The Lord said to Moses, «Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people shall go out and gather daily enough for me to provide, so that I may test them, to see whether they will walk in my law or not.”. ⁵ On the sixth day, they will prepare what they have gathered, and it will be twice as much as they gather each day.» ⁶ Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, «This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ And in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. But what are we that you should grumble against us?» ⁸ Moses said, «This will be when the Lord gives you meat to eat this evening and bread to your heart’s content in the morning, for the Lord has heard your grumbling against him. But what are we? Your grumbling is not against us, but against the Lord.» ⁹ Moses said to Aaron, «Tell the whole assembly of the children of Israel, »Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” ¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, they turned towards the desert and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹² «I have heard the murmuring of the children of Israel. Tell them: Between the two evenings you shall eat meat and in the morning you shall be filled with bread, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.» ¹³ In the evening, quails were seen climbing up, which covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When this dew had dissipated, there was something on the surface of the desert, something small, granular, as fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ The children of Israel saw it and they said to one another, «What is it?» for they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, «It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”. ¹⁶ This is what the Lord has commanded: »Each of you is to gather what you need for your food, one gomor per person, according to the number of people; each of you should take some for those in your tent.” ¹⁷ The children of Israel did this, and some gathered more, some less. ¹⁸ Then it was measured with the gomor and the one who had collected a lot had nothing too much and the one who had collected little did not lack any: each one collected according to his consumption. ¹⁹ Moses told them, "No one should leave any of it until the next morning.". ²⁰ They did not listen to Moses, and some people kept some of it until morning, but worms got into it and it all became foul. Moses was angry with them. ²¹ Every morning they collected manna, each according to their consumption, and when the sun made its heat felt, the rest liquefied. ²² On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food, two gomors for each person. All the leaders of the people came and informed Moses, ²³ who told them, «This is what the Lord has commanded. Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord: bake what you need to bake, boil what you need to boil, and whatever is left over, lay it aside for tomorrow morning.» ²⁴ So they stored the surplus until morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not become foul and worms did not get into it. ²⁵ Moses said, «Eat it today, for it is the Sabbath day in honor of the Lord; today you would not find it in the countryside. ²⁶ You will gather them for six days, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none.» ²⁷ On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather some, but they did not find any. ²⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses, «How long will you refuse to observe my commandments and my laws? ²⁹ See: it is because the Lord has given you the Sabbath that on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Let each one remain in his place, and let no one go out on the seventh day from where he is.» ³⁰ And the people rested on the seventh day. ³¹ The house of Israel called this food manna. It resembled coriander seed, it was white and tasted like honey cake. ³² Moses said, «This is what the Lord has commanded: Fill a gomor with it, to preserve it for your descendants, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.» ³³ And Moses said to Aaron, «Take a jar, fill a gomor with manna, and place it before the Lord, to be kept for your descendants.» ³⁴ As the Lord had commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the Testimony, so that it might be preserved. ³⁵ The children of Israel ate manna for forty years, until they arrived in an inhabited land; they ate manna until they arrived at the borders of the land of Canaan. ³⁶ The gomor is one-tenth of the ephah.

Exodus 17

¹ The whole assembly of the children of Israel set out from the desert of Sin, according to the marches that the Lord commanded them, and they camped at Raphidim, where the people did not find water to drink. ² Then the people quarreled with Moses, saying, «Give us water to drink.» Moses answered them, «Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?» ³ And the people were there, parched by thirst, and they murmured against Moses, saying, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us die of thirst, along with my children and my livestock?"« ⁴ Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, «What am I to do for these people? They are almost ready to stone me.» ⁵ The Lord said to Moses, «Go on ahead of the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel, and also take in your hand your staff, with which you struck the river, and go. ⁶ »Here, I will stand before you on the rock that is at Horeb; you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people shall drink.” Moses did this in the presence of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he named that place Massah and Meribah, because the children of Israel had quarreled and because they had tested the Lord, saying, «Is the Lord among us or not?» ⁸ Amalek came to attack Israel at Raphidim. ⁹ And Moses said to Joshua "Choose some men for us and go fight Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop, God's staff in my hand."« ¹⁰ Joshua He did as Moses had told him, and fought Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ When Moses held his hand up, Israel was the strongest, and when he dropped his hand, Amalek was the strongest. ¹² As Moses' hands were tired, they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it, and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, the other on the other, so that his hands remained steady until sunset. ¹³ And Joshua He defied Amalek and his people at swordpoint. ¹⁴ The Lord said to Moses, «Write this in a book as a memorial and declare to Joshua that I will erase the memory of Amalek from beneath the heavens.» ¹⁵ Moses built an altar and named it The-Lord-My-Banner ¹⁶ And he said, «Because a hand has been raised against the throne of the Lord, the Lord is at war with Amalek from generation to generation.»

Exodus 18

¹ Jethro, priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for Israel, his people: that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, who had been sent away ³ and the two sons of Zipporah, one of whom was named Gersam, because Moses had said, "I am a stranger in a foreign land."« ⁴ The other was named Eliezer, because he had said, «The God of my father has helped me and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.» ⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mountain of God. ⁶ He sent word to Moses: «I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons.» ⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and, having prostrated himself, he kissed him, then they inquired about each other's health and they entered Moses' tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to Egypt because of Israel, all the sufferings that had befallen them on the way and how the Lord had delivered them from it. ⁹ Jethro rejoiced over all the good the Lord had done for Israel and that he had delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said: ¹⁰ «Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ I now know that the Lord is greater than all gods, for he has shown himself to be great when the Egyptians oppressed Israel.» ¹² Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, offered a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to partake of the meal, with Moses' father-in-law, in the presence of God. ¹³ The next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood before him from morning until evening. ¹⁴ Moses' father-in-law, seeing all that he was doing for the people, said, "What are you doing for these people? Why do you sit alone while all the people stand before you from morning till evening?"« ¹⁵ Moses replied to his father-in-law: "It is because the people come to me to inquire of God. ¹⁶ When they have a matter to settle, they come to me, and I adjudicate between them, making known God's commands and laws.» ¹⁷ Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not right. ¹⁸ You will certainly succumb, you and the people who are with you, for the task is beyond your strength and you cannot accomplish it alone. ¹⁹ Now listen to my voice, I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You, be the representative of the people before God and bring their cases before God. ²⁰ Teach them the ordinances and the laws, and make them know the way they must follow and what they must do. ²¹ Now choose from all the people capable men who fear God, men of integrity, enemies of greed, and appoint them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²² They will judge the people at all times, bring all important cases before you, and decide all minor cases themselves. Lighten your burden in this way, and let them bear it with you. ²³ If you do this and God gives you commands, you will be able to keep to it, and all these people will also come in peace to their place.» ²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law's voice and did everything he had said. ²⁵ Moses chose capable men from all Israel and appointed them over the people as commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, and commanders of tens. ²⁶ They judged the people at all times, they brought all serious cases before Moses, and they decided all minor cases themselves. ²⁷ Moses took leave of his father-in-law and Jethro returned to his country.

Exodus 19

¹ It was in the third month after the children of Israel had come out of Egypt, on this day, that they arrived at the desert of Sinai. ² They had set out from Raphidim, arrived at the desert of Sinai, they camped in the desert, Israel camped there, opposite the mountain. ³ Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, «This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to the children of Israel: ⁴ You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to me. ⁵ Now, if you listen to my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my chosen people out of all peoples, for all the earth is mine., ⁶ But you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.» ⁷ Moses went and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words, as the Lord had commanded him. ⁸ The whole people answered, «We will do everything the Lord has said.» Moses went and told the Lord what the people had said. ⁹ And the Lord said to Moses, «Behold, I am going to come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may believe in you forever.» And Moses reported to the Lord the words of the people. ¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, «Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. ¹¹ Let them 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. ¹² You shall set a boundary for the people around it, saying: Beware of going up the mountain or touching its edge; whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. ¹³ They will not lay a hand on him, but will stone him or pierce him with arrows; whether beast or man, he must not live. When the trumpet sounds, they will go up the mountain.» ¹⁴ Moses came down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated the people and they washed their clothes. ¹⁵ Then he told the people, "Be ready in three days; do not approach any woman."« ¹⁶ On the morning of the third day, there were thunders, lightning flashes, a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, and all the people who were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was all smoking, because the Lord had descended on it in the midst of fire, and the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. ¹⁹ The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. ²⁰ The Lord descended on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Go down and strictly forbid the people to break through the barriers to the Lord to look, lest many of them perish. ²² Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, lest the Lord strike them dead.» ²³ Moses said to the Lord, «The people cannot go up Mount Sinai, because you have expressly forbidden us to do so, saying: »Put limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ The Lord said to him, «Go down, and then you will come up with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through the barrier to go up to the Lord, lest he strike them dead.» ²⁵ Moses went down to the people and told them these things.

Exodus 20

¹ And God spoke all these words, saying: ² I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³ You shall have no other gods before me. ⁴ You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me., ⁶ and showing mercy to a thousand generations, to those who love me and keep my commandments. ⁷ You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. ⁸ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ For six days you will work and you will do all your work. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God: you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor the foreigner who is in your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. ¹² Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. ¹³ You shall not kill. ¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery. ¹⁵ You shall not steal. ¹⁶ You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. ¹⁷ You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor. ¹⁸ All the people heard the thunder and the sound of the trumpet, they saw the flames and the smoking mountain, at this sight they trembled and kept their distance. ¹⁹ They said to Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us, lest we die."« ²⁰ Moses answered the people, «Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that the fear of him may be with you, that you may not sin.» ²¹ And the people remained at a distance, but Moses approached the cloud where God was. ²² And the Lord said to Moses, «Say this to the children of Israel: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. ²³ You shall not make beside me gods of silver, nor shall you make gods of gold. ²⁴ You shall make for me an altar of earth, on which you shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In all the places where I have caused my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you lift your chisel upon the stone, you will defile it. ²⁶ You shall not go up to my altar by steps, so that your nakedness may not be exposed there.

Exodus 21

¹ These are the laws you shall give them: ² When you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, in the seventh he shall go free, without paying anything. ³ If he entered alone, he will leave alone; if he had a wife, his wife will leave with him. ⁴ But if his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons and daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he will go out alone. ⁵ If the servant says, «I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to go out free,», ⁶ then his master will bring him before God, and having brought him near to the door or the doorpost, his master will pierce his ear with an awl, and the servant will be at his service forever. ⁷ When a man sells his daughter to be a servant, she will not go out as servants go out. ⁸ If she displeases her master, who had intended her for himself, he will allow her to be redeemed, but he will not be able to sell her to strangers, after having been unfaithful to him. ⁹ If he intends her for his son, he will treat her according to the rights of daughters. ¹⁰ And if he takes another wife, he shall not deprive the first of anything in terms of food, clothing, and shelter. ¹¹ And if he doesn't do these three things for her, she can leave without paying anything, without giving any money. ¹² Anyone who strikes a man to death must be put to death. ¹³ But if he has not put any snares in his path and God has presented him to his hand, I will designate a place for you where he may take refuge. ¹⁴ But if a man acts wickedly against his neighbor to kill him by trickery, you shall even snatch him from my altar to put him to death. ¹⁵ Anyone who strikes their father or mother must be put to death. ¹⁶ Anyone who steals a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, must be put to death. ¹⁷ Anyone who curses their father or mother will be punished with death. ¹⁸ When men quarrel and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist, without causing his death, but forcing him to remain in bed, ¹⁹ The one who struck him will be off the hook, if the other recovers and can walk outside with his stick, only he will compensate him for his unemployment and have him treated. ²⁰ When a man strikes his servant or maidservant with a stick and they die at his hand, they shall be avenged. ²¹ But if the servant survives a day or two, he will not be avenged, for he is the property of his master. ²² When men fight and hit a pregnant woman, if they cause her to give birth, without any other accident, the guilty party will be liable to a fine imposed on him by the woman's husband and which he will pay according to the judges' decision. ²³ But if there's an accident, you'll give a life for a life., ²⁴ An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. ²⁶ If a man strikes his male or female servant in the eye and causes him to lose his eye, he shall set him free in compensation for his eye. ²⁷ And if he causes his male or female servant to lose a tooth, he shall set him free in compensation for the tooth. ²⁸ If an ox gores a man or a woman and they die, the ox shall be stoned, its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall be exempt. ²⁹ But if the ox had been butting with its horn for a long time and its owner, having been warned, did not keep watch over it, the ox shall be stoned if it kills a man or a woman, and its owner shall also be put to death. ³⁰ If a price is imposed on the master for the redemption of his life, he will pay all that has been imposed on him. ³¹ If the ox strikes a son or daughter, this law will still apply., ³² but if the ox strikes a male or female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be paid to the master of the slave and the ox shall be stoned. ³³ If a man opens a cistern, or if a man digs a cistern and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ The owner of the cistern shall compensate: he shall pay back to the owner the value of the animal in silver, and the animal killed shall be his. ³⁵ If one man's ox gores another man's ox and it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide the proceeds between them; they shall also divide the ox that is killed. ³⁶ But if it is found that the ox had been butting with its horn for a long time and that its owner did not supervise it, the latter shall compensate by giving ox for ox and the ox killed shall be his. ³⁷ If a man steals an ox or a lamb and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for the ox and four lambs for the lamb.

Exodus 22

¹ If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is beaten and dies, we are not responsible for his bloodshed., ² But if the sun has risen, we will be responsible for his bloodshed. The thief will make restitution: if he has nothing, he will be sold for what he stole. ³ If what he stole, whether ox, donkey or sheep, is still alive in his possession, he will return double the amount. ⁴ If a man causes damage in a field or vineyard by letting his livestock graze on another's field, he shall give as compensation the best of his field and the best of his vineyard. ⁵ If a fire breaks out and, after reaching the thorns, consumes sheaves, or standing wheat, or a field, the one who started the fire shall give compensation. ⁶ If a man entrusts money or objects to another for safekeeping and they are stolen from the latter's house, the thief, if found, will return double the amount. ⁷ If the thief is not found, the master of the house will appear before God to declare whether he has not laid hands on his neighbor's property. ⁸ Whatever the object of the offense, whether ox, donkey, sheep, garment, or any lost item, about which it is said, "That's right." The case of both parties will go to God, and the one whom God has condemned will restore double to his neighbor. ⁹ If a man entrusts to another man an ox, a sheep, or any head of cattle, and the animal dies, breaks a limb, or is stolen, without there being a witness, ¹⁰ The Lord's oath will be taken between the two parties, so that it may be known whether the custodian has not taken possession of his neighbor's property, and the owner of the beast will accept this oath and the other will not have to compensate. ¹¹ But if the animal was stolen from his home, he will have to compensate the owner. ¹² If it was torn apart by a ferocious beast, he shall produce the remains as evidence and he shall not have to compensate for the torn beast. ¹³ If a man borrows an animal from another and it breaks a limb or dies, while its owner is not present, compensation will be due. ¹⁴ If the owner is present, no compensation will be given. If the animal was rented, the rental price will serve as compensation. ¹⁵ If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and sleeps with her, he will pay her dowry and take her as his wife. ¹⁶ If the father refuses to grant it to him, the seducer will pay the money given for the dowry of virgins. ¹⁷ You will not let the sorceress live. ¹⁸ Anyone who has dealings with an animal shall be put to death. ¹⁹ He who offers sacrifices to the gods and not to the Lord alone will be condemned. ²⁰ You shall not mistreat the stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ²¹ You shall not grieve the widow or the orphan. ²² If you afflict them, they will cry out to me, and I will hear their cry., ²³ My anger will blaze forth, and I will destroy you with the sword; your wives will become widows, and your children orphans. ²⁴ If you lend money to one of my people, to the poor among you, you shall not be to him as a creditor, you shall not demand interest from him. ²⁵ If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, you must return it to him before sunset., ²⁶ for it is his only covering, it is the garment with which he wraps his body: on what else would he sleep? If he cries out to me, I will hear him because I am compassionate. ²⁷ You shall not blaspheme against God, nor curse a prince of your people. ²⁸ You will not delay to offer me the firstfruits of your harvest and of your winepress. You will give me the firstborn of your sons. ²⁹ You shall do the same with the firstborn of your cow and of your sheep: it shall remain seven days with its mother and on the eighth day you shall give it to me. ³⁰ You shall be holy men to me; you shall not eat the torn flesh that is found in the fields; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Exodus 23

¹ You shall not spread false rumors, you shall not give your hand to a wicked man by serving as an incriminating witness. ² You will not follow the multitude to do evil, nor will you testify in a lawsuit by siding with the majority to sway justice. ³ You will not favor a weak person in his trial either. ⁴ If you come across your enemy's ox or his stray donkey, you will not fail to bring it back to him. ⁵ If you see the donkey of the one who hates you succumbing under its load, you will beware of abandoning it, join your efforts with his to unload it. ⁶ You will not sway the rights of the poor in their lawsuit. ⁷ You will turn away from a false cause and you will not put the innocent and the just to death, for I will not absolve a guilty person. ⁸ You shall not accept gifts, for gifts blind the discerning and ruin just causes. ⁹ You shall not oppress the stranger; you know how a stranger feels, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ For six years you will sow your land and reap its produce. ¹¹ But the seventh one you shall leave and abandon, and the poor of your people shall eat them, and the beasts of the field shall eat what remains. You shall do the same with your vineyards and olive groves. ¹² For six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant and the stranger may breathe. ¹³ You will take heed to all that I have told you; you will not pronounce the name of foreign gods, nor will any of their names be heard from your mouth. ¹⁴ Three times each year you will celebrate a festival in my honor. ¹⁵ You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread: for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt, and no one shall appear before me empty-handed. ¹⁶ You shall observe the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you have sown in the fields, and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in the fruit of your labor from the fields. ¹⁷ Three times a year, all your males shall appear before the Lord God. ¹⁸ You shall not offer with leavened bread the blood of my sacrifice, nor shall the fat of my feast be kept overnight until morning. ¹⁹ You shall bring the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. ²⁰ Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹ Be on your guard in his presence and listen to his voice; do not resist him, for he would not forgive your transgression, because my name is in him. ²² But if you listen to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³ For my angel will go before you and lead you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them. ²⁴ You shall not worship their gods and you shall not serve them, you shall not imitate their practices, but you shall overthrow and break their stelae. ²⁵ You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. ²⁶ In your land there will be no woman who loses her fruit, nor a barren woman; I will fill the number of your days. ²⁷ I will send my terror before you, I will throw into confusion all the peoples among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs before you. ²⁸ I will send hornets before you, which will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from your presence. ²⁹ I will not drive them out of your presence in a single year, lest the land become a desert and the wild beasts multiply against you. ³⁰ I will drive them out little by little from before you, until you increase in number and can occupy the land. ³¹ I will establish your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines and from the desert to the river, for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hands and you will drive them out from before you. ³² You shall not make an alliance with them, nor with their gods. ³³ They will not live in your land, lest they cause you to sin against me; you would serve their gods, and that would be a snare for you.»

Exodus 24

¹ God said to Moses, «Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abiu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ² Moses alone will approach the Lord; the others will not approach, and the people will not go up with him.» ³ Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the laws, and the whole people responded with one voice: «All the words that the Lord has spoken, we will fulfill.» ⁴ Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then, rising early in the morning, he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and erected twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ He sent young men, children of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings. ⁶ Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and he sprinkled the other half on the altar. ⁷ Having taken the book of the covenant, he read it in the presence of the people, who responded, "All that the Lord has said, we will do and obey."« ⁸ Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, «This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.» ⁹ Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel: under his feet was something like a work of brilliant sapphires, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ And he did not lay his hand on the chosen ones of the children of Israel: they saw God and they ate and drank. ¹² The Lord said to Moses, «Come up to me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and the commandments I have written for their instruction.» ¹³ Moses stood up, with Joshua, his servant and Moses went up to the mountain of God. ¹⁴ He said to the elders, »Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur will be with you; if anyone has a dispute, let them go to them.” ¹⁵ Moses went up to the mountain and the cloud covered the mountain, ¹⁶ The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. ¹⁷ The appearance of the glory of the Lord was, in the sight of the children of Israel, like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain. ¹⁸ Moses entered the midst of the cloud and went up the mountain, and Moses remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 25

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² «Tell the children of Israel to take up an offering for me; from every man who gives it willingly you shall receive the offering for me. ³ This is the offering you will receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, ⁴ of violet purple, scarlet purple, crimson, fine linen, and goat hair, ⁵ Ramskins dyed red, dolphin skins, and acacia wood, ⁶ oil for the lampstand, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense, ⁷ onyx stones and other stones to be set for the ephod and the pectoral. ⁸ They will make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them. ⁹ You will follow everything I am going to show you, the design of the Tabernacle and the design of all its furnishings.» ¹⁰ «"They shall make an ark of acacia wood, its length shall be two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits. ¹¹ You shall cover it with pure gold, inside and out, and you shall make a wreath of gold all around it. ¹² You shall cast four gold rings for her, and put them on her four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ¹³ You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ You will pass the bars through the rings on the sides of the ark, so that they can be used to carry the ark. ¹⁵ The bars will remain in the rings of the ark and will not be removed. ¹⁶ You shall put into the ark the testimony that I will give you. ¹⁷ You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, its length shall be two and a half cubits and its width one and a half cubits. ¹⁸ You shall make two cherubim of gold, you shall make them of hammered gold, at the two ends of the mercy seat. ¹⁹ Make a cherub at one end and a cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim coming out of the mercy seat at its two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim shall have their wings spread upwards, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing each other, the faces of the cherubim shall be turned towards the mercy seat. ²¹ You shall place the mercy seat on top of the ark, and you shall put in the ark the testimony that I will give you. ²² There I will meet with you and I will give you, from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, all the commands that I will give you for the children of Israel. ²³ You shall make a table of acacia wood, its length shall be two cubits, its width one cubit, and its height one and a half cubits. ²⁴ You shall overlay it with pure gold and put a gold wreath all around it. ²⁵ You shall make around it a frame of one palm and you shall make a garland of gold on the frame, all around. ²⁶ You shall make four gold rings for the table and put the rings on its four corners, which shall be at its four feet. ²⁷ The rings will be near the frame, to receive the bars that will support the table. ²⁸ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold; they shall be used to carry the table. ²⁹ You shall make its dishes, its censers, its bowls and its cups for libations; you shall make them of pure gold. ³⁰ You shall place the loaves of the Presence on the table, continually before my face. ³¹ You shall make a lampstand of pure gold; the lampstand, its base and its shaft, shall be made of hammered gold; its cups, its buds and its flowers shall be of one piece. ³² Six branches will come out of its sides, three branches from the lampstand on one side and three branches from the lampstand on the other side. ³³ On the first branch there will be three almond blossom calyxes, bud and flower, and on the second branch three almond blossom calyxes, bud and flower; the same will be true for the six branches coming from the candelabra. ³⁴ On the stem of the candlestick, there will be four almond blossom calyxes, their buds and their flowers. ³⁵ There will be a button under the first two branches coming from the stem of the candlestick, a button under the next two branches coming from the stem of the candlestick, and a button under the last two branches coming from the stem of the candlestick, according to the six branches coming out of the stem of the candlestick. ³⁶ These buttons and branches will be of the same piece as the candlestick, the whole thing will be a mass of beaten gold, of pure gold. ³⁷ You shall make its lamps, seven in number, and place its lamps on the branches, so as to give light in front. ³⁸ Her tweezers and ashtrays will be made of pure gold. ³⁹ A talent of pure gold will be used to make the candlestick with all its utensils. ⁴⁰ "Look and follow the model shown to you on the mountain."»

Exodus 26

¹ «"You shall make the Tabernacle of ten curtains, you shall make them of fine twined linen, of blue, purple, scarlet and crimson, with cherubim, the work of a skilled weaver. ² The length of a curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits and the width of a curtain shall be four cubits, the dimension shall be the same for all the curtains. ³ Five of these hangings will be joined together, the other five will also be joined together. ⁴ You will put purple laces on the edge of the tapestry finishing the first assembly and you will do the same on the edge of the tapestry finishing the second assembly. ⁵ You will make fifty laces on the first hanging and you will make fifty laces on the edge of the hanging finishing the second assembly and these laces will correspond to each other. ⁶ You shall make fifty gold clasps, with which you shall join the hangings one to another, so that the Tabernacle forms one whole. ⁷ You shall also make curtains of goat's hair to form a tent over the Tabernacle; you shall make eleven of these curtains. ⁸ The length of one curtain will be thirty cubits and the width of one curtain will be four cubits; the dimensions will be the same for all eleven curtains. ⁹ You shall join five of these curtains separately and the other six separately, and you shall fold the sixth curtain over the front of the tent. ¹⁰ You will put fifty laces at the edge of the tapestry finishing the first assembly and fifty more at the edge of the tapestry of the second assembly. ¹¹ You will make fifty bronze staples, insert the staples into the laces and thus assemble the tent, which will form a single whole. ¹² As for the excess portion of the tent curtains, namely half the extra curtain, it will fall back onto the rear of the Tabernacle., ¹³ and the cubits in excess, one on one side, the other on the other, over the length of the tent curtains, shall fall back on the sides of the Tabernacle, one on one side, the other on the other, to cover it. ¹⁴ You shall make for the tent a covering of rams' skins dyed red and a covering of dolphins' skins over it. ¹⁵ You shall also make the boards for the Tabernacle, acacia wood boards, set upright. ¹⁶ The length of a plank will be ten cubits and the width of a plank will be one and a half cubits. ¹⁷ Each board will have two tenons, joined to each other; you will do the same for all the boards of the Tabernacle. ¹⁸ You shall make the boards for the Tabernacle: twenty boards for the south face, on the right. ¹⁹ You shall place under the twenty planks forty silver pedestals, two pedestals under each plank for its two tenons. ²⁰ For the second side of the Tabernacle, the north side, you shall make twenty planks, ²¹ as well as their forty silver pedestals, two pedestals under each board. ²² You shall make six boards for the back of the Tabernacle, on the west side. ²³ You will make two boards for the corners of the Tabernacle, at the back, ²⁴ They will be doubled from the bottom, forming together a single whole up to their top, up to the first ring. So it will be for both of them; they will be placed at the two corners. ²⁵ There will thus be eight boards, with their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under each board. ²⁶ You shall make crossbeams of acacia wood, five for the planks on one side of the Tabernacle, ²⁷ five crossbeams for the boards on the second side of the Tabernacle and five crossbeams for the boards on the side of the Tabernacle which forms the back, towards the west. ²⁸ The middle crossbeam will extend, along the planks, from one end to the other. ²⁹ You shall overlay the boards with gold and you shall make their rings of gold which are to receive the crossbeams, and you shall overlay the crossbeams with gold. ³⁰ You shall erect the Tabernacle according to the pattern shown you on the mountain. ³¹ You shall make a veil of purple, violet, scarlet, and crimson yarn and fine twined linen, with cherubim woven into it: the work of a skilled weaver. ³² You shall hang it on four acacia wood pillars, overlaid with gold, with gold hooks, and set on four silver bases. ³³ You shall put the veil under the clasps, and it is there, behind the veil, that you shall bring in the ark of the testimony; the veil shall be for you a separation between the holy place and the most holy place. ³⁴ You shall place the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. ³⁵ You shall place the table outside the veil and the lampstand opposite the table, on the south side of the Tabernacle, and you shall place the table on the north side. ³⁶ You shall make for the entrance of the tent a curtain of purple, violet, scarlet, crimson and fine twined linen, the work of which is varied in design. ³⁷ You shall make five acacia wood pillars for this curtain and overlay them with gold; they shall have gold hooks, and you shall cast five bronze bases for them.« 

Exodus 27

¹ «You shall make the altar of acacia wood; its length shall be five cubits and its width five cubits. The altar shall be square and its height shall be three cubits. ² At its four corners you shall make horns that shall come out of the altar, and you shall cover it with bronze. ³ You shall make for the altar vessels to collect the ashes, shovels, basins, forks and censers; you shall make all these utensils of bronze. ⁴ You shall make a bronze grating for the altar, and you shall put four bronze rings on the four ends of the grating. ⁵ You will place it under the cornice of the altar, from below, and the trellis will be up to half the height of the altar. ⁶ You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, which you shall overlay with bronze. ⁷ We will pass these bars through the rings and they will be on both sides of the altar when we transport it. ⁸ You will make it hollow, out of planks; we will make it as it was shown to you on the mountain.» ⁹ «You shall make the courtyard of the Tabernacle. On the south side, on the right, there shall be curtains of finely twisted linen to form the courtyard, one hundred cubits long on one side, ¹⁰ with twenty columns and their twenty bronze bases, the hooks of the columns and their rods shall be of silver. ¹¹ Likewise, on the north side, there will be curtains one hundred cubits long, with twenty columns and their twenty bronze bases, the hooks of the columns and their rods will be silver. ¹² On the western side, there will be fifty cubits of curtains across the width of the courtyard, with ten columns and their ten bases. ¹³ On the eastern side, at the front, the courtyard will be fifty cubits wide, ¹⁴ and there will be fifteen cubits of curtains on one side of the door, with three columns and their three bases, ¹⁵ and fifteen cubits of curtains for the second side, with three columns and their three bases. ¹⁶ For the gate of the courtyard, there shall be a curtain of twenty cubits, of purple, violet, scarlet, crimson and twisted linen, with various designs, as well as four pillars with their four bases. ¹⁷ All the columns forming the enclosure of the forecourt will be connected by silver rods, they will have silver hooks and their bases will be bronze. ¹⁸ The length of the courtyard shall be one hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits on each side and its height five cubits, the curtains shall be of twisted linen and the bases of bronze. ¹⁹ All the utensils used in the service of the Tabernacle, all its pegs, and all the pegs of the courtyard shall be of bronze.» ²⁰ «"You shall command the children of Israel to bring you crushed olive oil for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually. ²¹ In the tent of meeting, outside the veil that is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall prepare it to be burned from evening until morning before the Lord. This is a perpetual statute for the children of Israel, throughout their generations.»

Exodus 28

¹ «Bring to you Aaron your brother and his sons with him from among the children of Israel, to be priests in my service: Aaron, Nadab, Abiu, Eleazar and Ithamar, sons of Aaron. ² You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, to mark his dignity and to serve as an adornment for him. ³ You shall speak to all the skilled men whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, and they shall make Aaron's garments, so that he may be consecrated to exercise my priesthood. ⁴ These are the garments they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, an embroidered tunic, a turban, and a sash. These are the holy garments they shall make for Aaron your brother and his sons, so that they may serve me as priests. ⁵ They will use gold, purple, scarlet, crimson, and fine linen. ⁶ They shall make the ephod of gold, purple, scarlet, crimson, and finely twisted linen, woven together in a skillful weave. ⁷ It will have two shoulder pads that will join its two ends and thus it will be joined. ⁸ The belt to fasten it by passing over it will be of the same workmanship and will be one with it: it will be of gold, purple violet, scarlet purple, crimson and twisted linen. ⁹ You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel: ¹⁰ six of their names on one stone and the other six names on the second stone, according to the order of their births. ¹¹ Just as precious stones are cut and seals are engraved on them, so you shall engrave on the two stones the names of the children of Israel and set them in gold settings. ¹² You shall place the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the children of Israel, and Aaron shall bear their names on his two shoulders before the Lord as a memorial. ¹³ You will make golden kittens, ¹⁴ and two chains of pure gold, braided in the form of cords, and you shall attach the chains in the form of cords to the settings. ¹⁵ You shall make a breastplate of judgment, artistically worked; you shall make it with the same workmanship as the ephod; you shall make it of gold, purple, scarlet, crimson, and fine twined linen. ¹⁶ It will be square and double, its length will be one span and its width one span. ¹⁷ You will fit it with a setting of precious stones, four rows of precious stones. First row: a sardonyx, a topaz, an emerald, ¹⁸ Second row: a carbuncle, a sapphire, a diamond, ¹⁹ Third row: an opal, an agate, an amethyst, ²⁰ Fourth row: a chrysolite, an onyx, a jasper. These stones will be set in gold rosettes. ²¹ The stones will be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names; they will be engraved like seals, each with its name, for the twelve tribes. ²² You shall make for the breastplate chains of pure gold, braided in the form of cords. ²³ You shall make two gold rings on the breastplate and you shall put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate. ²⁴ You will pass the two gold cords through the two rings at the ends of the breastplate, ²⁵ and you shall attach the two ends of the two cords to the two kittens and you shall put them on the ephod's shoulder pieces, in front. ²⁶ You shall make two more gold rings, and put them on the two lower ends of the breastplate, on the inner edge applied against the ephod. ²⁷ And you shall make two other gold rings, which you shall put on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod, on the front, near its attachment, above the belt of the ephod. ²⁸ The breastplate will be attached by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a purple ribbon, so that the breastplate is above the belt of the ephod and the breastplate cannot be separated from the ephod. ²⁹ This is how Aaron, when he enters the sanctuary, will bear on his heart the names of the sons of Israel engraved on the breastplate of judgment, as a perpetual memorial before the Lord. ³⁰ You shall put the Urim and the Thummim in the breastplate of judgment, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord, and so Aaron shall continually bear on his heart before the Lord the judgment of the children of Israel. ³¹ You shall make the entire robe of the ephod of purple. ³² There will be an opening in the middle for the head and this opening will have a woven edge all around, like the opening of a coat of arms, so that the robe will not tear. ³³ You shall place on the lower edge pomegranates of purple, violet, scarlet, and crimson, all around the lower edge, ³⁴ and golden bells in the middle of them all around: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate on the lower edge of the robe, all around. ³⁵ Aaron will put it on to fulfill his ministry, and the sound of bells will be heard when he enters the sanctuary before the Lord and when he comes out of it, and he will not die. ³⁶ You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, as one engraves on a signet: Holiness to the Lord. ³⁷ You will attach it with a purple ribbon so that it is on the tiara, it will be on the front of the tiara. ³⁸ It will be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron will bear the guilt of the children of Israel in the holy things they dedicate, in every kind of holy offering; it will be continually on his forehead before the Lord, so that they may find favor in the sight of the Lord. ³⁹ You will make the tunic out of linen, you will make a linen tiara and you will make a belt of various colors. ⁴⁰ For Aaron’s sons, you shall make tunics, you shall make sashes for them, and you shall make miters for them, to mark their dignity and to serve as an adornment for them. ⁴¹ You shall clothe Aaron, your brother, and his sons with him with these ornaments. You shall anoint them, install them, and consecrate them, so that they may be priests to serve me. ⁴² Make them linen underpants to cover their nakedness; they will go from their waist to their thighs. ⁴³ Aaron and his sons shall wear them when they enter the tent of meeting, or when they approach the altar to minister in the sanctuary, so that they do not incur guilt and die. This is a perpetual statute for Aaron and his descendants after him.

Exodus 29

¹ Here is what you must do to consecrate them to my service as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without blemish, ² unleavened breads, unleavened cakes kneaded with oil and unleavened flatbreads sprinkled with oil: you shall make all of them from fine wheat flour. ³ You will put them in a single basket and you will present them in the basket at the same time as you present the young bull and the two rams. ⁴ You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and you shall wash them with water. ⁵ Then, having taken the clothes, you shall dress Aaron in the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod and the breastpiece, and you shall put the sash of the ephod on him. ⁶ You shall place the tiara on her head and you shall place the diadem of sanctity on the tiara. ⁷ You will take the anointing oil, pour it on his head, and anoint him. ⁸ You shall bring his sons near and clothe them with tunics. ⁹ You shall put a sash on Aaron and his sons, and you shall fasten miters on Aaron's sons. The priesthood shall belong to them by a perpetual statute, and you shall install Aaron and his sons. ¹⁰ You shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. ¹¹ You shall slaughter the bull before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting, ¹² You shall take some of the bull's blood, put some of it with your finger on the horns of the altar, and pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. ¹³ You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails, the network of the liver and the two kidneys with the fat that surrounds them and you shall burn all of it on the altar. ¹⁴ But you shall burn the flesh of the bull, its hide, and its excrement by fire outside the camp: it is a sin offering. ¹⁵ You shall take one of the rams and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. ¹⁶ You shall slaughter the ram, take its blood and sprinkle it all around the altar. ¹⁷ You shall cut the ram into pieces and, having washed the entrails and the legs, you shall place them on the pieces and on its head, ¹⁸ and you shall burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. ¹⁹ You shall take the second ram and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. ²⁰ You shall slaughter the ram and, having taken some of its blood, you shall put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobe of his sons’ right ears, on the thumb of their right hands and on the big toe of their right feet, and you shall sprinkle the blood on the altar all around. ²¹ You shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments with him. And so he shall be consecrated, he and his garments, and his sons and their garments with him. ²² You shall take the fat of the ram, the tail, the fat that covers the entrails, the network of the liver, the two kidneys and the fat that surrounds them and the right shoulder, for it is an installation ram. ²³ You shall also take from the basket of unleavened bread placed before the Lord a loaf of bread, a cake made with oil, and a wafer. ²⁴ You shall place all these things on the palms of Aaron’s hands and on the palms of his sons’ hands, and you shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. ²⁵ Then you shall take them out of their hands and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering, as a pleasing aroma before the Lord: it is a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. ²⁶ You shall take the breast of the ram which was used in Aaron’s installation and wave it as a wave offering before the Lord: it shall be your portion. ²⁷ From the ram of installation, from what belongs to Aaron and what belongs to his sons, you shall consecrate what has been swung and what has been lifted up, namely the swung breast and the lifted shoulder: ²⁸ This will be a perpetual tribute from the children of Israel to Aaron and his sons, for it is a high offering, and the children of Israel will have to take an offering from their sacrifices of thanksgiving, their offering taken for the Lord. ²⁹ Aaron's sacred garments will be for his sons after him, who will wear them when they are anointed and installed. ³⁰ For seven days, the one of his sons who is priest in his place will carry them, the one who enters the tent of meeting to minister in the sanctuary. ³¹ You shall take the ram of installation and boil its flesh in a holy place. ³² Aaron and his sons shall eat, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, the flesh of the ram and the bread that will be in the basket. ³³ They shall eat what has been used to make atonement for them, to install and consecrate them; no foreigner shall eat of it, for it is holy. ³⁴ If any of the meat from the installation and the bread remains until the next day, you shall burn the remainder and it shall not be eaten, for it is holy. ³⁵ You shall do this with regard to Aaron and his sons, according to all the commandments I have given you. You shall install them for seven days. ³⁶ You shall offer a young bull every day as a sin offering for atonement; you shall remove the sin from the altar by this atonement and anoint it to consecrate it. ³⁷ For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy, and everything that touches the altar shall be holy. ³⁸ This is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old, every day, in perpetuity. ³⁹ You shall offer one of these lambs in the morning and you shall offer the other lamb between the two evenings. ⁴⁰ With the first lamb, you shall offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour kneaded with a quarter of a hin of crushed olive oil and a libation of a quarter of a hin of wine. ⁴¹ You shall offer the second lamb between the two evenings, with a grain offering and a drink offering like those of the morning. It is a pleasing aroma, a burnt offering to the Lord. ⁴² a perpetual burnt offering which you must offer from age to age, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. ⁴³ I will meet there with the children of Israel, and this place will be consecrated by my glory. ⁴⁴ I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to be priests in my service. ⁴⁵ I will dwell among the children of Israel and I will be their God. ⁴⁶ They will know that I, the Lord, am their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, to dwell among them, I am the Lord, their God.

Exodus 30

¹ You shall make an altar to burn incense on; you shall make it of acacia wood, ² Its length will be one cubit and its width one cubit, it will be square and its height will be two cubits, its horns will be one piece with it. ³ You shall cover it with pure gold, the top, the sides all around and the horns, and you shall make a wreath of gold all around it. ⁴ You shall make for it two gold rings, below the garland, on its two edges: you shall make them on the two sides, to receive the poles which shall be used to carry it. ⁵ You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ⁶ You shall place the altar opposite the veil that is before the ark of the testimony, opposite the mercy seat that is over the testimony, where I will meet with you. ⁷ Aaron will burn incense on it; he will burn it every morning when he prepares the lamps., ⁸ And he shall burn it between the two evenings, when Aaron places the lamps on the lampstand. A perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations. ⁹ You shall not offer on the altar any profane incense, burnt offering, or grain offering, nor pour out any drink offering on it. ¹⁰ Aaron shall make atonement on the horns of the altar once a year, with the blood of the sin offering; he shall make atonement on it once a year throughout your generations. This altar shall be most holy to the Lord.» ¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹² «When you take a census of the children of Israel, each one shall give to the Lord a ransom for his life when they are counted, so that no plague may strike them when they are counted. ¹³ This is what all those included in the census shall give: half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which is twenty gerahs, half a shekel shall be the offering raised for the Lord. ¹⁴ Every man included in the census, from the age of twenty years and above, shall pay the Lord's contribution. ¹⁵ The rich will pay no more and the poor will pay no less than half a shekel, to pay the Lord's contribution as a ransom for your souls. ¹⁶ You shall receive the ransom money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting; it shall be for the Israelites a deed before the Lord for the ransom of their souls.» ¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹⁸ «You shall make a bronze basin, with a bronze base, for washing; you shall place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it.” ¹⁹ And Aaron and his sons will take some to wash their hands and feet. ²⁰ They shall wash themselves with this water, so that they do not die, and when they enter the tent of meeting and when they approach the altar to minister, to burn a sacrifice to the Lord. ²¹ They shall wash their feet and their hands, and they shall not die. This shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.» ²² The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²³ «"Take, from among the best spices, five hundred shekels of virgin myrrh, half that amount, or two hundred and fifty shekels, of aromatic cinnamon, two hundred and fifty shekels of fragrant cane" ²⁴ five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the sanctuary shekel, and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵ You shall make of it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded according to the art of the perfumer: it shall be a holy anointing oil. ²⁶ You shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, ²⁷ the table and all its utensils, the lampstand and its utensils, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offerings and all its utensils and the basin with its base. ²⁹ You shall consecrate them and they shall be most holy; everything that touches them shall be holy. ³⁰ You shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them, to serve me as priests. ³¹ You shall speak to the children of Israel, saying: This shall be the holy anointing oil for me from generation to generation. ³² It shall not be poured on the body of a man, nor shall you make another like it, of the same composition; it is a sacred thing and you shall regard it as a sacred thing. ³³ Whoever composes anything like it, or places it on a foreigner, shall be cut off from his people.» ³⁴ The Lord said to Moses, «Take aromatics: resin, fragrant onion, galbanum, spices and pure frankincense, they shall be in equal parts. ³⁵ You shall make of it a perfume for incense, composed according to the art of the perfumer; it shall be salty, pure, and holy. ³⁶ You shall grind it into a powder and put it before the testimony in the tent of meeting, where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you. ³⁷ The perfume that you make, you shall not make for yourselves of the same composition; you shall regard it as holy to the Lord. ³⁸ Anyone who makes anything like it, to smell its fragrance, will be cut off from his people.»

Exodus 31

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² «Know that I have called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge for all kinds of work: ⁴ to make inventions, to work with gold, silver, and bronze, ⁵ for engraving stones to be set, for carving wood and executing all kinds of work. ⁶ And behold, I have appointed Ooliab son of Ahishamech, of the tribe of Dan, to him, and I have put wisdom in the heart of every skillful man, to carry out all that I have commanded you: ⁷ the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, ⁸ the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand and all its utensils, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar of burnt offerings and all its utensils, the basin with its base, ¹⁰ the ceremonial garments, the sacred garments for the priest Aaron, the garments of his sons for the functions of the priesthood, ¹¹ the anointing oil and the incense to be burned for the sanctuary. They will carry out all the commands I have given you.» ¹² The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ¹³ «Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: Do not fail to observe my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you for all your generations, so that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. ¹⁴ You shall observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Whoever profanes it shall surely be put to death, and whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from his people. ¹⁵ Six days shall be worked, but the seventh day shall be a day of complete rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. ¹⁶ The children of Israel shall observe the Sabbath and celebrate it, they and their descendants, as a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷ This will be a sign between me and the children of Israel forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested from his work.» ¹⁸ When the Lord had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

Exodus 32

¹ When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, «Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.» ² Aaron said to them, «Take off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.» ³ Everyone took off the gold rings they were wearing in their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ He received them from their hands, fashioned the gold with a chisel, and made a molten calf. And they said, «Israel, these are your Gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.» ⁵ Having seen this, Aaron built an altar before the image and proclaimed, «Tomorrow there will be a festival in honor of the Lord.» ⁶ The next day, having risen early in the morning, they offered burnt offerings and presented peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and then they rose up to enjoy themselves. ⁷ The Lord said to Moses, «Go downstairs, for your people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt have behaved very badly. ⁸ They quickly turned away from the way I had commanded them; they made themselves a molten calf, they bowed down before it and offered sacrifices to it, and they said, »These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” ⁹ The Lord said to Moses, «I see that this people is a stiff-necked people. ¹⁰ Now leave me alone, so that my anger may burn against them and consume them. But I will make you into a great nation.» ¹¹ Moses pleaded with the Lord his God and said, «Why, Lord, should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? ¹² Why should the Egyptians say, "It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to destroy them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth"? Turn from your fierce anger and repent of the evil you intend to do to your people. ¹³ Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self: »I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall possess it forever.” ¹⁴ And the Lord relented concerning the evil he had spoken of doing to his people. ¹⁵ Moses returned and came down from the mountain, having in his hand the two tablets of the testimony, tablets written on both sides, they were written on both faces. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ Joshua He heard the noise the people were making, shouting, and he said to Moses, »There is a sound of war in the camp.” ¹⁸ Moses replied, "It is neither the sound of shouts of victory nor the sound of shouts of defeat; I hear the voice of people singing."« ¹⁹ When he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. And Moses' anger burned, and he threw down the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ And taking the calf they had made, he burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, sprinkled the powder on the water, and made the children of Israel drink it. ²¹ Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you brought such a great sin upon them?"« ²² Aaron replied, «Do not let my lord’s anger burn. You yourself know that this people is prone to evil.”. ²³ They said to me, "Make us a god who will go before us, for as for this Moses, this man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.". ²⁴ I told them, 'Those who have gold should take it off.' They gave me some, I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.» ²⁵ Moses saw that the people had no restraint, because Aaron had removed all restraints, exposing them to becoming a laughingstock among their enemies. ²⁶ And Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, "Those who are for the Lord, come to me." And all the children of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ He said to them, «This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: »Each of you put on your sword and go back and forth through the camp from one gate to another, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your relative.’” ²⁸ The children of Levi did as Moses commanded, and about three thousand men of the people perished that day. ²⁹ Moses said, «Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, since each of you has been against his son and father, so that he may give you a blessing today.» ³⁰ The next day, Moses said to the people, «You have committed a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord: perhaps I will obtain forgiveness of your sin.» ³¹ Moses returned to the Lord and said, «Ah, this people has committed a great sin. They have made themselves a god of gold.”. ³² "Forgive their sin now, or else erase me from the book you have written."» ³³ The Lord said to Moses, «It is the one who has sinned against me whom I will blot out of my book. ³⁴ Go now, lead the people to the place I told you about. Behold, my angel will go before you, but on the day of my visitation I will punish them for their sin.» ³⁵ This is how the Lord struck the people, because they had made the calf that Aaron had made.

Exodus 33

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Go up from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land which I promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, saying, I will give it to your offspring. ² I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ³ Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest you be destroyed on the way.» ⁴ Upon hearing these harsh words, the people went into mourning and no one put on their ornaments. ⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, «Tell the Israelites, »You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go up among you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Now then, take off your ornaments so I can know what to do to you.’” ⁶ The children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, starting at Mount Horeb. ⁷ Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, some distance away; he called it the tent of meeting, and whoever sought the Lord went to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. ⁸ And when Moses went to the tent, all the people stood up, each one at the entrance of the tent, and they followed Moses with their eyes until he entered the tent. ⁹ As soon as Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord spoke with Moses. ¹⁰ All the people saw the pillar of cloud that stood at the entrance of the tent, and all the people rose up and each one bowed down at the entrance of his tent. ¹¹ And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses would then return to the camp, but his servant Joshua, Nun's son, a young man, did not stray far from the middle of the tent. ¹² Moses said to the Lord, «You tell me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you do not tell me whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found favor in my sight.’”. ¹³ And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, make me know your ways so that I may know you and find favor in your eyes. Consider that this nation is your people.» ¹⁴ The Lord replied, «My face will go with you, and I will give you rest.» ¹⁵ Moses said, «If your face does not come, do not send us away from here.”. ¹⁶ How will you know that I and your people have found favor in your eyes, except by your walking with us? This will distinguish us, you and me, from all the other peoples on the face of the earth.» ¹⁷ The Lord said to Moses, «I will again do what you ask, for you have found favor in my sight and I know you by name.» ¹⁸ Moses said, "Show me your glory."« ¹⁹ The Lord replied, «I will cause all my goodness to pass before you, and I will declare before you the name of the Lord; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.» ²⁰ The Lord said, «You will not be able to see my face, for no one may see me and live.» ²¹ The Lord said, «Here is a place near me where you may stand on the rock. ²² When my glory passes away, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed away. ²³ Then I will withdraw my hand and you will see me from behind, but my face will not be seen.»

Exodus 34

¹ The Lord said to Moses, «Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke: ² Be ready for tomorrow and you will go up Mount Sinai early in the morning, you will stand there before me, at the top of the mountain. ³ "Let no one go up with you, and let no one show themselves anywhere on the mountain, and let neither sheep nor cattle graze on that mountainside."» ⁴ So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and getting up early, he went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took the two tablets of stone in his hand. ⁵ The Lord descended in the cloud, stood there with him, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶ And the Lord passed before him and cried out: «Lord, Lord, God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, ⁷ who maintains his grace to a thousand generations, and forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin, yet he does not leave them unpunished, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the children's children to the third and the fourth generation.» ⁸ Immediately Moses bowed down to the ground and prostrated himself, ⁹ saying, «If I have found favor in your eyes, Lord, may the Lord walk among us, for this is a stiff-necked people; forgive our iniquities and our sins and take us as your inheritance.» ¹⁰ The Lord said, «Behold, I make a covenant: in the sight of all your people, I will perform wonders which have not been done in any country or nation, and all the people around you shall see the work of the Lord, for terrible are the things which I will do with you. ¹¹ Pay attention to what I command you today. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ¹² Beware of making alliances with the inhabitants of the land against which you are marching, lest they become a snare in your midst. ¹³ But you will overthrow their altars, you will break their stelae and you will cut down their sacred poles. ¹⁴ You shall worship no other god, for the Lord is called the Jealous One; he is a jealous God. ¹⁵ Therefore, do not make an alliance with the inhabitants of the land, lest, when they prostitute themselves to their gods and offer them sacrifices, they invite you and you eat of their victims, ¹⁶ lest you take some of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, and lead your sons to prostitute themselves to their gods as well. ¹⁷ You shall not make gods of molten metal. ¹⁸ You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread: for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt. ¹⁹ Every firstborn male belongs to me, likewise, every firstborn male of your flocks, whether ox or sheep. ²⁰ You shall redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, you shall break its neck. You shall redeem every firstborn of your sons, and no one shall appear before me empty-handed. ²¹ Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, even in plowing and harvest time. ²² You will celebrate the Feast of Weeks, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the harvest festival at the end of the year. ²³ Three times a year, all the males shall present themselves before the Lord God, God of Israel. ²⁴ For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land while you go up to present yourself before the Lord your God three times a year. ²⁵ You shall not offer the blood of my victim with leavened bread, nor shall the sacrifice of the Passover feast be kept overnight until morning. ²⁶ You shall bring the firstfruits of your land to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.» ²⁷ The Lord said to Moses, «Write these words, for it is according to these words that I am making a covenant with you and with Israel.» ²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, neither eating bread nor drinking water. And the Lord wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. ²⁹ Moses came down from Mount Sinai, Moses had in his hand the two tablets of the testimony, as he came down from the mountain and Moses did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant while he spoke with the Lord. ³⁰ Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ Moses called them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the assembly came to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Then all the children of Israel approached and he gave them all the commands that he had received from the Lord on Mount Sinai. ³³ When Moses had finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ When Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil until he came out, then he would come out and tell the children of Israel what he had been commanded. ³⁵ The children of Israel saw the face of Moses, they saw that the skin of Moses' face was radiant, and Moses put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

Exodus 35

¹ Moses, having summoned the whole assembly of Israel, said to them, «These are the things that the Lord has commanded to be done: ² Six days you shall work, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a day of complete rest in honor of the Lord. Whoever does any work on that day shall surely be put to death. ³ You shall not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.» ⁴ Moses spoke to the whole assembly of the children of Israel, saying, «This is what the Lord has commanded: ⁵ Take from your possessions an offering to the Lord. Every person whose heart is willing shall bring as an offering to the Lord gold, silver, and bronze, ⁶ of violet purple, scarlet purple, crimson, fine linen, and goat hair, ⁷ rams' skins dyed red, dolphin skins, and acacia wood, ⁸ oil for the lampstand, spices for the anointing oil and for the incense, ⁹ onyx stones and other stones to be set for the ephod and for the pectoral. ¹⁰ Let all those among you who have ability come and carry out all that the Lord has commanded: ¹¹ the Tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its rings, its frames, its crossbars, its pillars and its bases, ¹² the ark and its bars, the mercy seat and the veil of separation, ¹³ the table with its bars and all its utensils and the breads of the proposition, ¹⁴ the candlestick with its utensils, lamps, and oil for the candlestick, ¹⁵ the altar of incense and its poles, the anointing oil and the incense for burning: the curtain for the entrance to the Tabernacle, ¹⁶the altar of burnt offerings, its bronze grating, its bars and all its utensils, the basin with its base, ¹⁷ the curtains of the forecourt, its columns, its pedestals, and the hanging of the forecourt gate, ¹⁸ the stakes of the Tabernacle, the stakes of the courtyard with their ropes, ¹⁹ the ceremonial garments for service in the sanctuary, the sacred garments for the high priest Aaron, and the garments of his sons for the functions of the priesthood.» ²⁰ When the entire assembly of the children of Israel had gone out from before Moses, ²¹ All those whose hearts were inclined to it and all those whose spirits were well disposed came and brought an offering to the Lord for the building of the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. ²² The men came as well as women, All those whose hearts were well disposed brought earrings, rings, bracelets, all kinds of gold objects, each presenting the gold offering that he had intended for the Lord. ²³ All those who had purple, scarlet, and crimson dye, fine linen and goat hair, rams' skins dyed red, and dolphins' skins, brought them. ²⁴ All those who had contributed silver and bronze offerings brought their offerings to the Lord. All those who had acacia wood in their homes for all the works intended for worship brought it. ²⁵ All women Those who had skill spun with their hands and brought their work: purple, scarlet, crimson, and fine linen. ²⁶All women Those whose hearts were inclined to it and who had the skill, spun goat hair. ²⁷ The leading men of the people brought onyx stones and other stones to be set in the ephod and the breastplate, ²⁸ spices and oil for the lampstand, for the anointing oil and for the fragrant perfume. ²⁹ All the children of Israel, men and women, who were willing of their hearts to contribute to any work that the Lord had commanded to be done through Moses, brought voluntary offerings to the Lord. ³⁰ Moses said to the children of Israel: «Know that the Lord has chosen Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³¹ He filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge for all kinds of craftsmanship, ³² to make inventions, to work with gold, silver, and bronze, ³³ for engraving stones to be set, for carving wood and executing all kinds of works of art. ³⁴ He also placed in his heart the gift of teaching, just as he did in Ooliab, son of Ahishamah, of the tribe of Dan. ³⁵ He filled them with intelligence to perform all kinds of sculptural and artistic work, to weave purple, scarlet, crimson, and fine linen in various designs, to carry out all kinds of work and to make inventions.

Exodus 36

¹ Bezalel, Ooliab, and all the intelligent men in whom the Lord has put understanding and skill to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, shall carry it out according to all that the Lord has commanded.» ² Moses summoned Bezalel, Ooliab, and all the intelligent men in whose hearts the Lord had put understanding, all those whose hearts moved them to apply themselves to this work to carry it out. ³ They took from Moses all the offerings that the children of Israel had brought to carry out the works intended for the service of the sanctuary, and every morning the people continued to bring Moses voluntary offerings. ⁴ Then all the skilled men who were doing all the work on the sanctuary, each leaving the work they were doing, ⁵ They came and told Moses, "The people have brought much more than is needed to carry out the work that the Lord has commanded to be done."« ⁶ Moses gave an order, and this proclamation was made in the camp: «No man or woman is to be involved any longer in the offering for the sanctuary.» And the people were forbidden to bring any more. ⁷ The prepared materials were sufficient and more than enough for all the work to be carried out. ⁸ All the skilled men among those who were working on the work made the Tabernacle of ten curtains, they made them of fine twined linen, purple, scarlet and crimson, with cherubim, the work of a skilled weaver. ⁹ The length of a curtain was twenty-eight cubits and the width of a curtain was four cubits; the dimensions were the same for all curtains. ¹⁰ Five of these hangings were joined together, and the other five were also joined together. ¹¹ Purple laces were placed at the edge of the hanging that finished the first assembly, and the same was done at the edge of the hanging that finished the second assembly. ¹² Fifty laces were made on the first hanging and fifty laces were made on the edge of the hanging completing the second assembly, and these laces corresponded to each other. ¹³ Fifty gold clasps were made, with which the hangings were joined together, so that the Tabernacle formed a single whole. ¹⁴ They made curtains of goat hair to form a tent over the Tabernacle; they made eleven of these curtains. ¹⁵ The length of one curtain was thirty cubits and the width of one curtain was four cubits. The dimensions were the same for all eleven curtains. ¹⁶ Five of these tapestries were attached separately, and the other six were kept separate. ¹⁷ Fifty laces were placed at the edge of the tapestry completing one assembly, and fifty laces were placed at the edge of the tapestry of the second assembly. ¹⁸ Fifty bronze staples were used to assemble the tent, so that it would form a single whole. ¹⁹ They made a covering for the tent from rams' skins dyed red and a covering from dolphins' skins on top of that. ²⁰ They also made the boards for the Tabernacle, acacia wood boards, set upright. ²¹ The length of a plank was ten cubits and the width of a plank was one and a half cubits. ²² Each plank had two tenons, joined to each other: the same was done for all the planks of the Tabernacle. ²³ They made the boards for the Tabernacle: twenty boards for the south face, on the right. ²⁴ Under the twenty planks, forty silver pedestals were placed, two pedestals under each plank for its two tenons. ²⁵ For the second side of the Tabernacle, the north side, twenty planks were made, ²⁶ as well as their forty silver pedestals, two pedestals under each board. ²⁷ Six boards were made for the back of the Tabernacle, on the west side. ²⁸ Two boards were made for the corners of the Tabernacle, at the back, ²⁹ They were doubled from the bottom, together forming a single whole up to their top, up to the first ring: so it was done for both of them, at the two corners. ³⁰ There were eight boards, with their silver bases, sixteen bases, two bases under each board. ³¹ They made crossbeams of acacia wood, five for the planks on one side of the Tabernacle, ³² five crossbeams for the boards on the second side of the Tabernacle and five crossbeams for the boards on the side of the Tabernacle which forms the back, towards the west. ³³ The middle crossbeam extended along the planks from one end to the other. ³⁴ The planks were overlaid with gold, and their rings which received the crossbeams were made of gold, and the crossbeams were overlaid with gold. ³⁵ The veil was made of purple, violet, scarlet, crimson, and finely twisted linen, with cherubim depicted on it: the work of a skilled weaver. ³⁶ Four acacia pillars were made for him, overlaid with gold, with gold hooks, and four silver bases were cast for them. ³⁷ They made for the entrance of the tent a curtain of purple, violet, scarlet, crimson and twisted linen, the work of a varied design. ³⁸ For this curtain, five columns and their hooks were made, and their capitals and rods were covered with gold; their five bases were bronze.

Exodus 37

¹ Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits. ² He covered it with pure gold, inside and out, and he made a golden wreath all around it. ³ He cast four gold rings for her, which he placed on her four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ⁴ He made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. ⁵ He passed the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry it. ⁶ He made a mercy seat of pure gold, its length was two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits. ⁷ He made two cherubim of gold, of hammered gold, at the two ends of the mercy seat, ⁸ one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end, he made the cherubim coming out of the mercy seat at its two ends. ⁹ The cherubim had their wings spread upwards, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing each other, the faces of the cherubim were turned towards the mercy seat. ¹⁰ He made the table of acacia wood; its length was two cubits, its width one cubit, and its height one and a half cubits. ¹¹ He adorned it with pure gold and placed a golden wreath all around it. ¹² He made a frame around it, a palm's width wide, and he made a gold garland on the frame all around. ¹³ He cast four gold rings for the table and put the rings on the four corners, which are at its four feet. ¹⁴ The rings were near the frame to receive the bars that would support the table. ¹⁵ He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold; they were used to carry the table. ¹⁶ He made the utensils that were to be placed on the table, its dishes, its goblets, its cups and its ewers for serving libations, he made them of pure gold. ¹⁷ He made the lampstand of pure gold, he made the lampstand of hammered gold, with its base and its stem, its cups, its buds and its flowers were of one piece. ¹⁸ Six branches came out of its sides, three branches from the lampstand on one side and three branches from the lampstand on the other side. ¹⁹ On the first branch there were three almond blossom calyxes, bud and flower, and on the second branch three almond blossom calyxes, bud and flower; the same was true for the six branches coming from the candelabra. ²⁰ On the stem of the candlestick were four chalices, in almond blossoms, with their buds and flowers. ²¹ There was a button under the first two branches coming out of the stem of the candlestick, a button under the next two branches coming out of the stem of the candlestick and a button under the last two branches coming out of the stem of the candlestick, according to the six branches coming out of the candlestick. ²² These buttons and branches were of the same piece as the candlestick, the whole thing was a mass of beaten gold, of pure gold. ²³ He made his lamps, seven in number, and his tongs and lampstands, of pure gold. ²⁴ A talent of pure gold was used to make the candlestick with all its utensils. ²⁵ He made the altar of incense of acacia wood; its length was one cubit and its width one cubit, it was square and its height was two cubits, its horns were one piece with it. ²⁶ He covered it with pure gold, the top, the sides all around and the horns, and he made a wreath of gold all around it. ²⁷ He made for it two gold rings, below its garland, on its two edges, he made them on the two sides, to receive the poles which were used to carry it. ²⁸ He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. ²⁹ He made the oil for holy anointing and the perfume for incense, composed according to the art of the perfumer.

Exodus 38

¹ He made the altar of burnt offerings of acacia wood; its length was five cubits and its width five cubits, it was square and its height was three cubits. ² At its four corners he made horns that came out of the altar, and he clothed it with bronze. ³ He made all the utensils for the altar, the containers for the ashes, the shovels, the basins, the forks and the censers; he made all these utensils of bronze. ⁴ He made a bronze grille in the shape of a trellis for the altar, and placed it under the cornice of the altar, from below, up to half the height. ⁵ He cast four rings, which he placed at the four corners of the bronze grid, to receive the bars. ⁶ He made the bars from acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷ He passed the bars through the rings, on the sides of the altar, so that they could be used to carry it. He made it hollow, out of planks. ⁸ He made the bronze tub and its bronze base, with the mirrors of the women who gathered at the entrance of the meeting tent. ⁹ He made the courtyard. On the south side, to the right, the curtains of the courtyard, made of twisted linen, were one hundred cubits long., ¹⁰ with twenty columns and their twenty bronze bases, the hooks of the columns and their rods were silver. ¹¹ On the north side, the curtains were one hundred cubits long with twenty columns and their twenty bronze bases; the hooks of the columns and their rods were silver. ¹² On the western side, the curtains were fifty cubits long, with ten columns and their ten bases. ¹³ On the eastern side, in front, there were fifty cubits: ¹⁴ and there were fifteen cubits of curtains on one side of the door, with three columns and their three bases, ¹⁵ and for the second side, on one side of the gate of the courtyard as on the other, fifteen cubits of curtains with three columns and their three bases. ¹⁶ All the curtains forming the enclosure of the forecourt were made of twisted linen. ¹⁷ The bases for the columns were bronze, the column hooks and their rods were silver, and their capitals were silver-plated. All the columns in the courtyard were connected by silver rods. ¹⁸ The curtain for the gate of the courtyard was a work of varied design, in purple, scarlet, crimson, and finely twisted linen; its length was twenty cubits and its height five cubits, like the width of the curtains of the courtyard., ¹⁹ Its four columns and their four bases were of bronze, the hooks and their rods of silver, and their capitals covered in silver. ²⁰ All the stakes for the Tabernacle and for the enclosure of the courtyard were made of bronze. ²¹ This is the account of the things that were used for the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle of the Testimony, an account drawn up by the Levites at the command of Moses and under the direction of Ithamar, son of Aaron the high priest. ²² Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, did everything that the Lord had commanded Moses, ²³ He had as his assistant Ooliab, son of Ahishamah, of the tribe of Dan, skilled in engraving, in design, in weaving in various patterns purple, scarlet, crimson and fine linen. ²⁴ The total amount of gold used in the work, for all the work of the sanctuary, gold which was the product of the offerings: twenty-nine talents and seven hundred and thirty shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. ²⁵ The money of those of the assembly who were counted amounted to one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel. ²⁶ It was one beka per head, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, for each man included in the census, from the age of twenty years and above, that is for six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty men. ²⁷ The one hundred talents of silver were used to melt the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil, one hundred bases for the one hundred talents, one talent per base. ²⁸ And with the one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five shekels, they made the hooks for the columns, they covered the capitals and they joined them with rods. ²⁹ The bronze for the offerings amounted to seventy talents and two thousand four hundred shekels. ³⁰ They made from these the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grid, and all the altar utensils., ³¹ the bases of the enclosure of the courtyard and the bases of the gate of the courtyard and all the stakes of the Tabernacle and all the stakes of the enclosure of the courtyard.

Exodus 39

¹ With purple, violet, scarlet, and crimson, they made the ceremonial garments for the service in the sanctuary and they made the sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ² They made the ephod of gold, purple, scarlet, crimson, and twisted linen. ³ They spread the gold into sheets and cut them into threads, which they interlaced with purple, scarlet, crimson and fine linen, with varied designs. ⁴ Shoulder pads were made to join it, and thus it was joined at both ends. ⁵ The belt for attaching the ephod by passing over it was one piece with it and was of the same workmanship; it was of gold, purple, scarlet, crimson, and finely twisted linen, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁶ They made onyx stones set in gold settings, on which they engraved the names of the sons of Israel, like engraving seals. ⁷ They were placed on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the children of Israel, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁸ They made the breastplate, artfully worked, with the same workmanship as the ephod, of gold, purple, scarlet, crimson, and twisted linen. ⁹ It was square, the pectoral was made double, its length was a span and its width a span, it was double. ¹⁰ It is adorned with four rows of stones: a row of sardonyx, topaz, and emerald: first row, ¹¹ Second row: a carbuncle, a sapphire, a diamond, ¹² Third row: an opal, an agate, an amethyst, ¹³ Fourth row: a chrysolite, an onyx, a jasper. These stones were surrounded by gold rosettes in their settings. ¹⁴ The stones were according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve according to their names; they were engraved like seals, each with its name, for the twelve tribes.  ¹⁵ They made chains of pure gold, braided into cords for the breastplate. ¹⁶ They made two gold settings and two gold rings and put the two rings at the two ends of the breastplate. ¹⁷ The two gold cords were passed through the two rings at the ends of the pectoral, ¹⁸ and the two ends of the two cords were attached to the two kittens and placed on the ephod's shoulder pieces, in front. ¹⁹ Two more gold rings were made, which were placed at the two lower ends of the breastplate, on the inner edge applied against the ephod. ²⁰ Two more gold rings were made, one of which was placed at the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the ephod on the front, near the fastening, above the belt of the ephod. ²¹ The breastplate was fastened by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a purple ribbon, so that the breastplate was above the belt of the ephod and the breastplate could not be separated from the ephod, as the Lord commanded Moses. ²² The robe of the ephod was made, the work of the weaver, entirely of purple. ²³ In the middle of the ephod's robe, there was an opening similar to that of a coat of arms, and this opening had a woven edge all around, so that the robe would not tear. ²⁴ They placed on the lower edge of the robe pomegranates of violet, scarlet, crimson, and twisted linen, ²⁵ They made little bells of pure gold and placed these bells in the middle of the pomegranates, on the lower edge of the robe all around, in the middle of the pomegranates: ²⁶ a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, on the edge of the robe all around, for service, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁷ They made linen tunics, the work of a weaver, for Aaron and his sons, ²⁸ the linen tiara and linen miters used as adornment, the white breeches of twisted linen, ²⁹ the belt of twisted linen, in purple, violet, scarlet and crimson, damask, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰ They made the blade of pure gold, a sacred diadem, and engraved on it, as one engraves on a seal: Holiness to the Lord. ³¹ It was fastened with a purple ribbon to be placed on the tiara, at the top, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³² Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle, of the tent of meeting, and the children of Israel carried out everything according to what the Lord had commanded Moses, they did so. ³³ The Tabernacle was presented to Moses, the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, its boards, its crossbars, its pillars and its bases, ³⁴ the red-dyed ramskin covering, the dolphin skin covering, and the separating veil, ³⁵ the ark of the testimony with its bars and the mercy seat, ³⁶ the table with all its utensils and the breads of the suggestion, ³⁷ the pure gold lampstand, its lamps, the lamps to be stored in it, all its utensils, and the oil for the lamp, ³⁸ the golden altar, the anointing oil and the incense, as well as the curtain for the entrance to the tent, ³⁹ the bronze altar, its bronze grille, its bars and all its utensils, the basin with its base, the curtains of the courtyard, its columns, its pedestals, ⁴⁰ the curtain for the gate of the courtyard, its cords and stakes, and all the utensils for the service of the Tabernacle, for the tent of meeting ⁴¹ the ceremonial garments for the service of the sanctuary, the sacred garments for the high priest Aaron and the garments of his sons for the functions of the priesthood. ⁴² The children of Israel had done all this work in accordance with everything that the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³ Moses examined all the work, and behold, they had carried it out, they had done it as the Lord had commanded. And Moses blessed them.

Exodus 40

¹ The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² «On the first day of the first month, you shall set up the Tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ³ You shall place the ark of the testimony there and cover the ark with the veil. ⁴ You will bring the table and arrange what is to be placed on it. You will bring the lampstand and place its lamps on it. ⁵ You shall place the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony and you shall put the veil at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ⁶ You shall place the altar of burnt offerings before the entrance of the Tabernacle, the tent of meeting. ⁷ You shall place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. ⁸ You shall set up the courtyard around it and put up the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. ⁹ «Take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and everything in it, and consecrate it with all its utensils, and it shall be holy. ¹⁰ You shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, you shall consecrate the altar, and the altar shall be most holy. ¹¹ You shall anoint the basin with its base and consecrate it. ¹² «"You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ¹³ Then you shall clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, and he shall be a priest in my service. ¹⁴ You shall bring his sons near and, having clothed them in tunics, ¹⁵ You shall anoint them as you anointed their father, and they shall be priests in my service. This anointing shall confer upon them a priesthood forever among their descendants.» ¹⁶ Moses did everything that the Lord had commanded him; he did so. ¹⁷ On the first day of the first month of the second year, the Tabernacle was set up. ¹⁸ Moses erected the Tabernacle, he laid its bases, he placed its boards and crossbeams, and set up its pillars. ¹⁹ He spread the tent over the Tabernacle and put the tent covering over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁰ He took the testimony and placed it in the ark, he put the poles in the ark and placed the mercy seat on top of the ark. ²¹ He brought the ark into the Tabernacle and, having put on the veil of separation, he covered the ark of the testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²² He placed the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the Tabernacle, outside the veil, ²³ and he arranged the loaves before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁴ He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the Tabernacle, ²⁵ and he placed the lamps there before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁶ He placed the golden altar in the tent of meeting, before the veil ²⁷ and he burned incense there, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ²⁸ He placed the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle. ²⁹ He placed the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered the burnt offering and the grain offering there, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³⁰ He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for ablutions, ³¹ Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet there. ³² When they entered the tent of meeting and approached the altar, they washed themselves, as the Lord had commanded Moses. ³³ He set up the courtyard around the Tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain at the gate of the courtyard. Thus Moses completed this work. ³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses could no longer enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud remained over it and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. ³⁶ For as long as their journeys lasted, the children of Israel would set out whenever the cloud rose above the Tabernacle, ³⁷ And if the cloud did not rise, they did not leave, until the day it rose. ³⁸ For the cloud of the Lord rested over the Tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, as long as they marched. 

Notes on the Book of Exodus

1.1 See Genesis 46:8.

1.6 So. By this word, the sacred text refers the reader back to what it said to Genesis, 46, 27. ― Souls. As we have already noted, the Hebrews used this word to express the person, the individual. Seventy ; including Joseph, and Jacob himself, or Zerah who appears as head of the family, see Numbers, 26, 13; since according to the text itself, this number only refers to the sons of Jacob, and not to Jacob himself.

1.7 See Acts of the Apostles, 7, 17. ― The earth ; that is to say, the country where they were.

1.8 A new king who didn't know Joseph. This new king was very likely Ramses II, of the 19th century.^e Egyptian dynasty, known to the Greeks as Sesostris, one of the most famous pharaohs to have ruled Egypt. He occupied the throne for nearly seventy years.

1.11 In Hebrew, the cities where the stores and public granaries were located. Phithom, The site, now known as Tell el-Maskhuta, was surrounded by a substantial mud-brick wall, enclosing approximately four hectares of land. This limited area, with the exception of the Temple of Tum and its narrow enclosure, was occupied by storehouses or warehouses, easily recognizable even today amidst the ruins because they have no side entrances, are not interconnected, and are accessible only through their vaulted roofs; it was through these upper openings that grain was brought in. These storehouses are rectangular in shape, very solidly built, and constructed of brick walls two to three meters thick. The arsenals of Phithom, like those of Ramesses, were undoubtedly intended to collect or store provisions of all kinds, and especially grain, which were necessary for the pharaohs' campaigns against Asia. The present-day Tell el-Maskhûta, ancient Phithom, was probably a border town in Moses' time, and for this reason it had to be fortified to avoid being attacked by desert nomads. This explains the construction of these defensive walls, which have endured to this day. — The city of Ramesses, also built by the Hebrews, was probably in the vicinity of Phithom, since it was also an arsenal and a stronghold, of the land of Gessen, but the site is unknown.

1.21 That is to say, he granted them a large family. God, in this, did not wish to reward their lie, but kindness of their hearts; for, as the remarks Saint Augustine, He leaves nothing without reward.

2.1 See Exodus 6:20.

2.2 See Hebrews 11:23.

2.3 From the river of the Nile, probably on the Tanitic branch, near the city of Tanis.

2.5 See Acts of the Apostles, 7:21; Hebrews 11:23. His young girls ; the girls attached to his service. ― Pharaoh's daughter According to Jewish tradition, she was called Thermonthis. She was probably the daughter of Seti I.^er, father of Ramses II.

2.11 See Hebrews 11:24.

2.18 Some believe that Raguel was the grandfather of these daughters and the father of Jethro, mentioned in the following chapter, verse 1, and in chapter 18, verse 1; but most think that it was a single person who bore two names. The difficulties caused by the confusion of these two names would easily be resolved if we admitted, as more than one reason seems to prove, that Jethro was the son of Raguel, and consequently the brother-in-law of Moses.

2.21 See Exodus 18:2-3.

2.22 See 1 Chronicles, 23, 15.

2.23 The King of Egypt Ramses II died. He was succeeded by his son Menephtha I.^er, the thirteenth of his children; the twelve eldest had died before their father.

3.1 Jethro. See Exodus 2:18. Horeb is called mountain of God in anticipation; for it received this name only because of the appearance of God to Moses. ― Mount Horeb is Mount Sinai proper, on which God, after the exodus from Egypt, gave his law to his people.

3.2 See Acts of the Apostles, 7, 30.

3.5 Take off your sandals, as a sign of respect, according to a custom still in use in the East.

3.6 See Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37.

3.10 Towards Pharaoh, Menephtha I^er.

3.14 The name by which God here manifests his nature to Moses is the one that is ordinarily pronounced I AM. The pronunciation I AM is certainly not the true pronunciation of the divine tetragrammaton; the vowels of this name are those of the word Adonai that the Hebrews read in place of the incommunicable name. Most orientalists today believe that the true pronunciation is Yahweh Or Yahweh. ― I am who I am. «This perfect definition,» says Saint Hilary of Poitiers, “renders the notion of divine nature in the most appropriate expression for human understanding. Indeed, nothing can be conceived as more essential to God than to be, because he who is existence itself can have neither end nor beginning, and in the continuity of an unalterable beatitude, he could not and never will not be.”

3.16 The elders of Israel ; probably the tribal chiefs, the leading figures of the people. ― Visitor, etc., that is to say, I visited you with the greatest care. In Hebrew, as in many other languages, these kinds of repetitions give intensity to the idea expressed by the verb.

3.21 See Exodus 11:2; 12:36.

3.22 God, the sovereign master of all things, gave this command to the Israelites to compensate them for all the harm the Egyptians had done to them, and to pay them for the services they had rendered to Egypt. Compare to Wisdom, 10, vv. 17, 19.

4.4 She was ; as well as the rest of the snake's body, changed, etc.

4.8 Sign It has the meaning of both sign and miracle.

4.10 Since yesterday and the day before yesterday ; Hebraism, for some time now.

4.12 See Matthew 10:20.

4.15 See Exodus 7:2.

4.21 Scripture often says that God only does what He allows. It is therefore in this sense that we must understand what is said here about Pharaoh's hardness of heart, and in a great many passages of the Bible, where we find the same expression.

4.25 A sharp stone. Flint knives were used for circumcisions.

4.27 The mountain of God. See Exodus, 3, 1.

5.1 They told Pharaoh, Menephtha I^er. The scenes recounted in this chapter and the following ones took place in Tanis, in Lower Egypt. This city was located on the right bank of the Nile, to which it gave its name.

5.2 Who is the Lord? The Hebrew text here bears the proper name of God, I AM. Menephtha says: I don't know I AM.

5.7 This straw could be used, by mixing it with the mortar, to give the bricks more consistency, or only for the workers, for fear that, being quickly dried by the heat of the sun, they would crack.

5.12 The original text reads: The people spread throughout the land of Egypt to gather reeds instead of straw.. This verse means that, finding no more straw, the Israelites gathered, instead and as a substitute for it in the making of bricks, the reeds that grow abundantly on the banks of the Nile and its tributaries. The precise meaning of the Hebrew had not been well understood, because Moses, in his account, to designate the reed that grows in Egypt on the banks of the Nile and the ponds, called it by its Egyptian name, qasch.

5.14 These extortionists, or Pharaoh's officers in charge of the works, themselves had under their own supervision Hebrews charged with having them carried out by their brothers.

6.3 Adonai means Lord. This is the word that the Septuagint substituted for that of Jehovah, which Jews are not permitted to pronounce. Indeed, the ancient patriarchs knew the name Jehovah, But they did not know its full power and effectiveness, since they did not see the fulfillment of the promises made to them by virtue of God's divine name. — On God's name, see Exodus, note 3.14.

6.14 See Genesis 46:9; Numbers 26:5; 1 Chronicles 5:1.

6.15 See 1 Chronicles, 4, 24.

6.17 See 1 Chronicles, 6, 1.

6.18 See Numbers 3:19; 26:57-58; 1 Chronicles 6:2; 23:12.

6.26 According to their armies ; distributed into several corps, like regular troops. Compare to Exodus, 13, 18.

6.30 I have difficulty speaking. See Exodus, 4, 10.

7.2 See Exodus 4:15.

7.3 I will harden his heart. See Exodus, 4, 21.

7.11 See 2 Timothy 3:8. — Whether the change wrought by the magicians was real or merely apparent, Pharaoh should have recognized the omnipotence of the God of the Hebrews, seeing Aaron's staff devour that of the magicians. — The principal magicians of Egypt who resisted Moses were called, as Saint Paul tells us, Jannes and Mambres. The magicians of Egypt were famous from ancient times, and there have always been snake charmers in those lands.

7.19 A detailed description of the changing of the Nile's water into blood and other plagues of Egypt can be found in F. Vigouroux, The Bible and Modern Discoveries, 5^e edition, 1889, vol. II, pp. 285-341.

7.20 See Exodus 17:5; Psalms 77:44.

7.22 See Wisdom, 17, 7.

8.7 See Wisdom, 17, 7.

8.18 The magicians struck the earth with their staff, like Aaron; but it was without success.

8.20 The kings of Egypt washed themselves every morning before sacrificing to the gods.

8.24 See Wisdom, 16, 9.

8.26 The Egyptians worshipped a large number of animals as gods, especially the Apis bull.

8.27 See Exodus 3:18.

9.6 This verse is in no way contradictory to the ninth, where it says that the animals were afflicted with ulcers, whereas here they are all assumed to be dead. For 1° The word should not be understood all than animals that were in the fields, as we read in verse 3, where this plague is announced. 2. The text can very well be understood as all animals, not taken individually, but considered in relation to the species itself, so that the meaning is, all species of animals.

9.16 See Romans 9:17.

9.23 See Wisdom, 16, 16; 19, 19.

9.35 Through Moses, literally by the hand of Moses. The Hebrews used the words hand, hands, to express the ideas of AVERAGE, instrument, intermediary, etc.

10.4 See Wisdom, 16, 9.

10.17 this deadly scourge ; that is to say, this plague of locusts which, by devouring everything, were bound to cause death.

10.23 See Wisdom, 17, 2; 18, 1.

10.26 there : In the very place that the Lord has designated, and where he will instruct us in his will.

11.2 See Exodus 12:35. Let every man ask, etc. See Exodus, 3, 22.

11.3 See Ecclesiasticus, 45, 1.

11.5 Compare to Leviticus, 22, 27.

11.8 These ; that is to say the Israelites, synonymous with Israel which immediately precedes.

11.10 Who are written?, recounted here in this book, and which are part of the events that occurred in Egypt.

12.2 This month, first called Abib, Then Nissan, began at the new moon in March.

12.14 Although the Passover of the Hebrews has ceased, the Christian Passover, of which the former was only a foreshadowing, will last until the end of time.

12.18 See Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 28:16.

12.22 See Hebrews 11:28. A bouquet of hyssop. The leaves of the hyssop form a hairy clump which makes it very suitable for use as a sprinkler.

12.29 See Exodus 11:5; Wisdom 18:5.

12.35-36 The Hebrews they asked Jewelry and clothing were given to them, because these were the most precious items and the easiest to carry away. These were given to them, by God's permission, in the midst of the terror caused by the tenth plague. This was only partial compensation for the considerable real estate they were leaving behind in the hands of the Egyptians. See Exodus, note 3.22.

12.35 See Exodus 11:2.

12.37 The skeptics claim that if the Israelites had been so numerous, far from fleeing before Pharaoh, they would have tried to seize all of Egypt; but they fail to consider that the Israelites, although numerous, could not have hoped for great success in their attempt, given that they were in no way accustomed to the art of war. the war, having instead been burdened with labor during their long servitude. Moreover, God had not commanded Moses to fight against Pharaoh, but rather to lead his people out of the land of Egypt.

12.46 See Numbers 9:12; John 19:36.

12.51 According to their gangs. See Exodus, 6, 26, and compare to Exodus, 13, 18.

13.2 See Exodus 34:19; Leviticus 27:26; Numbers 8:16; Luke 2:23.

13.10 Year after year ; literally day by day. The Hebrews sometimes expressed the space of a year, by putting the word day in the plural.

13.12 See Exodus 22:29; 34:19; Ezekiel 44:30.

13.14 Tomorrow, Hebraism, for one day, in the future.

13.16 See Deuteronomy 6:8.

13.19 See Genesis 50:24.

13.20 From Socoth. Socoth was the civil name of Phithom. Here it refers to the region located around this stronghold. In Etham an undetermined location that was situated on the route from Egypt to Palestine, along the Mediterranean Sea.

13.21 See Numbers 14:14; 2 Ezra 9:19; 1 Corinthians 10:1.

14.2 Phihahiroth, perhaps the present-day Adjroud. ― Magdalum, a fortress whose site is unknown. ― And the sea Red or Gulf of Suez. ― Against Beelsephon, probably the Jebel-Attaka mountain, which rises to the west and northwest of the Red Sea.

14.3 The desert holds them captive., by the mountains that are there. Indeed, there are mountains almost impassable to the west of the Red Sea.

14.9 See Joshua, 24:6; 1 Maccabees 4:9.

14.21-31 The crossing of the Red Sea, as Moses recounts it, is a clear miracle that rationalists have tried in vain to explain in a natural way. We can say the same of the wonders that were subsequently performed during the Hebrews' sojourn in the desert, such as the sweetening of bitter waters, the quails, the manna, the water that flowed from the rock at Horeb, and the appearance of God on Mount Sinai.

14.22 See Psalms, 77, 13; 104, 37; 113, 3; Hebrews, 11, 29.

14.24 The morning before ; that is to say, the period of time between the rooster's crow and sunrise.

14.28 Pharaoh's entire army, but not Pharaoh himself. Menephtah was not drowned in the Red Sea.

15.1 See Wisdom, 10, 20.

15.2 See Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 117:14.

15.13 This verse and the following ones contain a true prophecy of everything that was to happen to the Israelites on their journey, until their entry into the Promised Land, the land of Canaan.

15.14 They went up ; Hebraism, for: went on an outing against the Hebrews.

15.19 For Pharaoh has entered… The text reads: Pharaoh's horse (for horses) entered the sea. ― It should be noted that there were no cavalrymen in the Egyptian army, but only chariots carrying soldiers.

15.22 In the desert of Sur. The word Sur means in Hebrew wall.

15.23 And they came to Marah. It is generally agreed to be identified with Aïn-Haouarah. The spring is located in the center of a small rise, built upon a limestone deposit; it is approximately 1.8 meters in circumference and 60 centimeters deep. The water quality varies slightly with the seasons, but it is always poor and bitter. Humans cannot drink it, and even camels only quench their thirst when they are extremely thirsty.

15.25 See Judith, 5, 15; Ecclesiasticus, 38, 5. ― Him ; that is, to the people of Israel. He showed him a wood. It was assumed that this wood was a plant called gharkad, whose berries were said to have been thrown into the spring. But the berries of the gharkad They have no soothing properties, and the Israelites crossed the desert during a season when the plant had not yet produced them. No known wood possesses the property of making the spring of Hawarah drinkable.

15.27 See Numbers 33:9. The children of Israel came to Elim. Elim is generally placed at Wadi Gharandel; it is an oasis located 86 kilometers from Ayoun Mouça. Wild palm trees are found there (nakhl), tamarisk trees and other desert plants, sustained by a perpetual stream, where clear water flows. In spring, that is to say at the time when the Hebrews were in that place, this stream subdivides, and it forms ponds, surrounded by reeds where aquatic and non-aquatic birds abound.

16.1 See Wisdom 11:2. In the Sin desert. This is the present-day plain of el Markha, located between the mountains to the east and the Red Sea to the west. It has an extent of approximately 24 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.

16.10 See Ecclesiasticus, 45, 3.

16.13 See Numbers, 11, 31. ― Evening came. Quails usually travel at night. Therefore, it is in the evening that God sends them to his people.

16.14 See Numbers 11:7; Psalms 77:24; Wisdom 16:20; John 6:31.

16.15 See 1 Corinthians 10:3.

16.16 THE Gomor contained approximately three pints. ― In liters, the gomor contained 3.88 liters.

16.18 See 2 Corinthians, 8, 15.

16.30 Sabbatisa, that's to say observed, celebrated the Sabbath.

16.31 Like a coriander seed. Coriander is an umbelliferous plant with small, round seeds.

16.35 See 2 Ezra 9:21; Judith 5:15. — The qualities, whether natural or supernatural, of the manna represent in a figurative sense the bread of heaven that Jesus Christ gives us in the sacrament of his body and blood, as he himself warns us (see Jeans, 6, verse 32 and following.).

16.36 The ephi containing about thirty pints. ― In liters, the ephi contained 38 liters.

17.1 A Raphidim, today the Wadi Feiran.

17.2 See Numbers, 20, 4.

17.5 See Exodus 7:20; Psalms 77:15; 1 Corinthians 10:4.

17.6 On the stone of Horeb and you will strike the stone. Horeb means "dryness, arid and waterless place." English scholars distinguish the place of this name, mentioned in this account, from Mount Horeb, where Moses had the vision of the burning bush. As for the rock spoken of in Exodus, the monks of the convent of Saint Catherine believe they possess it nearby, but Raphidim, where the miraculous water flowed, is located in the Wadi Feiran, as attested by an ancient tradition already found in Eusebius and Saint Jerome in the 4th century.^e century, in Antoninus Pius the Martyr in the 7th^e.

17.8 See Deuteronomy 25:17; Judith 4:13; Wisdom 11:3. Raphidim means place of rest, stopover. The Israelites were resting there from their labors, at the point where the Wadi Feiran receives the Wadi Aleyat and is overlooked by the Jebel et-Tahounéh, 5 or 6 kilometers above Hesi-el-Khattatin, when they first encountered a portion of the indigenous population, the Amalekites, who had come to block their passage. This was a warlike desert tribe, capable of fighting against considerable forces. They shared the peninsula with the Midianites. The latter were friends of Moses, the son-in-law of one of their own, Jethro. The Amalekites were descended from Abraham through one of his great-grandsons, Amalek, who had given them his name. They occupied the Pharan desert, which was, in all likelihood, part of the Tih desert, stretching from the Wadi el-Arabah in the east to near Egypt in the west, and as far south as the vicinity of Mount Sinai. The name of the Pharan desert survives today only in that of the wadi and oasis of Feiran, near Mount Serbal.

17.14 The book. This word, being determined by the article, designates not a book in general, but a book known to Moses; it is undoubtedly the Pentateuch, which Moses had begun to write, and in which he inserted, presumably as they happened, the events that were to be transmitted to posterity.

18.1; 18.5 Relative (cognatus) of Moses. Compare to Exodus, 2, 18.

18.2 He took Sephora. Moses had taken his wife Zipporah with him when he returned to Egypt, see Exodus, 4, 20, but he had sent her back to her father-in-law, because of the dangers she and her children might face while he fought against Pharaoh for permission to take the people into the desert.

18.3 See Exodus 2:22.

18.5 The mountain of God ; That is to say, from Horeb. See Exodus, 3, 1.

18.11 See Exodus 1:14; 5:7; 10:10; 14:8.

18.18 See Deuteronomy 1:12.

18.21; 18.25 Tribunes, in Hebrew leaders of thousands. It is likely that, as there were officers in the military order who commanded a thousand, a hundred, fifty, and ten soldiers (see Numbers, 31, 14), Jethro here advises Moses to establish for the civil a hierarchy of power on the level of the military division.

19.1 See Numbers, 33, 15. 

19.3 See Acts of the Apostles, 7, 38.

19.4 See Deuteronomy 29:2.

19.5 See Psalms, 23, 1.

19.6 See 1 Peter 2:9. — It is chiefly under the reign of Jesus Christ that the faithful are the royal priesthood and the holy nation.

19.9 The darkness of the cloud ; that's to say the dark cloud ; which has already been discussed.

19.12 See Hebrews 12:18. Will die of death ; Hebraism, for will die without remission, infallibly.

19.18 See Deuteronomy 4:11.

19.23 And sanctify it. The word sanctify here, as often happens, it has the meaning of separating something from common and ordinary use, of declaring it holy.

20.2 See Deuteronomy 5:6; Psalms 80:11.

20.4 See Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 4:15; John 24:14; Psalm 96:7. — The story of the golden calf (see Exodus, Chapter 32 shows the wisdom of this prohibition, which is clearly intended to prevent idolatry (verse 5); but one cannot legitimately infer from this that all kinds of representations and images are forbidden; for Moses himself had cherubim made and placed them on the ark (see Exodus, 25, 18-19); Solomon also placed some in the sanctuary of the temple in Jerusalem; he even put images of oxen under the vessel called the melting sea, and on the bases of the lion figures (see 1 Kings, 6, 23; 7, vv. 29, 44). Let us add that representations of God are naturally very suitable to awaken and maintain in us the feelings of love, adoration, and gratitude that we owe him, and that images of the saints powerfully excite us to admiration and imitation of their virtues.

20.5 Visitor ; that's to say, punishing in children who imitate the iniquity of their fathers.

20.7 See Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 5:11; Matthew 5:33.

20.8 Exodus 31:13; Deuteronomy 5:14; Ezekiel 20:12.

20.10 Your doors ; Hebraism, for your cities.

20.11 See Genesis 2:2.

20.12 See Deuteronomy 5:16; Matthew 15:4; Ephesians 6:2. So that you may have a long life on earth. In this passage and in many others, God provides temporal rewards or punishments as sanctions for his law. "In this Testament, properly called the Old Testament, which was given on Mount Sinai," he says Saint Augustine, "We encounter no other explicit promise than that of earthly happiness." For men still so crude, crude rewards were needed. "The Law of Moses," said Bossuet, "gave man only a first notion of the nature of the soul and its happiness… The wonders of the afterlife were not then universally revealed, and it was on the day of the Messiah that this great light was to appear unveiled. It is one of the characteristics of the new people to lay the faith in the afterlife as the foundation of their religion."»

20.13 See Matthew 5:21.

20.17 See Romans 7:7; 13:9.

20.21 See Deuteronomy 18:16; Hebrews 12:18.

20.24 See Exodus 27:8; 38:7.

20.25 See Deuteronomy 27:5; Joshua, 8, 31.

21.2 See Deuteronomy 15:12; Jeremiah 34:14.

21.6 To the gods ; Hebraism for to the magistrates, who administer justice in the name and place of God. ― The slave was tied for a moment to the door by the ear, see Deuteronomy, 15, 17, according to a common custom in antiquity, to signify that he was now part of the house forever.

21.8 If he despised her ; if he has corrupted it, if he has abused it, or if he does not want to keep it for himself.

21.12 See Leviticus 24:17.

21.13 See Deuteronomy 19:2.

21.17 See Leviticus 20:9; Proverbs 20:20; Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10.

21.19 Doctors' expenses. The original text does not mention doctors, because medicine was not then a profession among the Hebrews; he only said that the one who struck will compensate his victim for what he caused him to lose.

21.21 Because he bought them with his own money.

21.23 Soul for soul ; that's to say life for life.

21.24 See Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21; Matthew 5:38.

21.29 Since yesterday and the day before yesterday. See Exodus, 4, 10.

22.1 See 2 Kings, 12, 6.

22.8 To the gods. See Exodus, 21, 6. ― In this passage, as in Exodus, 21, 6, the best translation would be: farewell, That is to say, as the Septuagint translated it, in the place where justice is administered in the name of God. See Deuteronomy, 1, 17 ; 19, 17.

22.12 See Genesis 31:39.

22.16 See Deuteronomy 22:28.

22.20 See Leviticus 19:4.

22.22 See Zechariah 7:10.

22.26 See Deuteronomy 24:13.

22.28 See Acts of the Apostles, 23, 5. ― Gods, or rather, according to the Hebrew, of God.

22.29 See Exodus 13:2, 12; 34:19; Ezekiel 44:30.

22.31 See Leviticus 22:8.

23.4 See Deuteronomy 22:1.

23.7 See Daniel, 13, 53.

23.8 See Deuteronomy 16:19; Ecclesiasticus 20:31.

23.9 See Genesis 46:6. — The word soul, as we have already noted, was often taken, among the Hebrews, in the sense of person, of’individual.

23.11 See Leviticus 25:4.

23.15 See Exodus 13:3-4; 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:16; Ecclesiasticus 35:6. The solemnity of the unleavened bread, Easter.

23.16 The solemnity of the harvest, Pentecost.

23.17 See Exodus 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16.

23.19 See Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21.

23.21 My name ; that's to say my authority, my will.

23.22 See Deuteronomy 7:11.

23.23 See Exodus 33:2; Deuteronomy 7:22; Joshua, 24, 11.

23.28 See Deuteronomy 7:20. The hornets. See the description of Wisdom, 12, 8-9 and Joshua, 24, 12.

24.1 Nadab and Abiu, Aaron's two eldest sons.

24.8 See Hebrews 9:20.

24.10 Like a work of stone and sapphire, and like the sky, that is to say, light blue.

24.11 Others translate: On those who had left behind the children of Israel. ― It was the common opinion among the ancient Hebrews that one could not see God without dying.

24.18 See Deuteronomy 9:9.

25.2 See Exodus 35:5.

25.4 Hyacinth, purple or dark blue.

25.5 Setim wood It is the acacia tree, which is quite common in the Sinai Peninsula. ― Purple skins are dolphin skins, found in the Red Sea.

25.7 The ephod and the rational. See Exodus, 28, 4.

25.9 See Hebrews 9:2.

25.10 The Hebrew cubit was about one and a half feet.

25.16; 25.21 The testimony. This is how the law is often referred to in Scripture.

25.17-18 THE propitiatory and the’oracle were the same thing (see Exodus, (37:6). It was from there that God made himself accommodating to the prayers and vows of his people, and that he delivered his oracles to the high priest. Beaten cherubs, For Cherubs of beaten gold. - THE propitiatory was the lid of the ark.

25.20 Let them cover both sides of the mercy seat. The outstretched wings of the Cherubim, obscuring no visible symbol, strikingly marked the invisible nature of God.

25.30 Breads of suggestion ; that is to say, which were always to be displayed on the table in the presence of the Lord.

25.31 Chandelier beaten. See Exodus, 25, 18.

25.39 With talent, etc. The gold talent was worth 60 mines, or about 45 kg.

25.40 See Hebrews 8:5; Acts of the Apostles, 7, 44.

26.14 Of purple skin, of dolphin skins. See Exodus 25:5.

26.30 See Exodus 25:40.

26.33 The Ark of Testimony ; the ark which contains the law called testimony. Compare to Exodus, 25, 16.

27.1 See Exodus 38:6.

27.8 See Exodus 20:24.

27.20 Oil… crushed in a mortar, For crushed olive oil, etc.

27.21 During their succession ; as long as they succeed one another from race to race.

28.4 A dress. There is in the Vulgate tunicam and in Hebrew coat ; it was the outer garment. — The narrow linen tunic was put on immediately against the skin. — To adorn the ephod. The ephod is described in detail later, see Exodus, 28:4-14. It consisted of two parts, one covering the chest and upper body, while the other hung down the back. The two parts were fastened together at the top by two onyx stones, on each of which were engraved six of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The ephod was secured at the bottom by a belt of gold, purple, and linen. It was worn by the high priest and by the ordinary priests; see 1 Kings, 22, 18; 2, 28; Osée, 3, 4; we see that it was also carried by Samuel, see 1 Samuel 2:18; by David, see 2 Samuel, 6, 14; 1 Chronicles, 15, 27.

28.30 Doctrine and Truth, in Hebrew Urim And Thummim, literally light and perfection.

28.35 See Ecclesiasticus, 45, 10-11.

28.36 Holiness, etc., or, consecrated to the Lord ; It is something consecrated to the Lord. A blade of very pure gold. It was a kind of diadem made of a thin sheet of gold.

29.1 See Leviticus, 9, 2.

29.5 From the linen tunic, the dress. See Exodus, 28, 4.

29.10 See Leviticus 1:3.

29.13 See Leviticus 3:3.

29.23 A loaf of bread ; literally A roundness of bread.

29.31 The ram of consecration ; the ram which will be offered for the consecration.

29.32 See Leviticus 8:31; 24:9; Matthew 12:4.

29.38 See Numbers, 28, 3.

29.40 Crushed oil. See Exodus, 27, 20. ― The tenth part of the ephi, or 3.33 liters. ― The fourth part of the hin or 1 litre 60.

30.6 The testimony ; That is, the ark of the testimony. See Exodus, 26, 33.

30.9 Of a different composition ; of a different composition from that of verses 34 and following.

30.12 See Numbers, 1, 2.

30.13 See Leviticus 27:25; Numbers 3:47; Ezekiel 45:12. — See Exodus, note, 21.32.

30.23 Five hundred shekels or 7 kilos of myrrh, fragrant resin that flows from the tree called balsamoendron myrrha. ― Half as much, that's to say two hundred and fifty shekels or 3.5 kilos of cinnamon, cane. «"The fragrant cane is a reed known to botanists as calamus aromaticus, and cinnamon is the bark of the cinnamomum verum. » (E. RIMMEL). ― For myrrh, see also Psalms, note 44.9.

30.24 Five hundred shekels or 7 kilograms of broken, bark of the cinnamomum casia.

30.34 Stact, fragrant gum of the styrax officinalis. ― Onyx. «The most widely accepted version describes onyx as the shell of a fish that lived in the marshes of India and owed its scent to the spikenard it fed on. This fish was also found in the Red Sea, from which the Hebrews likely obtained it. The white, transparent shell that enclosed it resembled a human fingernail, which is how it came to be called onyx. Onyx in Greek means fingernail.» (E. Rimmel). — Galbanum, resin obtained by incision of the ferula, shrub that grows in Syria, in Arabia and Abyssinia. ― Incense, resin extracted from a tree native to Arabia Felix and India, arbor thuris. ― The shiniest incense. "Frankincense is a gum-resin obtained by incising a terebinth plant, named by the ancients Thurifera and by modern Bosweillia Thurifera. This shrub originates from Arabia; in Virgil's time, it was the land of Saba that supplied the best: India mittit ebur, mots sua thura Sabæi. India sends us ivory and Saba its incense… There are two kinds of incense: the best, male incense, is round, white, smooth, and ignites easily. Female incense is soft, more resinous, and less sweet in scent. Both are extracted by making incisions in the bark of the tree… Incense burned alone produces a harsh and unpleasant smoke; therefore, the incense used today in Catholic worship is mixed with benzoin. (E. RIMMEL.)

30.38 Of his people ; that's to say of his families ; because the word in the Hebrew text means both.

31.7 As already noted, the Hebrews expressed by the word vase everything that is related to a thing, everything that serves its purpose, etc.

31.13 See Exodus 20:8; Ezekiel 20:12. My Sabbath, the Saturday rest and all the prescriptions concerning this day, dedicated to honoring God's rest after creation.

31.17 See Genesis 2:2.

31.18 See Deuteronomy 9:10.

32.1 See Acts of the Apostles, 7, 40.

32.4 See Psalms 105:19. A cast-iron calf, a memory of Egypt, where the Apis bull was worshipped. ― Here are your gods. The correct translation is your God. The golden calf represented the true God, but under an idolatrous and forbidden symbol.

32.6 See 1 Corinthians 10:7.

32.7 See Deuteronomy 9:12.

32.8 See 1 Kings 12:28.

32.9 See Exodus 33:3; Deuteronomy 9:13. With a stiff neck, which can hardly bear the yoke, indomitable.

32.11 See Numbers 14:13; Psalms 105:23.

32.13 See Genesis 12:7; 15:7; 48:16.

32.28 Hebrew, Samaritan, the Septuagint, the Chaldean paraphrase, not to mention several Fathers and other authorities, read only three thousand ; and this lesson seems the most well-founded.

32.32 From the book, etc.; that is to say, of the book, of the number of the living. Compare to Numbers, 11, 15. Following, others, from the book of life of predestination. Saint Paul used a similar expression. See Romans, note 9.3.

33.1 See Genesis 12:7.

33.2 See Exodus 32:34; Deuteronomy 7:22; Joshua, 24, 11.

33.3 See Exodus 32:9; Deuteronomy 9:13. With a stiff neck. See Exodus, note 32.9.

33.6 Mount Horeb. Mount Sinai.

33.19 See Romans 9:15.

34.1 See Deuteronomy 10:1.

34.7 See Deuteronomy 5:9-10; Jeremiah 32:18; Psalm 142:2. Who repays iniquity. See Exodus, 20, 5.

34.10 See Deuteronomy 5:2; Jeremiah 32:40.

34.13 Cut down their sacred groves. The places where Baal and Astaroth were worshipped were often surrounded by sacred groves where atrocities were committed in honor of the idols. See 2 Kings, 21, 7.

34.15 See Exodus 23:32; Deuteronomy 7:2.

34.16 See 1 Kings 11:2; Deuteronomy 7:3.

34.18 In the month of spring ; for: In the month when spring begins. ― The solemnity of the unleavened bread, Easter.

34.19 See Exodus 13:2, 12; 22:29.

34.22 See Exodus 23:15. The solemnity of the weeks It was called that because it was to be celebrated after a week of weeks, that is, seven weeks after Easter, see Leviticus, 23, 15-16. ― The time of year returning ; that is to say, at the time when the year is about to begin again, or at the end of the year as we read, see Exodus, 23, 16. ― The solemnity of the weeks, Pentecost.

34.23 See Exodus 23:17; Deuteronomy 16:16.

34.25 See Exodus 23:18-19.

34.26 See Exodus 23:19; Deuteronomy 14:21.

34.28 See Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 4:13; 9:18.

34.33 See 2 Corinthians 3:13.

35.5 See Exodus 25:2.

35.7 Purple skin, dolphin skins. See Exodus, 25, 5.

35.13 The breads of suggestion. See Exodus, 25, 30.

35.23 Purple skin, dolphin skins. See Exodus, 25, 5.

35.29 Through Moses. See Exodus, 9, 35.

35.30 See Exodus 31:2.

36.1 See Exodus 26:1.

36.2 See 1 Chronicles, 21, 29.

36.10 He joined, etc. It is Bezalel, named in verse 1, who is the subject of this verb and the following ones.

36.19 Of purple skin, dolphin skins. See Exodus, 25, 5.

37.1 Bezalel built the ark. 

37.6 A propitiatory, etc. See Exodus, 25, 17. ― That is to say, an oracle. These words do not appear in the original text.

37.17 Chandelier beaten, For of pure beaten gold. See verse 7 and Exodus, 25, 31.

38.1 See 2 Chronicles, 1, 5.

38.4 The home, etc. Compare to Exodus, 27, 5.

38.7 See Exodus 27:8.

38.11 Were of the same measure, etc., than the previous ones.

38.26 The foundations columns of the sanctuary.

39.1 See Exodus 28:6.

39.2 The ephod. See Exodus, 28, 4.

39.8 The rational. See Exodus, 28, 4.

39.29 The holiness of the Lord. The parallel passage differs slightly in expression; but the idea should be the same in both places. See Exodus, 28, 36. ― The blade of the saint veneration. See Exodus, note 28.36.

39.31 The roof of testimony ; For the roof of the tabernacle of testimony.

39.32 They presented to Moses. Compare to verse 43.

39.33 Of purple skin, dolphin skins. See Exodus, 25, 5.

39.35 The breads of suggestion. See Exodus, 25, 30.

39.40 The roof of alliance ; For the roof of the tabernacle of the covenant.

40.13 See Exodus 29:35; Leviticus 8:2. Serve, etc. This anointing imprinted on the priests of the old law, like the sacrament of Holy Orders on those of the new, a character by which they remained priests throughout their lives. Others interpret the text in this way, that the anointing was performed only for the sons of Aaron, who received it for all their successors; since the priesthood was hereditary in the family of Aaron, it was not necessary to repeat it for each priest of that line.

40.16 See Numbers, 7, 1.

40.21 The breads of suggestion. See Exodus, 25, 30.

40.24; 40.27; 40.30; 40.33 The roof of testimony, the vestibule of testimony, the roof of covenant. See Exodus, 39, vv. 31, 40.

40.32 See Numbers 9:15; 1 Kings 8:10.

40.36 All peoples. See above, Exodus, 30, 38.