Plans for the Altar of Burnt Offering

“Using acacia wood, make a square altar 7 ½ feet wide, 7 ½ feet long, and 4 ½ feet high. Make a horn at each of the four corners of the altar so the horns and altar are all one piece. Overlay the altar and its horns with bronze. The ash buckets, shovels, basins, meat hooks, and firepans will all be made of bronze. Make a bronze grating, with a metal ring at each corner. Fit the grating halfway down into the firebox, resting it on the ledge built there. For moving the altar, make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. To carry it, put the poles into the rings at two sides of the altar. The altar must be hollow, made from planks. Be careful to build it just as you were shown on the mountain.

Plans for the Lampstand

"Make a lampstand of pure, hammered gold. The entire lampstand and its decorations will be one piece the base, center stem, lamp cups, buds, and blossoms. It will have six branches, three branches going out from each side of the center stem. Each of the six branches will hold a cup shaped like an almond blossom, complete with buds and petals. The center stem of the lampstand will be decorated with fur almond blossoms, complete with buds and petals. One blossom will be set beneath each pair of branches where they extend from the center stem, and they must be hammered from pure gold. Then make the seven lamps for the lampstand, and set them so they reflect their light forward. The lamp snuffers and trays must also be made of pure gold. You will need seventy-five pounds of pure gold for the lampstand and its accessories.

Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.

Israel Accepts the LORD's Convenant

Then the LORD instructed Moses: "Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel's leaders. All of them must worship at a distance. You alone, Moses, are allowed to come near to the LORD. The others must not come too close. And remember, none of the other people are allowed to climb on the mountain at all."

When Moses had announced to the people all the teachings and regulations the LORD had given him, they answered in unison, "We will do everything the LORD has told us to do."

Then Moses carefully wrote down all the LORD's instruction. Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars around the altar, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent some of the young men to sacrifice young bulls as burnt offerings and peace offerings to the LORD. Moses took half the blood from these animals and drew it off into basins. The other half he splashed against the altar.

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They all responded again, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded. We will obey."

Then Moses sprinkled the blood from the basins over the people and said, "This blood confirms the covenant the LORD has made with you in giving you these laws."

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel went up the mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a pavement of brilliant sapphire, as clear as the heavens. And though Israel's leaders saw God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they shared a meal together in God's presence!

And the LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there while I give you the tablets of stone that I have inscribed with my instructions and commands. Then you will teach the people from them." So Moses and his assistant Joshua climbed up the mountain of God.

Moses told the other leaders. "Stay here and wait for us until we come back. If there are any problems while I am gone, consult with Aaron and Hur, who are here with you."

Then Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered it. And the glorious presence of the LORD rested upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from the cloud. The Israelites at the foot of the mountain saw an awesome sight. The awesome glory of the LORD on the mountaintop looked like a devouring fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The LORD Reveals Himself at Sinai

The Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sinai exactly two months after they left Egypt. After breaking camp at Rephidim, they came to the base of Mount Sinai and set up camp there.

Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The LORD called out to him from the mountain and said, "Give these instruction to the descendants of Jacob, the people of Israel: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I brought you to myself and carried you on eagle's wings. Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be to me a kingdom of priests, my holy nation.' Give this message to the Israelites."

Moses returned from the mountain and called together the leaders of the people and told them what the LORD had said. They all responded together, "We will certainly do everything the LORD asks of us." So Moses brought the people's answer back to the LORD.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to come to you in a thick cloud so the people themselves can hear me as I speak to you. Then they will always have confidence in you."

Moses told the LORD what the people had said. The the LORD told Moses, "Go down and prepare the people for my visit. Purify them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing. Be sure they are ready on the third day, for I will come down upon Mount Sinai as all the people watch. Set boundary lines that the people may not pass. Warn them, 'Be careful! Do not go up on the mountain or even touch its boundaries. Those who do will certainly die! Any people or animals that cross the boundary must be stoned to death or shot with arrows. They must not be touched by human hands.' The people must stay away from the mountain until they hear one long blast from the ram's horn. Then they must gather at the foot of the mountain."

So Moses went down to the people. He purified them for worship and had them wash their clothing. He told them, "Get ready for an important event two days from now. And until then, abstain from having sexual intercourse."

On the morning of the third day, there was a powerful thunder and lightning storm, and a dense cloud came down upon the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram's horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. As the horn blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply for all to hear. The LORD came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain.

Then the LORD told Moses, "Go back down and warn the people not to cross the boundaries. They must not come up here to see the LORD, for those who do will die. Even the priests who regularly come near to the LORD must purify themselves, or I will destroy them."

But LORD, the people cannot come up on the mountain!" Moses protested. You already tole them not to. You told me to set boundaries around the mountain and to declare it off limits."

But the LORD said, "Go down anyway and bring Aaron back with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or the people cross the boundaries to come up here. If they do, I will punish them."

So Moses went down to the people and told them what the LORD had said.