At Marah the LORD tested his people and also gave them some laws and teachings.  Then he said, "I am the LORD your God, and I cure your diseases.  If you obey me by doing right and by following my laws and teachings, I won't punish you with the diseases I sent on the Egyptians."

Later the Israelites came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees. So they camped there.

The LORD Sends Food from Heaven
On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert in the direction of Mount Sinai.  There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, "We wish the LORD had killed us in Egypt.  When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted.  But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve."
The LORD said to Moses, "I will send bread down from heaven like rain.  Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day.  That's how I will see if they obey me.  But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much."
Moses and Aaron told the people, "This evening you will know that the LORD was the one who rescued you from Egypt.  And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him.  Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?"
Then Moses continued, "You will know it is the LORD when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning.  He is really the one you are complaining about, not us--we are nobodies--but the LORD has heard your complaints."
Moses turned to Aaron and said, "Bring the people together, because the LORD has heard their complaints."

Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out toward the desert and saw the bright glory of the LORD in a cloud.  The LORD said to Moses, "I have heard my people complain.  Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread.  Then they will know that I am the LORD their God."

That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground.  After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost.  The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, "What is it?"
Moses answered, "This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.  And he orders you to gather about two quarts for each person in your family--that should be more than enough."

They did as they were told.  Some gathered more and some gathered less, according to their needs, and none was left over.

Moses told them not to keep any overnight.  Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.

Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and in the heat of the day the rest melted.  However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four quarts, instead of two.  When the leaders reported this to Moses, he told them that the LORD had said, "Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honor of me.  So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow."

The people obeyed, and the next morning the food smelled fine and had no worms. "You may eat the food," Moses said. "Today is the Sabbath in honor of the LORD, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today.  You will find it there for the first six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath."

A few of the Israelites did go out to look for some, but there was none.  Then the LORD said, "Moses, how long will you people keep disobeying my laws and teachings?  Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath.  That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days.  Everyone is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath."
And so they rested on the Sabbath.

The Israelites called the bread manna.  It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey.  Moses told the people that the LORD had said, "Store up two quarts of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt."
Then Moses told Aaron, "Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see."

Aaron followed the LORD's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping.  The Israelites ate manna for forty years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land.

The LORD Gives Water from a Rock
The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the LORD ordered them to.  Once they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for them to drink.  The people started complaining to Moses, "Give us some water!"
Moses replied, "Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the LORD to the test?"
But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, "Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"
Then Moses prayed to the LORD, "What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!"
The LORD answered, "Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people.  Also take along the walking stick you used to strike the Nile River, and when you get to the rock at Mount Sinai, I will be there with you.  Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink."
Moses did this while the leaders watched.  The people had complained and tested the LORD by asking, "Is the LORD really with us?"
So Moses named that place Massah, which means "testing" and Meribah, which means "complaining."

Israel Defeats the Amalekites
When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites.  So Moses told Joshua, "Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow.  I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God."

Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop.  The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them.  Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on.  Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset.  That's how Joshua defeated the Amalekites.

Afterwards, the LORD said to Moses, "Write an account of this victory and read it to Joshua.  I want the Amalekites to be forgotten forever." 

Moses built an altar and named it " he LORD Gives Me Victory."
Then Moses explained, "This is because I depended on the LORD.  But in future generations, the LORD will have to fight the Amalekites again."

Jethro Visits Moses
Jethro was the priest of Midian and the father-in-law of Moses.  And he heard what the LORD God had done for Moses and his people, after rescuing them from Egypt.  
In the meantime, Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two sons to stay with Jethro, and he had welcomed them.  Moses was still a foreigner in Midian when his first son was born, and so Moses said, "I'll name him Gershom."

When his second son was born, Moses said, "I'll name him Eliezer, because the God my father worshiped has saved me from the king of Egypt."
While Israel was camped in the desert near Mount Sinai, Jethro sent Moses this message: "I am coming to visit you, and I am bringing your wife and two sons."

When they arrived, Moses went out and bowed down in front of Jethro, then kissed him.  After they had greeted each other, they went into the tent, where Moses told him everything the LORD had done to protect Israel against the Egyptians and their king.  He also told him how the LORD had helped them in all of their troubles.

Jethro was so pleased to hear this good news about what the LORD had done, that he shouted, "Praise the LORD!  He rescued you and the Israelites from the Egyptians and their king.  Now I know that the LORD is the greatest God, because he has rescued Israel from their arrogant enemies."
Jethro offered sacrifices to God.  Then Aaron and Israel's leaders came to eat with Jethro there at the place of worship.

Judges Are Appointed
The next morning Moses sat down at the place where he decided legal cases for the people, and everyone crowded around him until evening.  Jethro saw how much Moses had to do for the people, and he asked, "Why are you the only judge?  Why do you let these people crowd around you from morning till evening?"
Moses answered, "Because they come here to find out what God wants them to do. They bring their complaints to me, and I make decisions on the basis of God's laws."

Jethro replied:
That isn't the best way to do it.  You and the people who come to you will soon be worn out.  The job is too much for one person; you can't do it alone.  God will help you if you follow my advice.  You should be the one to speak to God for the people,  and you should teach them God's laws and show them what they must do to live right.

You will need to appoint some competent leaders who respect God and are trustworthy and honest.  Then put them over groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand.  These judges can handle the ordinary cases and bring the more difficult ones to you.  Having them to share the load will make your work easier.  This is the way God wants it done.  You won't be under nearly as much stress, and everyone else will return home feeling satisfied.

Moses followed Jethro's advice.  He chose some competent leaders from every tribe in Israel and put them over groups of ten, fifty, a hundred, and a thousand.  They served as judges, deciding the easy cases themselves, but bringing the more difficult ones to Moses.

After Moses and his father-in-law Jethro had said good-by to each other, Jethro returned home.

At Mount Sinai
The Israelites left Rephidim.  Then two months after leaving Egypt, they arrived at the desert near Mount Sinai, where they set up camp at the foot of the mountain.  Moses went up the mountain to meet with the LORD God, who told him to say to the people:
You saw what I did in Egypt, and you know how I brought you here to me, just as a mighty eagle carries its young.  Now if you will faithfully obey me, you will be my very own people.  The whole world is mine, 6but you will be my holy nation and serve me as priests.  Moses, that is what you must tell the Israelites.

After Moses went back, he reported to the leaders what the LORD had said, and they promised, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded."
So Moses told the LORD about this.  The LORD said to Moses, "I will come to you in a thick cloud and let the people hear me speak to you.  Then they will always trust you."
Again Moses reported to the people what the LORD had told him.

Once more the LORD spoke to Moses:
Go back and tell the people that today and tomorrow they must get themselves ready to meet me.  They must wash their clothes 11and be ready by the day after tomorrow, when I will come down to Mount Sinai, where all of them can see me.

Warn the people that they are forbidden to touch any part of the mountain.  Anyone who does will be put to death, either with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way.  Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death.  You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet.

After Moses went down the mountain, he gave orders for the people to wash their clothes and make themselves acceptable to worship God.  He told them to be ready in three days and not to have sex in the meantime.

The LORD Comes to Mount Sinai
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning.  A thick cloud covered the mountain, a loud trumpet blast was heard, and everyone in camp trembled with fear.  Moses led them out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the LORD had come down in a flaming fire.  Smoke poured out of the mountain just like a furnace, and the whole mountain shook.  The trumpet blew louder and louder.  Moses spoke, and God answered him with thunder.

The LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai and told Moses to meet him there.  Then he said, "Moses, go and warn the people not to cross the boundary that you set at the foot of the mountain.  They must not cross it to come and look at me, because if they do, many of them will die.  Only the priests may come near me, and they must obey strict rules before I let them.  If they don't, they will be punished."
Moses replied, "The people cannot come up the mountain.  You warned us to stay away because it is holy."
Then the LORD told Moses, "Go down and bring Aaron back here with you. But the priests and people must not try to push their way through, or I will rush at them like a flood!"

After Moses had gone back down, he told the people what the LORD had said.

The Ten Commandments
God said to the people of Israel:
I am the LORD your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.

Do not worship any god except me.

Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth.  Don't bow down and worship idols.  I am the LORD your God, and I demand all your love.  If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations.  But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.

Do not misuse my name.  I am the LORD your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.

Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me.  You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God.  No one is to work on that day--not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns.  In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested.  That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.

Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you.

Do not murder.

Be faithful in marriage.

Do not steal.

Do not tell lies about others.

Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkeys or anything else.

The People Are Afraid
The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain.  They stood a long way off and said to Moses, "If you speak to us, we will listen.  But don't let God speak to us, or we will die!"
"Don't be afraid!" Moses replied. "God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin."
But when Moses went near the thick cloud where God was, the people stayed a long way off.

Idols and Altars
The LORD told Moses to say to the people of Israel:
With your own eyes, you saw me speak to you from heaven.  So you must never make idols of silver or gold to worship in place of me.  Build an altar out of earth, and offer on it your sacrifices of sheep, goats, and cattle.  Wherever I choose to be worshiped, I will come down to bless you.  If you ever build an altar for me out of stones, do not use any tools to chisel the stones, because that would make the altar unfit.  And don't build an altar that requires steps; you might expose yourself when you climb up.

When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two flat stones on which he had written all of his laws with his own hand.

The People Make an Idol To Worship
After the people saw that Moses had been on the mountain for a long time, they went to Aaron and said, "Make us an image of a god who will lead and protect us.  Moses brought us out of Egypt, but nobody knows what has happened to him."
Aaron told them, "Bring me the gold earrings that your wives and sons and daughters are wearing."
Everybody took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron, then he melted them and made an idol in the shape of a young bull.

All the people said to one another, "This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!"

When Aaron saw what was happening, he built an altar in front of the idol and said, "Tomorrow we will celebrate in honor of the LORD."
The people got up early the next morning and killed some animals to be used for sacrifices and others to be eaten.  Then everyone ate and drank so much that they began to carry on like wild people.

The LORD said to Moses:
Hurry back down!  Those people you led out of Egypt are acting like fools.  They have already stopped obeying me and have made themselves an idol in the shape of a young bull.  They have bowed down to it, offered sacrifices, and said that it is the god who brought them out of Egypt.  Moses, I have seen how stubborn these people are, and I'm angry enough to destroy them, so don't try to stop me.  But I will make your descendants into a great nation.

Moses tried to get the LORD God to change his mind:
Our LORD, you used your mighty power to bring these people out of Egypt.  Now don't become angry and destroy them.  If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them.  Please don't be angry with your people. Don't destroy them!

Remember the solemn promise you made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  You promised that someday they would have as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and that you would give them land.

So even though the LORD had threatened to destroy the people, he changed his mind and let them live.

Moses went back down the mountain with the two flat stones on which God had written all of his laws with his own hand, and he had used both sides of the stones.  When Joshua heard the noisy shouts of the people, he said to Moses, "A battle must be going on down in the camp."
But Moses replied, "It doesn't sound like they are shouting because they have won or lost a battle. They are singing wildly!"

As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around.  This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.  He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder.  He scattered it in their water and made them drink it.  Moses asked Aaron, "What did these people do to harm you?  Why did you make them sin in this terrible way?"

Aaron answered:
Don't be angry with me.  You know as well as I do that they are determined to do evil.  They even told me, "That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don't know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us."
Then I asked them to bring me their gold earrings. They took them off and gave them to me.  I threw the gold into a fire, and out came this bull.

Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault.  And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies.  So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, "Everyone who is on the LORD's side come over here!"

Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, and he said to them, "The LORD God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors."

The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about three thousand men.  Moses said to them, "You obeyed the LORD and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel.  It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the LORD has blessed you and made you his priests today."

The next day Moses told the people, "This is a terrible thing you have done.  But I will go back to the LORD to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you."

Moses returned to the LORD and said, "The people have committed a terrible sin.  They have made a gold idol to be their god.  But I beg you to forgive them.  If you don't, please wipe my name out of your book."
The LORD replied, "I will wipe out of my book the name of everyone who has sinned against me.  Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you.  But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin."

So the LORD punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.

The LORD Tells Israel To Leave Mount Sinai
The LORD said to Moses:
You led the people of Israel out of Egypt.  Now get ready to lead them to the land I promised their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It is a land rich with milk and honey, and I will send an angel to force out those people who live there--the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  I would go with my people, but they are so rebellious that I would destroy them before they get there.

Even before the LORD said these harsh things, he had told Moses, "These people really are rebellious, and I would kill them at once, if I went with them.  But tell them to take off their fancy jewelry, then I'll decide what to do with them."
So the people started mourning, and after leaving Mount Sinai, they stopped wearing fancy jewelry.

The LORD Is with His People
Moses used to set up a tent far from camp.  He called it the "meeting tent," and whoever needed some message from the LORD would go there.  Each time Moses went out to the tent, everyone would stand at the entrance to their own tents and watch him enter.  Then they would bow down because a thick cloud would come down in front of the tent, and the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, just like a friend.  Afterwards, Moses would return to camp, but his young assistant Joshua would stay at the tent.

The LORD Promises To Be with His People
Moses said to the LORD, "I know that you have told me to lead these people to the land you promised them.  But you have not told me who my assistant will be.  You have said that you are my friend and that you are pleased with me.  If this is true, let me know what your plans are, then I can obey and continue to please you.  And don't forget that you have chosen this nation to be your own."
The LORD said, "I will go with you and give you peace."
Then Moses replied, "If you aren't going with us, please don't make us leave this place.  But if you do go with us, everyone will know that you are pleased with your people and with me.  That way, we will be different from the rest of the people on earth."
So the LORD told him, "I will do what you have asked, because I am your friend and I am pleased with you."
Then Moses said, "I pray that you will let me see you in all of your glory."
The LORD answered:
All right. I am the LORD, and I show mercy and kindness to anyone I choose.  I will let you see my glory and hear my holy name, but I won't let you see my face, because anyone who sees my face will die.  There is a rock not far from me.  Stand beside it, and before I pass by in all of my shining glory, I will put you in a large crack in the rock.  I will cover your eyes with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back.  You will not see my face.

The Second Set of Commandments
One day the LORD said to Moses, "Cut two flat stones like the first ones I made, and I will write on them the same commandments that were on the two you broke.  Be ready tomorrow morning to come up Mount Sinai and meet me at the top.  No one is to come with you or to be on the mountain at all.  Don't even let the sheep and cattle graze at the foot of the mountain."

So Moses cut two flat stones like the first ones, and early the next morning he carried them to the top of Mount Sinai, just as the LORD had commanded.  The LORD God came down in a cloud and stood beside Moses there on the mountain.  God spoke his holy name, "the LORD."
Then he passed in front of Moses and called out, "I am the LORD God. I am merciful and very patient with my people.  I show great love, and I can be trusted.  I keep my promises to my people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins.  When people sin, I punish them and their children, and also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped the LORD.  He prayed, "LORD, if you really are pleased with me, I pray that you will go with us.  It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious, but forgive our sin and let us be your people."

A Promise and Its Demands
The LORD said:
I promise to perform miracles for you that have never been seen anywhere on earth.  Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things.  I will force out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, but you must do what I command you today.  Don't make treaties with any of those people.  If you do, it will be like falling into a trap.  Instead, you must destroy their altars and tear down the sacred poles they use in the worship of the goddess Asherah.  I demand your complete loyalty--you must not worship any other god!  Don't make treaties with the people there, or you will soon find yourselves worshiping their gods and taking part in their sacrificial meals.  Your men will even marry their women and be influenced to worship their gods.  Don't make metal images of gods.

Don't fail to observe the Festival of Thin Bread in the month of Abib.  Obey me and eat bread without yeast for seven days during Abib, because that is the month you left Egypt.  The first-born males of your families and of your flocks and herds belong to me.

You can save the life of a first-born donkey by sacrificing a lamb; if you don't, you must break the donkey's neck.  You must save every first-born son. Bring an offering every time you come to worship.

Do your work in six days and rest on the seventh day, even during the seasons for plowing and harvesting.  Celebrate the Harvest Festival each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters each autumn when you pick your fruit.  Your men must come to worship me three times a year, because I am the LORD God of Israel.  I will force the nations out of your land and enlarge your borders.  Then no one will try to take your property when you come to worship me these three times each year.

When you sacrifice an animal on the altar, don't offer bread made with yeast.  And don't save any part of the Passover meal for the next day.

I am the LORD your God, and you must bring the first part of your harvest to the place of worship.  Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

The LORD told Moses to put these laws in writing, as part of his agreement with Israel.  Moses stayed on the mountain with the LORD for forty days and nights, without eating or drinking.  And he wrote down the Ten Commandments, the most important part of God's agreement with his people.

Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai
Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments.  His face was shining brightly because the LORD had been speaking to him.  But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining.  When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him.  Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them.  Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.

The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil.  Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the LORD.  And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the LORD had told him to say.  They could see that his face was still shining.  So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.