and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear but let not God speak with us, lest we die. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove 135 you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

LESSON XX

THE COVENANT AND THE CALF

While Moses is in the mount, Aaron makes a golden calf for

the people to worship.

Moses descends, and punishes

them with great slaughter. He returns to the mount, and receives two new tables of the Law. He regularly receives oracles in the Tent of meeting.

EXODUS XXIV. 3--XXXIV. 35

5

24 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgements and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words, which the LORD hath spoken will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the mount, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 10 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people and they said, All that the LORD hath spoken will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all 15 these words.

12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there and I will give thee the tables of stone, and the law and the commandment, which I have written, that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and Joshua his 20 minister and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he

said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: whoso ever hath a cause, let him come near unto them. And Moses 25 went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

31 18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of 30 communing with him upon mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

32 1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall 35 go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake 40 off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar 45 before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for 50 thy people, which thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought 55 thee up out of the land of Egypt.

15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God,

graven upon the tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise 60 of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing and Moses' anger waxed 65 hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, 70 that thou hast brought a great sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not 75 what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off; so they gave it me: and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose; for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies: then Moses 80 stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on the LORD's side, let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout 85 the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

33 7 Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without 90 the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one which sought the LORD went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp. And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up, and stood, every man at 95