They said to Moses, “You speak ¹  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.”

¹ But to Moses the Lord ²  said, “Come up ³  to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from a distance. ⁴ 

“You are to make a special curtain ¹  of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; it is to be made ²  with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

You are to hang it ¹  with gold hooks ²  on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold, set in ³  four silver bases.

Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord; ¹  you know these people, that they tend to evil. ² 

Go up ¹  to a land flowing with milk and honey. But ²  I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you ³  on the way.”

Be careful not to make ¹  a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it become a snare ²  among you.

and told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than ¹  is needed for the completion ²  of the work which the Lord commanded us to do!” ³ 

He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹  it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Moses inspected ¹  all the work – and ²  they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them. ³ 

The man ¹  replied, “Who made you a ruler ²  and a judge over us? Are you planning ³  to kill me like you killed that ⁴  Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, ⁵  “Surely what I did ⁶  has become known.”

“The elders ¹  will listen ²  to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met ³  with us. So now, let us go ⁴  three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice ⁵  to the Lord our God.’

All these your servants will come down to me and bow down ¹  to me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow ²  you,’ and after that I will go out.” Then Moses ³  went out from Pharaoh in great anger.

Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, ¹  ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’” ² 

The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Go up ¹  from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath ²  to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ ³ 

Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ ¹  but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, ²  and also you have found favor in my sight.’

Moses summoned ¹  Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom ²  the Lord had put skill – everyone whose heart stirred him ³  to volunteer ⁴  to do the work,

and they received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to do ¹  the work for the service of the sanctuary, and they still continued to bring him a freewill offering each morning. ² 

He said, “See, I am going to make ¹  a covenant before all your people. I will do wonders such as have not been done ²  in all the earth, nor in any nation. All the people among whom you live will see the work of the Lord, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you. ³