Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire ¹  of God.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them ¹  today and tomorrow, and make them wash ²  their clothes

He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day. Do not go near your wives.” ¹ 

Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain.

The people kept ¹  their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness ²  where God was. ³ 

Moses alone may come ¹  near the Lord, but the others ²  must not come near, ³  nor may the people go up with him.”

Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts any of it on someone not a priest ¹  will be cut off ²  from his people.’”

So all ¹  the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink, ¹  and they rose up to play. ² 

When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, ¹  he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp!”

Moses saw that the people were running wild, ¹  for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. ² 

And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf ¹  – the one Aaron made. ² 

When the people heard this troubling word ¹  they mourned; ²  no one put on his ornaments.

If you do not release ¹  my people, then I am going to send ²  swarms of flies ³  on you and on your servants and on your people and in your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground they stand on. ⁴ 

Moses said, “I am going to go out ¹  from you and pray to the Lord, and the swarms of flies will go away from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only do not let Pharaoh deal falsely again ²  by not releasing ³  the people to sacrifice to the Lord.”

(Now the Lord granted the people favor with ¹  the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.) ² 

¹ When Pharaoh released ²  the people, God did not lead them ³  by the way to the land ⁴  of the Philistines, ⁵  although ⁶  that was nearby, for God said, ⁷  “Lest ⁸  the people change their minds ⁹  and return to Egypt when they experience war.”

When it was reported ¹  to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, ²  the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, ³  “What in the world have we done? ⁴  For we have released the people of Israel ⁵  from serving us!”

But the people were very thirsty ¹  there for water, and they murmured against Moses and said, “Why in the world ²  did you bring us up out of Egypt – to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” ³ 

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come ¹  to you in a dense cloud, ²  so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.” ³  And Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.