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.”

¹ Moses took ²  the tent ³  and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance ⁴  from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone ⁵  seeking ⁶  the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.

“I will grant this people favor with ¹  the Egyptians, so that when ²  you depart you will not leave empty-handed.

then you must give over ¹  to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. ²  Every firstling ³  of a beast that you have ⁴  – the males will be the Lord’s. ⁵ 

And ¹  on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers ²  per person; ³  and all the leaders ⁴  of the community ⁵  came and told ⁶  Moses.

He also made ¹  two gold rings for it under its border, on its two sides, on opposite sides, ²  as places ³  for poles to carry it with.

Come, let’s deal wisely ¹  with them. Otherwise ²  they will continue to multiply, ³  and if ⁴  a war breaks out, they will ally themselves with ⁵  our enemies and fight against us and leave ⁶  the country.”

You must set boundaries ¹  for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed ²  to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death!

for it is his only covering – it is his garment for his body. ¹  What else can he sleep in? ²  And ³  when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. ¹  He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. ² 

And when Moses went out ¹  to the tent, all the people would get up ²  and stand at the entrance to their tents ³  and watch ⁴  Moses until he entered the tent. ⁵ 

¹ Now when Moses came down ²  from Mount Sinai with ³  the two tablets of the testimony in his hand ⁴  – when he came down ⁵  from the mountain, Moses ⁶  did not know that the skin of his face shone ⁷  while he talked with him.

one beka per person, that is, a half shekel, ¹  according to the sanctuary shekel, for everyone who crossed over to those numbered, from twenty years old or older, ²  603,550 in all. ³ 

And if ¹  they do not believe even these two signs or listen to you, ²  then take ³  some water from the Nile and pour it out on the dry ground. The water you take out of the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” ⁴