Day 35 of 730

¹In the third month after the children of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

²When they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.

³Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:

⁴'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself.

⁵Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine;

⁶and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."

⁷Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord commanded him.

⁸All the people answered together, and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.

⁹The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever." Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

¹⁰The Lord said to Moses, "Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,

¹¹and be ready against the third day; for on the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.

¹²You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, 'Be careful that you do not go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death.

¹³No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.' When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain."

¹⁴Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

¹⁵He said to the people, "Be ready by the third day. Do not have sexual relations with a woman."

¹⁶It happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.

¹⁷Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lower part of the mountain.

¹⁸Mount Sinai, all it, smoked, because the Lord descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

¹⁹When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

²⁰The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹The Lord said to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.

²²Let the priests also, who come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth on them."

²³Moses said to the Lord, "The people can't come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify it.'"

²⁴The Lord said to him, "Go down and you shall bring Aaron up with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break forth on them."

²⁵So Moses went down to the people, and told them.

¹God spoke all these words, saying,

²"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

³You shall have no other gods before me.

⁴"You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

⁵you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,

⁶and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

⁸"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

⁹You shall labor six days, and do all your work,

¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;

¹¹for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.

¹²"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

¹³"You shall not murder.

¹⁴"You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵"You shall not steal.

¹⁶"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

¹⁷"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

¹⁸All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.

¹⁹They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but do not let God speak with us, lest we die."

²⁰Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin."

²¹The people stayed at a distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

²²The Lord said to Moses, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

²³You shall most certainly not make alongside of me gods of silver, or gods of gold for yourselves.

²⁴You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.

²⁵If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.

²⁶Neither shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.'

¹Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me.

²Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.

³Brandish the spear and block those who pursue me. Tell my soul, "I am your salvation."

⁴Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.

⁵Let them be as chaff before the wind, The Lord's angel driving them on.

⁶Let their way be dark and slippery, The Lord's angel pursuing them.

⁷For without cause they have hidden their net in a pit for me. Without cause they have dug a pit for my soul.

⁸Let destruction come on him unawares. Let his net that he has hidden catch himself. Let him fall into that destruction.

⁹My soul shall be joyful in the Lord. It shall rejoice in his salvation.

¹⁰All my bones shall say, "Lord, who is like you, who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him; yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?"

¹¹Unrighteous witnesses rise up. They ask me about things that I do not know about.

¹²They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.

¹³But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into my own bosom.

¹⁴I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother. I bowed down mourning, as one who mourns his mother.

¹⁵But in my adversity, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together. The attackers gathered themselves together against me, and I did not know it. They tore at me, and did not cease.

¹⁶Like the profane mockers in feasts, they gnashed their teeth at me.

¹⁷Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my soul from their destruction, my precious life from the lions.

¹⁸I will give you thanks in the great assembly. I will praise you among many people.

¹⁹Do not let those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let those who hate me without a cause and wink their eyes.

²⁰For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.

²¹Yes, they opened their mouth wide against me. They said, "Aha! Aha! Our eye has seen it!"

²²You have seen it, Lord. Do not keep silent. Lord, do not be far from me.

²³Wake up! Rise up to defend me, my God! My Lord, contend for me!

²⁴Vindicate me, Lord my God, according to your righteousness. Do not let them gloat over me.

²⁵Do not let them say in their heart, "Aha! That's the way we want it!" Do not let them say, "We have swallowed him up!"

²⁶Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.

²⁷Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause. Yes, let them say continually, "The Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!"

²⁸My tongue shall talk about your righteousness and about your praise all day long.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.