1 To Moshe[Adonai] said, “Come up toAdonai— you, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu, and seventy of the leaders of Isra’el. Prostrate yourselves at a distance,
2 while Moshe alone approachesAdonai— the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.”
3 Moshe came and told the people everythingAdonaihad said, including all the rulings. The people answered with one voice: “We will obey every wordAdonaihas spoken.”
4 Moshe wrote down all the words ofAdonai. He rose early in the morning, built an altar at the base of the mountain and set upright twelve large stones to represent the twelve tribes of Isra’el.
5 He sent the young men of the people of Isra’el to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings of oxen toAdonai.
6 Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins; the other half of the blood he splashed against the altar.
7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it aloud, so that the people could hear; and they responded, “Everything thatAdonaihas spoken, we will do and obey.”
8 Moshe took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant whichAdonaihas made with you in accordance with all these words.”
9 Moshe, Aharon, Nadav, Avihu and seventy of the leaders went up;
10 and they saw the God of Isra’el. Under his feet was something like a sapphire stone pavement as clear as the sky itself.
11 He did not reach out his hand against these notables of Isra’el; on the contrary, they saw God, even as they were eating and drinking.
12 Adonaisaid to Moshe, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay there. I will give you the stone tablets with theTorahand themitzvotI have written on them, so that you can teach them.”
13 Moshe got up, also Y’hoshua his assistant; and Moshe went up onto the mountain of God.
14 To the leaders he said, “Stay here for us, until we come back to you. See, Aharon and Hur are with you; whoever has a problem should turn to them.”(S: Maftir)
15 Moshe went up onto the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.(A: Maftir)
16 The glory ofAdonaistayed on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moshe out of the cloud.
17 To the people of Isra’el the glory ofAdonailooked like a raging fire on the top of the mountain.
18 Moshe entered the cloud and went up on the mountain; he was on the mountain forty days and nights.
Haftarah Mishpatim: Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 34:8–22; 33:25–26
B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Mishpatim: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:38–42; 15:1–20; Mark 7:1–23; Acts 23:1–11; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 9:15–22; 10:28–39