1 And in the third month of the departure of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 And they departed from Rephidim, and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and there Israel encamped before the mountain. 3 And Moses went up to the mount of God, and God called him out of the mountain, saying, These things shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and thou shalt report them to the children of Israel. 4 Ye have seen all that I have done to the Egyptians, and I took you up as upon eagles’ wings, and I brought you near to myself. 5 And now if ye will indeed hear my voice, and keep my covenant, ye shall be to me a peculiar people above all nations; for the whole earth is mine. 6 And ye shall be to me a royal priesthood and a holy nation: these words shalt thou speak to the children of Israel. 7 And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and he set before them all these words, which God appointed them. 8 And all the people answered with one accord, and said, All things that God has spoken, we will do and hearken to: and Moses reported these words to God. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, Lo! I come to thee in a pillar of a cloud, that the people may hear me speaking to thee, and may believe thee forever: and Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 10 And the Lord said to Moses, Go down and solemnly charge the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments. 11 And let them be ready against the third day, for on the third day the Lord will descend upon Mount Sinai before all the people. 12 And thou shalt separate the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mountain, nor touch any part of it: everyone that touches the mountain shall surely die. 13 A hand shall not touch it, for [everyone that touches] shall be stoned with stones or shot through with a dart, whether beast or whether man, it shall not live: when the voices and trumpets and cloud depart from off the mountain, they shall come up on the mountain. 14 And Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified them, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, Be ready: for three days come not near to a woman. 16 And it came to pass on the third day, as the morning drew nigh, there were voices and lightnings and a dark cloud on Mount Sinai: the voice of the trumpet sounded loud, and all the people in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses led the people forth out of the camp to meet God, and they stood by under the camp. 18 The mount of Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because God had descended upon it in fire; and the smoke went up as the smoke of a furnace, and the people were exceedingly amazed. 19 And the sounds of the trumpet were waxing very much louder. Moses spoke, and God answered him with a voice. 20 And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 And God spoke to Moses, saying, Go down, and solemnly charge the people, lest at any time they draw nigh to God to gaze, and a multitude of them fall. 22 And let the priests that draw nigh to the Lord God sanctify themselves, lest he destroy some of them. 23 And Moses said to God, The people will not be able to approach to the mount of Sinai, for thou hast solemnly charged us, saying, Set bounds to the mountain and sanctify it. 24 And the Lord said to him, Go, descend, and come up thou and Aaron with thee; but let not the priests and the people force their way to come up to God, lest the Lord destroy some of them. 25 And Moses went down to the people, and spoke to them.
Exodus · Updated Brenton English Septuagint
Exodus 19 Updated Brenton English Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Same Septuagint text as Brenton, with modernised spelling.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Aaron
Moses' brother and spokesman, Israel's first high priest.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 4–40; Leviticus 8–10
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Places
Mount Sinai
The location is strongly debated — traditional Jebel Musa in the southern Sinai Peninsula is only one of several proposals (approximate location). It is where the Law was given.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 19:20; Exodus 3:1; Exodus 24:12
Cross references (24)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Exodus 16:1; Exodus 12:6; Exodus 12:2; Numbers 33:15; Leviticus 23:16–18
- 2 Exodus 3:1; Exodus 17:1; Exodus 3:12; Exodus 17:8; Exodus 18:5
- 3 Exodus 3:4; Deuteronomy 5:5–31; Acts 7:38; Exodus 24:15–18; Exodus 20:21
- 4 Deuteronomy 32:11–12; Isaiah 63:9; Isaiah 40:31; Deuteronomy 29:2; Revelation 12:14
- 5 Deuteronomy 14:2; Deuteronomy 7:6; Deuteronomy 26:18; Exodus 15:26; Malachi 3:17
- 6 Revelation 5:10; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Peter 2:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; Revelation 1:6
- 7 Exodus 4:29–30; Exodus 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1
- 8 Exodus 24:7; Exodus 24:3; Joshua 24:24; Nehemiah 10:29; Deuteronomy 5:27–29
- 9 Deuteronomy 4:36; Exodus 19:16; Exodus 24:15–16; Psalm 97:2; Matthew 17:5
- 10 Hebrews 10:22; Leviticus 11:44–45; Genesis 35:2; Leviticus 11:25; Numbers 8:21
- 11 Exodus 19:16; John 3:13; Exodus 34:5; Deuteronomy 33:2; Exodus 19:18
- 12 Hebrews 12:20–21; Joshua 3:4; Exodus 19:21; Deuteronomy 4:9; Exodus 10:28
- 13 Exodus 19:16; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Hebrews 12:20; Leviticus 20:15–16; Exodus 19:19
- 14 Exodus 19:10
- 15 1 Corinthians 7:5; Exodus 19:11; 1 Samuel 21:4–5; Joel 2:16; Zechariah 6:3
- 16 Hebrews 12:18–19; Psalm 18:11–14; Revelation 4:1; Hebrews 12:21; Revelation 4:5
- 17 Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 5:5
- 18 Judges 5:5; Psalm 144:5; Revelation 15:8; Exodus 3:2; Genesis 19:28
- 19 Psalm 81:7; Exodus 19:16; Nehemiah 9:13; Hebrews 12:21; Exodus 19:13
- 20 Nehemiah 9:13; Exodus 24:18; Exodus 34:4; Exodus 24:12–13; Exodus 19:11
- 21 1 Samuel 6:19; Exodus 3:5; Hebrews 12:28–29; Exodus 19:12–13; Exodus 3:3
- 22 Exodus 24:5; 2 Samuel 6:6–8; Exodus 19:14–15; Acts 5:5; 1 Chronicles 13:9–11
- 23 Exodus 19:12; Joshua 3:4–5
- 24 Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 12:18–25; Hebrews 12:29; John 1:17; Galatians 3:10–11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
When they were bending and shooting bows, they did also utter the words of most forward promise, saying, "Whatsoever things the Lord our God hath spoken we will do, and we will hear." "They have been turned back in the day of war:" because the promise of obedience not hearing but temptation doth prove.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
For the Word is not stoned, but casts stones when He pleases; and uses a sling against wild beasts--that is, words--approaching the Mount in an unholy way.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)