1 Jehovah said to Moses: »Cut two more stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets that you smashed.

2 »Be ready in the morning. Come up on Mount Sinai and present yourself to me there on top of the mountain.

3 »No man may come with you or even be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds may not graze in front of this mountain.«

4 Moses cut two more stone tablets. Early the next morning he carried them up Mount Sinai, just as Jehovah commanded.

5 Jehovah came down in a cloud and stood with him as Moses called upon the name of Jehovah!

6 Jehovah then passed in front of him and called out: »I, Jehovah, am a God who is full of compassion and pity. I am not easily angered and show great love and faithfulness.

7 »I keep my promise for thousands of generations and forgive evil and sin. But I will not fail to punish children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation for the sins of their fathers.«

8 Moses hurried to bow low toward the earth and worship.

9 He prayed: »Jehovah, if you really are pleased with me, I pray that you will go with us. It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious. However, please forgive our sin and let us be your people.«

10 Jehovah said: »Behold! I offer a covenant promise to perform signs and miracles for you that have never been done in all the earth. Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things.

11 »I will force out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. You must do what I command you today.

12 »Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going. It will become a snare in your midst.

13 »Instead tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim.

14 »Do not worship any other god but Jehovah for his reputation is filled with zeal, and he is a God who demands exclusive devotion.

15 Otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. They would commit spiritual immorality fornication with their gods and sacrifice to their gods. Someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice.

16 »You might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might commit spiritual immorality fornication with their gods and cause your sons also to commit spiritual immorality with their gods.

17 »Do not make idol gods for yourself.

18 »Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you must eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib. This is because in that month you came out of Egypt.

19 »Every first male offspring is mine. The firstborn males of all your livestock, whether cattle, sheep, or goats are mine.

20 »It will cost you a sheep or a goat to buy back the firstborn donkey. If you do not buy it back, then you must break the donkey’s neck. You must buy back every firstborn of your sons. No one may come into my presence without an offering.

21 »You may work six days. On the seventh day you must not work. Even during the time of plowing or harvesting you must not work on this day.

22 »Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the first grain from your wheat harvest. Celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the season.

23 »Three times a year all your men must come into the presence of the Sovereign Jehovah, the God of Israel.

24 »I will force nations out of your way and will expand your country’s borders. No one will want to take away your land while you are gone three times a year to Jehovah’s festivals.

25 »Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me at the same time you offer anything containing yeast. No part of the sacrifice at the Passover festival should be left over in the morning.

26 »I am Jehovah your God! You must bring the first part of your harvest to the place of worship. Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.«

27 Jehovah told Moses: »Put these laws in writing, as part of my agreement covenant with Israel.«

28 Moses was there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights. He did not eat bread or drink water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments Ten Words.

29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai. The two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he came down from the mountain. Moses did not know that the skin of his face glowed because he spoke with God.

30 Aaron and all the Israelites looked at Moses and saw his face glowing. They were afraid to come near him.

31 Moses called to them. Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation came back to him. Then Moses spoke to them.

32 All the other Israelites came near him. He commanded them to do everything Jehovah told him on Mount Sinai.

33 Moses put a veil over his face when he finished speaking.

34 When Moses went into Jehovah’s presence to speak with him, he took off the veil until he came out. When he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,

35 they would see that Moses’ face was glowing. Moses would put the veil back on until he went in again to speak with Jehovah.