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thestreamofconsciousness777 · 5 months ago

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If our Good News is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing: Till today whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts. But when there is a turning to Jehovah, the veil is taken away...

“And the entire assembly of the sons of Israel proceeded to depart from the wilderness of Sin by stages, which they took according to the order of Jehovah, and went camping at Reph’i·dim. But there was no water for the people to drink.

And the people fell to quarreling with Moses and saying: “Give us water that we may drink.” But Moses said to them: “Why are YOU quarreling with me? Why do YOU keep putting Jehovah to the test?” And the people went on thirsting there for water, and the people kept murmuring against Moses and saying: “Why is it that you have brought us up out of Egypt to put us and our sons and our livestock to death by thirst?” Finally Moses cried out to Jehovah, saying: “What shall I do with this people? A little longer and they will stone me!”

Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Pass in front of the people and take with you some of the older men of Israel and your rod with which you struck the Nile River. Take it in your hand and you must walk on. Look! I am standing before you there on the rock in Ho’reb. And you must strike on the rock, and water must come out of it, and the people must drink it.” Subsequently Moses did so under the eyes of the older men of Israel. So he called the name of the place Mas’sah and Mer’i·bah, because of the quarreling of the sons of Israel and because of their putting Jehovah to the test, saying: “Is Jehovah in our midst or not?”

And the A·mal’ek·ites proceeded to come and fight against Israel in Reph’i·dim. At this Moses said to Joshua: “Choose men for us and go out, fight against the A·mal’ek·ites. Tomorrow I am stationing myself upon the top of the hill, with the rod of the [true] God in my hand.” Then Joshua did just as Moses had said to him, in order to fight against the A·mal’ek·ites; and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

And it occurred that as soon as Moses would lift his hand up, the Israelites proved superior; but as soon as he would let down his hand, the A·mal’ek·ites proved superior. When the hands of Moses were heavy, then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on this side and the other on that side, so that his hands held steady until the sun set. Hence Joshua vanquished Am’a·lek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Jehovah now said to Moses: “Write this as a memorial in the book and propound it in Joshua’s ears, ‘I shall completely wipe out the remembrance of Am’a·lek from under the heavens.’” And Moses proceeded to build an altar and to call its name Je·ho’vah-nis’si, saying: “Because a hand is against the throne of Jah, Jehovah will have war with Am’a·lek from generation to generation.”

In the third month after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came into the wilderness of Si’nai. And they proceeded to pull away from Reph’i·dim and to come into the wilderness of Si’nai and to encamp in the wilderness; and Israel went camping there in front of the mountain.

And Moses went up to the [true] God, and Jehovah began to call to him out of the mountain, saying: “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to tell the sons of Israel, ‘YOU yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, that I might carry YOU on wings of eagles and bring YOU to myself. And now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then YOU will certainly become my special property out of all [other] peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me. And YOU yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the sons of Israel.”

So Moses came and called the older men of the people and set before them all these words that Jehovah had commanded him. After that all the people answered unanimously and said: “All that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do.” Immediately Moses took back the words of the people to Jehovah. At this Jehovah said to Moses: “Look! I am coming to you in a dark cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you, and that in you also they may put faith to time indefinite.” Then Moses reported the words of the people to Jehovah.

And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “Go to the people, and you must sanctify them today and tomorrow, and they must wash their mantles. And they must prove ready for the third day, because on the third day Jehovah will come down before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Si’nai. And you must set bounds for the people round about, saying, ‘Guard yourselves against going up into the mountain, and do not touch the edge of it. Anybody touching the mountain will positively be put to death. No hand is to touch him, because he will positively be stoned or will positively be shot through. Whether beast or man, he will not live.’ At the blowing of the ram’s horn they themselves may come up to the mountain.”

Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and he set about sanctifying the people; and they engaged in washing their mantles. Accordingly he said to the people: “Get ready during the three days. Do not YOU men come near a woman.”

And on the third day when it became morning it came about that thunders and lightnings began occurring, and a heavy cloud upon the mountain and a very loud sound of a horn, so that all the people who were in the camp began to tremble. Moses now brought the people out of the camp to meet the [true] God, and they went taking their stand at the base of the mountain. And Mount Si’nai smoked all over, due to the fact that Jehovah came down upon it in fire; and its smoke kept ascending like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain was trembling very much. When the sound of the horn became continually louder and louder, Moses began to speak, and the [true] God began to answer him with a voice.

So Jehovah came down upon Mount Si’nai to the top of the mountain. Then Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went on up. Jehovah now said to Moses: “Go down, warn the people, that they do not try to break through to Jehovah to take a look and many of them have to fall. And let the priests also who regularly come near to Jehovah sanctify themselves, that Jehovah may not break out upon them.” At this Moses said to Jehovah: “The people are not able to come up to Mount Si’nai, because you yourself already warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds for the mountain and make it sacred.’” However, Jehovah said to him: “Go, descend, and you must come up, you and Aaron with you; but let not the priests and the people break through to come up to Jehovah, that he may not break out upon them.” Accordingly Moses descended to the people and told them.

And God proceeded to speak all these words, saying:

“I am Jehovah your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves. You must not have any other gods against my face.

“You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation, in the case of those who hate me; but exercising loving-kindness toward the thousandth generation in the case of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way, for Jehovah will not leave the one unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.

“Remembering the sabbath day to hold it sacred, you are to render service and you must do all your work six days. But the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work, you nor your son nor your daughter, your slave man nor your slave girl nor your domestic animal nor your alien resident who is inside your gates. For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and he proceeded to rest on the seventh day. That is why Jehovah blessed the sabbath day and proceeded to make it sacred.

“Honor your father and your mother in order that your days may prove long upon the ground that Jehovah your God is giving you.

“You must not murder. “You must not commit adultery. “You must not steal. “You must not testify falsely as a witness against your fellowman.

“You must not desire your fellowman’s house. You must not desire your fellowman’s wife, nor his slave man nor his slave girl nor his bull nor his ass nor anything that belongs to your fellowman.”

Now all the people were seeing the thunders and the lightning flashes and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking. When the people got to see it, then they quivered and stood at a distance. And they began to say to Moses: “You speak with us, and let us listen; but let not God speak with us for fear we may die.” So Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid, because for the sake of putting YOU to the test the [true] God has come, and in order that the fear of him may continue before YOUR faces that YOU may not sin.” And the people kept standing at a distance, but Moses went near to the dark cloud mass where the [true] God was.

And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘YOU yourselves have seen that it was from the heavens I spoke with YOU. YOU must not make along with me gods of silver, and YOU must not make gods of gold for yourselves. An altar of ground you are to make for me, and you must sacrifice upon it your burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices, your flock and your herd. In every place where I shall cause my name to be remembered I shall come to you and shall certainly bless you. And if you should make an altar of stones for me, you must not build them as hewn stones. In the event that you do wield your chisel upon it, then you will profane it. And you must not go up by steps to my altar, that your private parts may not be exposed upon it.’

And to Moses he said: “Go up to Jehovah, you and Aaron, Na’dab and A·bi’hu and seventy of the older men of Israel, and YOU must bow down from a distance. And Moses by himself must approach Jehovah; but they should not approach, and the people should not go up with him.”

Then Moses came and related to the people all the words of Jehovah and all the judicial decisions, and all the people answered with one voice and said: “All the words that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do.” Accordingly Moses wrote down all the words of Jehovah. Then he got up early in the morning and built at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars corresponding with the twelve tribes of Israel. After that he sent young men of the sons of Israel and they offered up burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as sacrifices, as communion sacrifices to Jehovah. Then Moses took half the blood and put it in bowls, and half the blood he sprinkled upon the altar. Finally he took the book of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people. Then they said: “All that Jehovah has spoken we are willing to do and be obedient.” So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it upon the people and said: “Here is the blood of the covenant that Jehovah has concluded with YOU as respects all these words.”

And Moses and Aaron, Na’dab and A·bi’hu and seventy of the older men of Israel proceeded to go up, and they got to see the God of Israel. And under his feet there was what seemed like a work of sapphire flagstones and like the very heavens for purity. And he did not put out his hand against the distinguished men of the sons of Israel, but they got a vision of the [true] God and ate and drank.

Jehovah now said to Moses: “Come up to me in the mountain and stay there, as I want to give you the stone tablets and the law and the commandment that I must write in order to teach them.” So Moses and Joshua his minister got up and Moses went up into the mountain of the [true] God. But to the older men he had said: “YOU wait for us in this place until we return to YOU. And, look! Aaron and Hur are with YOU. Whoever has a case at law, let him approach them.” Thus Moses went up into the mountain while the cloud was covering the mountain.

And Jehovah’s glory continued to reside upon Mount Si’nai, and the cloud continued to cover it for six days. At length on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the sight of Jehovah’s glory was like a devouring fire on the mountaintop. Then Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went on up the mountain. And Moses continued in the mountain forty days and forty nights...

Meanwhile the people got to see that Moses was taking a long time about coming down from the mountain. So the people congregated themselves about Aaron and said to him: “Get up, make for us a god who will go ahead of us, because as regards this Moses, the man who led us up out of the land of Egypt, we certainly do not know what has happened to him.” At this Aaron said to them: “Tear off the gold earrings that are in the ears of YOUR wives, of YOUR sons and of YOUR daughters and bring them to me.” And all the people began tearing off the gold earrings that were in their ears and bringing them to Aaron. Then he took [the gold] from their hands, and he formed it with a graving tool and proceeded to make it into a molten statue of a calf. And they began to say: “This is your God, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt.”

When Aaron got to see this, he went to building an altar before it. Finally Aaron called out and said: “There is a festival to Jehovah tomorrow.” So on the next day they were early in rising, and they began offering up burnt offerings and presenting communion sacrifices. After that the people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to have a good time.

Jehovah now said to Moses: “Go, descend, because your people whom you led up out of the land of Egypt have acted ruinously. They have turned aside in a hurry from the way I have commanded them to go. They have made a molten statue of a calf for themselves and keep bowing down to it and sacrificing to it and saying, ‘This is your God, O Israel, who led you up out of the land of Egypt.’” And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “I have looked at this people and here it is a stiff-necked people. So now let me be, that my anger may blaze against them and I may exterminate them, and let me make you into a great nation.”

And Moses proceeded to soften the face of Jehovah his God and to say: “Why, O Jehovah, should your anger blaze against your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out in order to kill them among the mountains and to exterminate them from the surface of the ground’? Turn from your burning anger and feel regret over the evil against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself, in that you said to them, ‘I shall multiply YOUR seed like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I have designated I shall give to YOUR seed, that they may indeed take possession of it to time indefinite.’”

And Jehovah began to feel regret over the evil that he had spoken of doing to his people.

After that Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand, tablets written upon on both their sides. On this side and on that they were written upon. And the tablets were the workmanship of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved upon the tablets. And Joshua began to hear the noise of the people because of their shouting, and he proceeded to say to Moses: “There is a noise of battle in the camp.” But he said:

“It is not the sound of the singing over mighty performance, And it is not the sound of the singing of defeat; It is the sound of other singing that I am hearing.”

So it came about that as soon as he got near the camp and could see the calf and the dances, Moses’ anger began to blaze, and he at once threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf that they had made and he burnt it with fire and crushed it till it was fine, after which he scattered it upon the surface of the waters and made the sons of Israel drink it. After that Moses said to Aaron: “What did this people do to you that you have brought a great sin upon it?” To this Aaron said: “Do not let the anger of my lord blaze. You yourself well know the people, that they are evil-inclined. So they said to me, ‘Make for us a god who will go ahead of us, because as regards this Moses, the man who led us up out of the land of Egypt, we certainly do not know what has happened to him.’ Hence I said to them, ‘Who have any gold? They must tear it off themselves that they may give it to me.’ And I proceeded to throw it into the fire and this calf came on out.”

And Moses got to see that the people went unrestrained, because Aaron had let them go unrestrained for a disgrace among their opposers. Then Moses took his stand in the gate of the camp and said: “Who is on Jehovah’s side? To me!” And all the sons of Le’vi began gathering themselves to him. He now said to them: “This is what Jehovah the God of Israel has said, ‘Put each one of YOU his sword on his side. Pass through and return from gate to gate in the camp and kill each one his brother and each one his fellow and each one his intimate acquaintance.’” And the sons of Le’vi proceeded to do as Moses had said, so that there fell of the people on that day about three thousand men. And Moses went on to say: “Fill YOUR hand today with power for Jehovah, because each one of YOU is against his own son and his own brother, and that he may confer a blessing upon YOU today.”

And it came about on the very next day that Moses proceeded to say to the people: “YOU—YOU have sinned with a great sin, and now I shall go up to Jehovah. Perhaps I can make amends for YOUR sin.” So Moses returned to Jehovah and said: “Ah, but this people has sinned with a great sin, in that they made a god of gold for themselves! But now if you will pardon their sin, —and if not, wipe me out, please, from your book that you have written.” However, Jehovah said to Moses: “Whoever has sinned against me, I shall wipe him out of my book. And now, come, lead the people to where I have spoken to you of. Look! My angel will go ahead of you, and on the day of my bringing punishment I shall certainly bring punishment upon them for their sin.” And Jehovah began plaguing the people because they had made the calf, which Aaron had made.

And Jehovah said further to Moses: “Go, move up from here, you and the people whom you led up out of the land of Egypt, to the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘To your seed I shall give it.’ And I will send an angel ahead of you and drive out the Ca’naan·ites, the Am’or·ites, and the Hit’tites and the Per’iz·zites, the Hi’vites and the Jeb’u·sites; to a land flowing with milk and honey, for I shall not go up in the midst of you, because you are a stiff-necked people, that I may not exterminate you on the way.”

When the people got to hear this evil word, they began to mourn; and none of them put his ornaments on himself. And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘YOU are a stiff-necked people. In one moment I could go up into the midst of you and certainly exterminate you. So now put down your ornaments off yourself, as I want to know what I am going to do to you.’” And the sons of Israel went stripping their ornaments off themselves from Mount Ho’reb onward.

As for Moses, he proceeded to take his tent away and he pitched it outside the camp, far away from the camp; and he called it a tent of meeting. And it occurred that everyone inquiring of Jehovah would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. And it occurred that as soon as Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise, and they stationed themselves each one at the entrance of his own tent, and they gazed after Moses until he went into the tent. It also occurred that as soon as Moses had gone into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down, and it stood at the entrance of the tent and he spoke with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, and all the people rose and bowed down each one at the entrance of his own tent. And Jehovah spoke to Moses face to face, just as a man would speak to his fellow. When he returned to the camp, his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, as attendant, would not withdraw from the midst of the tent.

Now Moses said to Jehovah: “See, you are saying to me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you yourself have not let me know whom you will send with me. Moreover, you yourself have said, ‘I do know you by name and, besides, you have found favor in my eyes.’ And now, if, please, I have found favor in your eyes, make me know, please, your ways, that I may know you, in order that I may find favor in your eyes. And consider that this nation is your people.” So he said: “My own person will go along and I shall certainly give you rest.” At this he said to him: “If your own person is not going along, do not lead us up from here. And by what, now, will it be known that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Is it not by your going along with us, in that I and your people have been made distinct from all the other people who are upon the surface of the ground?”

And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “This thing, too, of which you have spoken, I shall do, because you have found favor in my eyes and I know you by name.” At this he said: “Cause me to see, please, your glory.” But he said: “I myself shall cause all my goodness to pass before your face, and I will declare the name of Jehovah before you; and I will favor the one whom I may favor, and I will show mercy to the one to whom I may show mercy.” And he added: “You are not able to see my face, because no man may see me and yet live.”

And Jehovah said further: “Here is a place with me, and you must station yourself upon the rock. And it has to occur that while my glory is passing by I must place you in a hole in the rock, and I must put my palm over you as a screen until I have passed by. After that I must take my palm away, and you will indeed see my back. But my face may not be seen.”

Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Carve out for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I must write upon the tablets the words that appeared on the first tablets, which you shattered. And get ready for the morning, as you must go up in the morning into Mount Si’nai and station yourself by me there on the top of the mountain. But nobody may go up with you and, too, let nobody else be seen in all the mountain. What is more, no flock or herd should be pasturing in front of that mountain.”

Accordingly Moses carved out two tablets of stone like the first ones and got up early in the morning and went on up into Mount Si’nai, just as Jehovah had commanded him, and he was taking the two tablets of stone in his hand. And Jehovah proceeded to come down in the cloud and station himself with him there and declare the name of Jehovah. And Jehovah went passing by before his face and declaring: “Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin, but by no means will he give exemption from punishment, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons and upon grandsons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation.”

Moses at once hurried to bow low to the earth and prostrate himself. Then he said: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, O Jehovah, let Jehovah, please, go along in the midst of us, because it is a stiff-necked people, and you have to forgive our error and our sin, and you must take us as your possession.” In turn he said: “Here I am concluding a covenant: Before all your people I shall do wonderful things that have never been created in all the earth or among all the nations; and all the people in the midst of whom you are will indeed see the work of Jehovah, because it is a fear-inspiring thing that I am doing with you.

“For your part keep what I am commanding you today. Here I am driving out from before you the Am’or·ites and the Ca’naan·ites and the Hit’tites and the Per’iz·zites and the Hi’vites and the Jeb’u·sites. Watch yourself that you do not conclude a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, for fear it may prove itself a snare in your midst. But their altars YOU people are to pull down, and their sacred pillars YOU are to shatter, and their sacred poles YOU are to cut down. For you must not prostrate yourself to another god, because Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, he is a jealous God; for fear that you may conclude a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, as they will certainly have immoral intercourse with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone will be certain to invite you, and you will certainly eat some of his sacrifice. Then you will have to take some of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters will be certain to have immoral intercourse with their gods and make your sons have immoral intercourse with their gods.

“You must not make molten idol gods for yourself.

“The festival of unfermented cakes you are to keep. You will eat unfermented cakes, just as I have commanded you, seven days at the appointed time in the month of A’bib, because it was in the month of A’bib that you came out of Egypt.

“Everything that first opens the womb is mine, and, as regards all your livestock, the male firstling of bull and of sheep. And the firstling of an ass you are to redeem with a sheep. But if you will not redeem it, then you must break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you are to redeem. And they must not appear before me empty-handed.

“Six days you are to labor, but on the seventh day you will keep sabbath. In plowing time and in harvest you will keep sabbath.

“And you will carry on your festival of weeks with the first ripe fruits of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering at the turn of the year.

“Three times in the year every male of yours is to appear before the [true] Lord, Jehovah, the God of Israel. For I shall drive the nations away from before you, and I will make your territory spacious; and nobody will desire your land while you are going up to see the face of Jehovah your God three times in the year.

“You must not slaughter along with what is leavened the blood of my sacrifice. And the sacrifice of the festival of the passover should not stay overnight until the morning.

“The best of the first ripe fruits of your soil you are to bring to the house of Jehovah your God. “You must not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.”

And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: “Write down for yourself these words, because it is in accordance with these words that I do conclude a covenant with you and Israel.” And he continued there with Jehovah forty days and forty nights. He ate no bread and he drank no water. And he proceeded to write upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.

Now it came about when Moses came down from Mount Si’nai that the two tablets of the Testimony were in the hand of Moses when he came down from the mountain, and Moses did not know that the skin of his face emitted rays because of his having spoken with him. When Aaron and all the sons of Israel got to see Moses, why, look! the skin of his face emitted rays and they grew afraid of coming near to him.

And Moses proceeded to call them. So Aaron and all the chieftains among the assembly came back to him, and Moses began to speak to them. First after that all the sons of Israel came near to him, and he began commanding them all that Jehovah had spoken with him on Mount Si’nai. When Moses would finish speaking with them, he would put a veil over his face. But when Moses would go in before Jehovah to speak with him, he would take away the veil until his going out. And he went out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he would be commanded. And the sons of Israel saw Moses’ face, that the skin of Moses’ face emitted rays; and Moses put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with him.”

Exodus 17;19-20;24 & 32-34, NWT

The Sight of Jehovah’s Glory Was Like A Devouring Fire On The Mountaintop

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