Exodus 33
33
The LORD Assures Moses That He Will Have Mercy on Israel
1Then the Lord said to Moses, “You and the people you brought out of Egypt must leave this place. Go to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with an oath, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ 2I will send a Messenger ahead of you, and I will force out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3Go to that land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not be with you, because you are impossible to deal with, and I would destroy you on the way.”
4When the people heard this bad news, they acted as if someone had died. No one wore any jewelry. 5The Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are impossible to deal with. If I were with you, I might destroy you at any time. Now take off your jewelry, and I’ll decide what to do with you.’ ” 6After they left Mount Horeb, the Israelites no longer wore their jewelry.
7Now, Moses used to take a tent and set it up far outside the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who was seeking the Lord’s will used to go outside the camp to the tent of meeting. 8Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand at the entrances to their tents and watch Moses until he went in. 9As soon as Moses went into the tent, the column of smoke would come down and stay at the entrance to the tent while the Lord spoke with Moses. 10When all the people saw the column of smoke standing at the entrance to the tent, they would all bow with their faces touching the ground at the entrance to their own tents. 11The Lord would speak to Moses personally, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would come back to the camp, but his assistant, Joshua, son of Nun, stayed inside the tent.
12Moses said to the Lord, “You’ve been telling me to lead these people, but you haven’t let me know whom you’re sending with me. You’ve also said, ‘I know you by name, and I’m pleased with you.’ 13If you really are pleased with me, show me your ways so that I can know you and so that you will continue to be pleased with me. Remember: This nation is your people.”
14The Lord answered, “My presence will go ⌞with you,⌟ and I will give you peace.”
15Then Moses said to him, “If your presence is not going ⌞with us⌟, don’t make us leave this place. 16How will anyone ever know you’re pleased with your people and me unless you go with us? Then we will be different from all other people on the face of the earth.”
17The Lord answered Moses, “I will do what you have asked, because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name.”
18Then Moses said, “Please let me see your glory.”
19The Lord said, “I will let all my goodness pass in front of you, and there I will call out my name ‘the Lord.’ I will be kind to anyone I want to. I will be merciful to anyone I want to. 20But you can’t see my face, because no one may see me and live.”
21Then the Lord said, “Look, there’s a place near me. Stand by this rocky cliff. 22When my glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice in the cliff and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23Then I will take my hand away, and you’ll see my back, but my face must not be seen.”
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Exodus 33
33
The Tent Outside the Camp
1The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go up from here, you and the people you brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your offspring.#Gn 12:7; Ex 32:7 2I will send an angel ahead of you and will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hethites, Perizzites,#33:2 Sam, LXX add Girgashites Hivites, and Jebusites.#Ex 32:34; Jos 24:11 3Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up with you because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”#Ex 3:8; 32:9; Nm 16:21,45 4When the people heard this bad news, they mourned and didn’t put on their jewelry.#Nm 14:39; Ezk 24:17,23
5For the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites: You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.” 6So the Israelites remained stripped of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.
7Now Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a distance from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone who wanted to consult the Lord would go to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.#Ex 29:42–43; Dt 4:29 8Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would stand up, each one at the door of his tent, and they would watch Moses until he entered the tent. 9When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and remain at the entrance to the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.#Ex 13:21; 31:18; Ps 99:7 10As all the people saw the pillar of cloud remaining at the entrance to the tent, they would stand up, then bow in worship, each one at the door of his tent. 11The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent.#Ex 24:13; Nm 12:8; Dt 34:10
The Lord’s Glory
12Moses said to the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name,#Ex 32:34; Jn 10:14–15; 2Tm 2:19 and you have also found favor with me.’ 13Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways,#Ps 25:4; 86:11; 119:33 and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.”#Ex 34:9; Dt 9:26,29
14And he replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”#Jos 21:44; 22:4; Is 63:9
15“If your presence does not go,” Moses responded to him, “don’t make us go up from here. 16How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.”#Ex 34:10; Nm 14:14
17The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name.”
18Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.”#Ex 33:20; 1Tm 6:16
19He said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”#Rm 9:15 20But he added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see#Gn 32:30; Is 6:5 me and live.” 21The Lord said, “Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, 22and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.#Ps 91:1,4; Is 2:21 23Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”
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