Exodus 33

1 And the Lord said to Moses, Go forward from this place, you and the people whom you have taken up out of the land of Egypt, to that land about which I made an oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, To your seed will I give it.

Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt. Go to the land about which I made an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.'

2 And I will send an angel before you, driving out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite:

I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

3 Go up to that land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, for fear that I send destruction on you while you are on the way.

Go to that land, which is flowing with milk and honey, but I will not go up with you, because you are a stubborn people. I might destroy you on the way.”

4 Hearing this bad news the people were full of grief, and no one put on his ornaments.

When the people heard these troubling words, they mourned, and no one put on any jewelry.

5 And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, You are a stiff-necked people: if I come among you, even for a minute, I will send destruction on you; so take off all your ornaments, so that I may see what to do with you.

Yahweh had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, 'You are a stubborn people. If I went among you for even one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your jewelry so that I may decide what to do with you.'”

6 So the children of Israel took off their ornaments at Mount Horeb, and did not put them on again.

So the Israelites wore no jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Now it was Moses' way to put up the Tent of meeting outside the tent-circle, at some distance away; giving it the name of The Tent of meeting. And everyone desiring to make his prayer to the Lord went to the Tent of meeting outside the tent-circle.

Moses took a tent and pitched it outside the camp, some distance from the camp. He called it the tent of meeting. Everyone who asked Yahweh for anything went out to the tent of meeting, outside the camp.

8 And whenever Moses went out to the Tent of meeting, all the people got up and everyone went to the door of his tent, looking after Moses till he went inside the Tent.

When Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would stand up at their tent entrances and look at Moses until he had gone inside.

9 And whenever Moses went into the Tent, the pillar of cloud came down, and took its place by the door of the Tent, as long as the Lord was talking with Moses.

Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the tent entrance, and Yahweh would speak with Moses.

10 And all the people saw the cloud at the door of the Tent, and they went down on their faces, everyone at the door of his tent.

Whenever all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the entrance to the tent, they would get up and worship, every man at his own tent entrance.

11 And the Lord had talk with Moses face to face, as a man may have talk with his friend. And when Moses came back to the tents, his servant, the young man Joshua, the son of Nun, did not come away from the Tent.

Yahweh would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua son of Nun, a young man, would stay in the tent.

12 And Moses said to the Lord, See, you say to me, Be this people's guide on their journey, but you have not made clear to me whom you will send with me. But you have said, I have knowledge of you by name, and you have grace in my eyes.

Moses said to Yahweh, “See, you have been saying to me, 'Take this people on their journey,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my eyes.'

13 If then I have grace in your eyes, let me see your ways, so that I may have knowledge of you and be certain of your grace; and my prayer is that you will keep in mind that this nation is your people.

Now if I have found favor in your eyes, show me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor in your eyes. Remember that this nation is your people.”

14 And he said, I myself will go with you and give you rest.

Yahweh answered, “My own presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

15 And Moses said, If you yourself are not going with us, do not send us on from here.

Moses said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here.

16 For is not the fact of your going with us the sign that I and this people have grace in your eyes, so that we, that is, I and your people, are separate from all other people on the face of the earth?

For otherwise, how will it be known that I have found favor in your eyes, I and your people? Will it not only be if you go with us so that I and your people are different from all the other peoples that are on the surface of the earth?”

17 And the Lord said to Moses, I will do as you say: for you have grace in my eyes, and I have knowledge of you by your name.

Yahweh said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have requested, for you have found favor in my eyes, and I know you by name.”

18 And Moses said, O Lord, let me see your glory.

Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

19 And he said, I will make all the light of my being come before you, and will make clear to you what I am; I will be kind to those to whom I will be kind, and have mercy on those on whom I will have mercy.

Yahweh said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim my name 'Yahweh' before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”

20 But it is not possible for you to see my face, for no man may see me and still go on living.

But Yahweh said, “You may not see my face, for no one can see me and live.”

21 And the Lord said, See, there is a place near me, and you may take your place on the rock:

Yahweh said, “See, here is a place by me; you will stand on this rock.

22 And when my glory goes by, I will put you in a hole in the rock, covering you with my hand till I have gone past:

While my glory passes by, I will put you in a crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

23 Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back: but my face is not to be seen.

Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”