Let's start today by reading Exodus 19:1-4:
(1) In the third month of the sons of Israel going out from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the wilderness of Sinai,
(2) and they set out from Rephidim,
and they came to the wilderness of Sinai,
and they camped in the wilderness,
and Israel camped there before the mountain,
(3) while Moses went up to the God/Elohim,
and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying,
"Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and you shall declare to the sons of Israel:
(4) You have seen what I did to Egypt,
and I lifted/carried you upon the wings of eagles,
and I brought you to myself,
Yahweh starts his speech in verse 3, very formally. What's He's about to say is important. It's something you need to pay attention to. Specifically, there are three things, right off the bat, He wants Moses to say:
(A) You have seen what I did to Egypt.
And what did Yahweh do to Egypt?
Yahweh conquered the superpower. He defeated the most powerful human in the world. Yahweh did, whatever He wanted to do, in the heart of Egypt. Whatever else Yahweh is about to say, starts from wanting Israel to remember and acknowledge this.
(B) I lifted/carried you upon the wings of eagles.
If you were an Israelite, living through the past three months, you'd have maybe felt like things were a bit more difficult than Yahweh is making it sound here (h/t Goldingay). When you're trapped between the Egyptians and water, and pretty sure you're about to get killed, it's scary. When you've been without water for three days, it's scary. And when the Amalekites are trying to kill you, again, scary.
But probably, now that the people are at Mt. Sinai, they are able to look at all of this from a broader perspective. Probably, they will see that God has given them everything they needed, at every step of the way-- food, water, victory. And they will see that God did this for them, despite their murmuring, and lack of faith, and struggle to trust and obey Him.
Part of what gives me confidence in saying this, is because I think this is how life works for us, as well. When you look back on your lives, you're able to focus less on how hard things were, and more on how good God has been to you. God got you here, through every dark valley, through every trial. God has lifted you up, on eagles' wings.
(C) And I brought you to myself.
Everything Yahweh has done over the past three months, has been done toward this goal. There is some sense in which Yahweh dwells on his holy mountain. And throughout this whole process, He's been bringing the people here, to himself (John 6:44?). Maybe you could say, like a bride, to a groom.
Why has God done all of this? God has gone to an incredible amount of trouble to make this moment possible. He's demonstrated his grace, and loyalty, and love, to a people who don't deserve it. What is his hope?
Verses 5-6:
(5) and so then, if you actually heed my voice, and you keep my covenant, you shall be to me a prized treasure
out of all the peoples.
Although mine, all the earth [is], (6) you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy/consecrated nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel," ["mine" is focused in Hebrew]
When we read these verses, we should hear them as an invitation. The focus is entirely positive. God is inviting his people, to become his special people in a deeper way. It's like a divine altar call. An offer.
God's offer starts, with the conditions. There are two "if" statements, that you have to do decide if you're willing to do.
The first "if" is in verse 5. "If you actually heed my voice."
You could also translate it as "listen to" my voice. But the idea of obedience is built into it (in Hebrew and English). It's like when a mom complains that her kids aren't listening to her. She means, they aren't doing what she tells them to do. Listening, is obeying.
Over the past three months, Israel has proven itself to be not very good at listening to God. God told them to only grab enough manna for one day, and they grabbed enough for multiple days. God told them, don't go out on Saturdays to get manna, and they went out anyway. The only specific commands God gave them in the wilderness, they didn't obey-- at least, the first time.
Hopefully, they've learned from that. Hopefully, they've seen that God's commands are good, and that God can be trusted. But their track record isn't great.
And so God says, condition one, if you ACTUALLY obey. He's not looking for a promise to obey. He's not looking for you to "try" to obey. One does not try; one does, or does not (h/t Yoda). God expects obedience. Actual obedience.
The other thing we should see here, is that obeying God is not limited to the Bible. God is going to speak, in an ongoing way, throughout the OT. He will speak through Moses, through Joshua, and through the prophets. God expects his people to be open to his voice, and hear it, and obey it. God's sheep will hear his voice.
God's second condition-- the second "if"-- is related to the first, but a little different also. "If you keep my covenant."
Now, one of the interesting things about this, is that Yahweh is already in covenant with Israel. Let's reread Exodus 2:23-25 (NRSV no reason):
23 After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them.
God views the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as still binding. So what exactly is God doing in Exodus 19? Here, God isn't talking about keeping the Abrahamic covenant. He's talking about keeping a new covenant, that He is about to explain. This covenant is usually called the "Mosaic covenant."
Two of my commentators, thinking about Exodus 2, have offered two different explanations. I'll give them both to you, and let you decide who is right.
Terence Fretheim thinks that this Mosaic covenant, is like a covenant within a covenant. Maybe a little like two Russian dolls, one stacking inside of the other (that's me, not him). The covenant with Abraham is broader, and bigger, and older. And the Mosaic covenant-- the one being talked about here-- is more detailed, and specific. Working from within his covenant with Abraham, God adds to his promises, and He also adds to his expectations.
Goldingay thinks that Yahweh is renegotiating the covenant. Over the past three months, Yahweh has demonstrated what kind of God He can be for his people. He's proven his loyalty, and power, and love. It's an audition, of sorts (that's me, not him), where He has revealed what "He will be" for his people. What Yahweh is going to do, in the coming chapters, is offer more of himself to Israel. And He's going to ask for more from Israel, in response. The Mosaic covenant will require more from both sides. The bar is raised, for God and Israel.
And when Israel looks at what God has done for them over the past three months, they should find themselves hoping that this relationship will go on like this forever. And it can... if people actually obey, and keep God's covenant.
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It's common to say that the Abrahamic covenant required nothing of Abraham, except circumcision (Genesis 17:10)-- I think I've made noises in this direction, wrongly, to be honest (following my advice of, if you're going to be wrong, possibly, be wrong in good company). That it was a covenant of grace, as opposed to the "works-based" covenant of Moses.
I've come to think this is misleading in any number of ways. God had very clear expectations for Abraham. Everything started when Abraham obeyed God's call to leave his homeland, and go where God told him (Genesis 12:1). Abraham gave up everything, and God's promises were contingent on him going ("Go... and I will make you."). Later, God commanded Abraham to walk before Him, and be "blameless" (Genesis 17:1-2)-- two "ifs," basically-- and THEN He promised that He would make a covenant with him. And God expected that Abraham would value him more than Isaac (Genesis 22:2; Genesis 22:16). So the idea that "faith" was more central than "obedience" with Abraham, or that the covenant was "free" or "marked by grace alone" seems really obviously misguided-- if all we are doing is reading Genesis.
The main difference between the two covenants has to do with the specificity of the Mosaic covenant. God sets out, in far more detail, what He wants, and what He will do for his people. (And I find myself leaning toward Goldingay's explanation.)
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I'm not sure if Fretheim and Goldingay are both right, or partially right. But either way, Yahweh is inviting his people here, into a new type of relationship. They just have to decide on if the "ifs" are worth it. Let's reread verses 5-6:
(5) and so then, if you actually heed my voice, and you keep my covenant, you shall be to me a prized treasure out of all the peoples.
Although mine, all the earth [is], (6) you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy/consecrated nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel,"
If the people obey, and keep the covenant, what will God do for them? Three things:
(1) God will consider them the crown jewel of his creation. They will be his treasure, to be guarded, and cherished.
(2) God will make them a "priestly kingdom."
The idea here is that every single person in God's kingdom, will be a priest. You could call this "the priesthood of all believers." What exactly does this mean?
It doesn't mean that there are no specialized priests. There will still be paid clergy people-- other priests-- who will help you serve and worship God the right way. But each of you, will become a priest.
What does this mean, specifically?
I like Duane Garrett's explanation (A Commentary on Exodus: Commentary, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2014), 460:
"In the ancient world, a priest knew things about the god he served that were withheld from outsiders. These included details about the god’s myth, the god’s secret names, and the rituals of the god’s cult. In addition, a priest had special access to the god and could make intercession to him. Israelites, in contrast to all other peoples of earth, would have knowledge of God in the Torah. They alone could participate in worship at the sanctuary in which he dwelt, and they alone could partake of Passover. They also could call upon him by his chosen name, YHWH, and he would answer them. These were the things that marked them as a holy nation and a kingdom of priests. All peoples of earth belonged to God (19:5d), but Israel’s relationship to him was special. They knew God."
(3) God will make them a holy/consecrated/dedicated nation. Israel will become a nation, committed to God.
God will do all of this, not because He needs them. He makes sure Israel know that rightly, the whole earth belongs to him. God doesn't lack. God will do this, of his own free will, apparently just because He loves them.
So that's God's offer. Do you want to become the crown jewel in all of God's creation? Do you want the privilege of serving him as a priest? Do you want to be committed to him? Do you want this relationship with God to continue?
If so, you take God up on the "ifs." You make a commitment, that you will obey God. You will listen to his voice, and do what He says. You will keep his covenant, with whatever all that involves.
What will Israel choose? Verses 7-8:
(7) and Moses went,
and he called to the elders of the people,
and he set before them all these words that Yahweh commanded him,
(8) and all the people answered together,
"All that Yahweh has spoken, we will do," ["all that...spoken " is focused in Hebrew].
The people accept God's offer. They promise, they will obey. They will take on God's yoke, and keep his covenant (Matthew 11:28-30).
Now, at this point, the specific content of this new/renegotiated covenant is still unknown. God hasn't spelled out what He is looking for, exactly, from his people. And maybe we think this is unfair on God's part. God sounds a little like Nancy Pelosi here, which can't possibly be good. You have to pass the bill, before you can see what's in the bill. You have to say "yes" to the covenant, before you can see what's in the covenant. But that's not really how this works. That would be insanity. God wanted to know, up front, if Israel was interested in pursuing this covenant with him. He wanted to know if they would make this commitment to obey. And Israel will get another chance, after hearing all of Moses' words, to make a final decision about God at the end (Exodus 24:3-8).
Last line of verse 8:
and Moses brought back the words of the people to Yahweh,
(9) and Yahweh said to Moses,
"LOOK! I am coming to you in the thick cloud,
in order that the people will know when I speak with you,
and, what's more, [that] in you they will trust forever,"
What is God doing in verse 9? Why does God respond to the people's words, by talking to Moses about a thick cloud?
The specific content of the covenant, hasn't yet been explained. But God wants (needs?) the people to have total confidence that Moses' words, are God's words. If there is any doubt on the people's part about Moses, all of this will fall apart. You have to be certain, that Moses' words, are God's words.
And so God will make it easy for Israel. God will come down the mountain in a thick cloud to Moses. This cloud will very obviously be hiding God from them. It will be super unnatural. Obviously, divine. If the people needed one last piece of evidence that God speaks through Moses, this will be it.
Last line of verse 9, through verse 15:
and Moses reported the words of the people to Yahweh,
(10) and Yahweh said to Moses,
"Go to the people,
that you may consecrate/sanctify them today and tomorrow,
and they shall wash their clothes,
(11) and they will be ready/prepared for the third day,
because on the third day, Yahweh will come down before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai,"
(12) and you shall set borders for the people around, saying,
"Be careful for yourselves, going up to the mountain and touching its edge.
Anyone touching the mountain shall certainly/surely be put to death.
(13) It shall not touch it-- a hand,
but he shall surely be stoned,
or he shall surely be shot.
Whether domestic animal or man, it shall not live.
At the blowing of the horn, they shall go up the mountain,"
(14) and Moses descended from the mountain to the people,
and he dedicated/consecrated the people,
and they washed their clothes,
(15) and he said to the people,
"Be ready for the third day.
You shall not draw near to a woman/wife."
So the people have said "yes" to God. They will do the two "ifs." They will heed God's voice, and keep the covenant.
The next step, is for an encounter between God and Israel. In verse 11, Moses says that Yahweh will descend upon Mount Sinai. The people need to get ready for this. They need to wash their clothes; they need to dedicate themselves to God. And they need to not draw near to a woman.
This bit about not drawing near to a woman maybe bothers some of you, or confuses you. I'd rather not talk about it a whole lot, for whatever reason. But what we will see in Exodus, is that when Moses addresses "the people," the ones actually being talked to, are the men (see verses 7-8, where Moses addresses "the elders," and "the people" respond). Often, specifically, Moses is addressing the male heads of the extended families. The grandpas, basically, who are in charge of extended families. The grandpas have the responsibility to make sure their families obey God and Moses, and do things the right way. And so the commands are written first of all to men, for a man's perspective. It's not that women are unclean, or that they should be viewed with suspicion. It's that men and women shouldn't "drawn near" to each other, when they are about to meet God. There are times and places for abstinence, even within marriage (1 Corinthians 7:5).
And one of those times, is when you are about to encounter God. God is more "close" at some times than others. And when He comes super close, you need to make sure you are consecrated, in every possible way (compare Joshua 3:10, with Joshua 4:5, when the people pass before the ark). Doing the external act of washing clothes, helps you prepare internally. [This is probably the impulse for putting on clean, ironed clothes for church. Your "Sunday best" helps people prepare themselves for an encounter with God.)
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When we look at Exodus 19:1-15 as a whole, the main focus in these verses is on the covenant. God is offering a covenant to Israel, and Israel makes the choice to accept it, and enter into it.
One of the marks of the evangelical church, is that we usually don't think about salvation, or a relationship with God, in terms of covenant. We use other categories. A Reformed theologian will focus on "forensic justification." Someone else may focus on "adoption" or "participation."
But the good news about Jesus is hardly ever explained in terms of covenant.
The weird thing about this, is that Jesus explained "salvation" and a "relationship with God" by talking about a covenant. When Jesus thought about his death, and resurrection, he thought covenantally. [A brilliant book on this is Michael J. Gorman, The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant: A (Not So) New Model of the Atonement]. Let's turn to Luke 22:14-20:
14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you, I will not eat it[c] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
What Jesus did, through his death, was create a new covenant-- a new path, connecting God and people. This is not a covenant within a covenant (Fretheim's view of the Mosaic covenant). It's not a renegotiated covenant (Goldingay's view of the Mosaic covenant). This is truly a new covenant.
The basis for this covenant, is Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension. It's through this that God shows his "grace"-- his kindness, and favor. Jesus is God's grace, basically (Ephesians 1:7).
If we thought about the good news about Jesus in terms of "covenant," it would save us a lot of grief, and misunderstanding. So much of what we think about Christianity, especially in the West, is half-truths.
The gospel is often explained in terms of what happens to you after you die. Or, the gospel is about how to get eternal life. Or it's about how to have your sins forgiven. All of these things are just a small part of the gospel. But they are not the heart. [And they are remarkable, for how they are discussed in a way that avoids talking about God at all].
But when we keep the idea of covenant in the center, it helps us see that at the heart of the gospel, is an invitation to a relationship with God. God opens a door, and invites you inside his house. He invites you to sit at his table, and become part of his family. He will be your God; you will be his child. This is the gospel call, fundamentally: an invitation to a relationship with God. God offers to fix the parts of you that keep you from having a relationship. He offers to give you his Holy Spirit, to enable to you live with God the way He expects. And He offers you all sorts of other blessings, on top of that. This is the covenant, offered through Jesus.
So I think that's one advantage to thinking about the gospel in terms of covenant. It helps us focus on God's goal, as being one of relationship with God.
Another advantage, is that it helps us think about how to enter into a covenant.
What exactly do you have to do, to enter into a covenant relationship with God?
What are the "ifs", for us?
Maybe before we try to answer that, let's reread the "ifs" for Israel. Verses 5-6:
(5) and so then, if you actually heed my voice, and you keep my covenant, you shall be to me a prized treasure out of all the peoples.
Although mine, all the earth [is], (6) you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy/consecrated nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel,"
What did God expect of Israel? We don't have the specifics yet, but broadly speaking, God expect his people to "listen" to his voice, to "heed" him (you can translate it either way), and to "keep" his covenant.
What God wants from Israel, basically, is obedience. That's the key word.
And the fact that obedience is the key word, really bothers some people. It puts them in knots, as they try to figure out a way to talk instead about grace, and faith.
There is grace found throughout Exodus. God showed grace to Israel by freeing them from Egypt, by leading them through the wilderness, and by bringing them to himself. Even the offer of a covenant relationship, is an act of grace.
But this offer of relationship, is not free. You don't freely accept a relationship with God, and then, secondarily, choose to obey.
We often times try to split apart grace from obedience. Or faith, from obedience. We want to draw a clean line between the two. And maybe we think that's the clean line Paul draws (and we just cover our eyes, and try to not to read James 2:14-26).
But one of the things that makes me most happy in life, truthfully, is the way that NT scholars across denominations are pushing back against this. Michael J. Gorman, one of my favorite NT scholars, would call this a "thin" view of faith. "Thin faith" is the view that a saving faith only has to "believe that" certain things are true about God, Jesus, and us, and accept those things as truth. Maybe the best way to think about "thin faith," is that it's like skim milk (that's me). And skim milk, is not really milk. They stripped out half of it, and watered it down.
So Gorman spends a lot of time, especially in his book Cruciformity, talking about a "thick" faith. The whole milk version of faith-- what faith actually is. And that faith, looks a lot like Exodus 19:5. Faith includes the ideas of commitment, allegiance, faithfulness, and obedience. Faith is costly. Faith is exclusive.
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Three other helpful books more or less closely related to this, as long as I'm offering book suggestions, are these:
(1) Matthew Bates, Saved by Allegiance Alone. Bates' main point is that "pistis" ("faith") often means something more like "allegiance" or "faithfulness than "faith." Like how God has "faith" in Romans 3:3.
(2) Alan P. Stanley, Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works? His book is endorsed by scholars from Dallas Theological Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. (This is a revised version of his dissertation at Dallas.)
(3) Paul Rainbow, The Way of Salvation: The Role of Christian Obedience in Justification. Of all the ones on the list, I probably like Rainbow's the least. But he's an NAB New Testament scholar (taught at Sioux Falls Seminary for years), and he offers a quite sharp criticism of "faith alone" language, and effectively pokes Luther/Calvin/Reformed thinking. A book you can give Baptists/NAB people who find themselves in Awana/Free Grace/Antinomian churches, to move them toward the truth.
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That's the kind of "faith" that God wants. The kind that's "faithful" toward God, and Jesus. The kind that is demonstrated by a lifestyle of repentance, obedience, commitment, and love (1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 5:6).
And if we step away from our favorite verses from Paul, and listen to Jesus' words, his invitation sounds a lot like God's, in Exodus. Let's turn to Matthew 11:25-30:
25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank[i] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.[j] 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The yoke that Jesus is talking about, is his teaching. (This was a common metaphor among first century Jewish rabbis.) Part of coming to Jesus, is taking on his yoke, and learning from him (they are two parallel, overlapping commands). You come to King Jesus on bent knee, submitting. And you also come to Jesus with bent neck, accepting his yoke. That's how you come to Jesus.
Now, when you come to Jesus, at first, you're not going to understand everything that this involves. You don't need to memorize the Sermon on the Mount, before you can become Jesus' disciple. But what Jesus wants, up front, is an initial commitment. Give up everything. Die to yourself ("take up the cross"). Follow him. And as you follow him, you'll learn more of the specifics. And you'll be happy to do them-- Jesus is your Lord, and King, and you'll do anything he asks.
So when we think about our covenant, we know that the basis for it has changed. We don't commit to Jesus as King because God freed us from slavery in Egypt, and brought us to himself, at his mountain. We commit ourselves to Jesus as king, because Jesus died on the cross for us, rose, and ascended to the right hand of God. Our salvation is based on a different act of grace.
We also know that the blessings of our covenant are a little different. The biggest difference, for sure, has to do with God giving us his Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us a far deeper type of relationship. And the Spirit does what the law couldn't do, and was never intended to do: the Spirit enables obedience.
So we understand that there are some differences between our covenant, and the one through Moses. But it's still a covenant. God is still making us an offer. He's still inviting us into a special kind of relationship. We can be God's crown jewel. We can be his priestly kingdom, a consecrated "nation."
And the other thing that really hasn't changed (except that it's become Jesus-focused), is the "ifs."
If you want to enter into a covenant with God, you do the "ifs." You turn from your sin, toward God (=repentance; Acts 2:38). You give up your idols, forever (1 Thessalonians 1:9). You commit to Jesus as King, confessing him as Lord/Master (Romans 10:8-9; a performative speech act, whereby he becomes your Lord), and by getting baptized (Acts 2:38-39). Through baptism, you die to your sin, and to yourself (Romans 6). You die with Jesus, on the cross, by being joined to him. And when you rise up out of the water, you rise a new person-- clean, forgiven, righteous toward God, able to live a life of service, and obedience, to God the Father.
That's Jesus' altar call. It's maybe a little different from the one you first heard, and accepted. You maybe heard the skim milk version. But this is what Jesus actually wants. He wants all of you. He wants your entire life-- your allegiance, your faithfulness, your commitment, your obedience. When you hear the good news, you don't respond simply with "faith," and then later on, decide how serious you will be about obeying.
You respond to the gospel, by obeying it (Acts 5:32; 6:7; Romans 6:17-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; in John 3:36, the alternative to "giving loyalty/belief" to Jesus, is disobeying him). The gospel call, is a call to allegiance, and obedience. You have to decide if you want to join God's ranks, and become part of his people, and army. You obey the gospel, when you pledge allegiance to Jesus as King.
And if you've never really done this, it's time to taste the whole milk. Jesus' yoke is light. Although it's costly, it will give you true rest. In the end, it's a simpler, easier, more enjoyable life. And may our words, be an echo of Israel's: "All that Jesus has spoken, we will do" (Matthew 7:24). We understand that obedience is what God wants, above all else (Romans 15:18). And we will obey.
Translation:
(1) In the third month of the sons of Israel going out from the land of Egypt, on this day they came to the wilderness of Sinai,
(2) and they set out from Rephidim,
and they came to the wilderness of Sinai,
and they camped in the wilderness,
and Israel camped there before the mountain,
(3) while Moses went up to the God/Elohim,
and Yahweh called to him from the mountain, saying,
"Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and you shall declare to the sons of Israel:
(4) You have seen what I did to Egypt ,
and I lifted/carried you upon the wings of eagles,
and I brought you to myself,
(5) and so then, if you actually heed my voice, and you keep my covenant, you shall be to me a prized treasure out of all the peoples.
Although mine, all the earth [is], (6) you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy/consecrated nation.
These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel,"
(7) and Moses went,
and he called to the elders of the people,
and he set before them all these words that Yahweh commanded him,
(8) and all the people answered together,
"All that Yahweh has spoken, we will do," ["all that Yahweh... "is focused in Hebrew].
and Moses reported the words of the people to Yahweh,
(10) and Yahweh said to Moses,
"Go to the people,
that you may consecrate/sanctify them today and tomorrow,
and they shall wash their clothes,
(11) and they will be ready/prepared for the third day,
because on the third day, Yahweh will come down before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai,"
(12) and you shall set borders for the people around, saying,
"Be careful for yourselves, going up to the mountain and touching its edge.
Anyone touching the mountain shall certainly/surely be put to death.
(13) It shall not touch it-- a hand,
but he shall surely be stoned,
or he shall surely be shot.
Whether domestic animal or man, it shall not live.
At the blowing of the horn, they shall go up the mountain,"
(14) and Moses descended from the mountain to the people,
and he dedicated/consecrated the people,
and they washed their clothes,
(15) and he said to the people,
"Be ready for the third day.
You shall not draw near to a woman/wife."
