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Exodus 19

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1 τοῦ δὲ μηνὸς τοῦ τρίτου τῆς ἐξόδου τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἤλθοσαν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον τοῦ Σινα 2 καὶ ἐξῆραν ἐκ Ραφιδιν καὶ ἤλθοσαν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον τοῦ Σινα καὶ παρενέβαλεν ἐκεῖ Ισραηλ κατέναντι τοῦ ὄρους 3 καὶ Μωυσῆς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους λέγων τάδε ἐρεῖς τῷ οἴκῳ Ιακωβ καὶ ἀναγγελεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ 4 αὐτοὶ ἑωράκατε ὅσα πεποίηκα τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ ἀνέλαβον ὑμᾶς ὡσεὶ ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀετῶν καὶ προσηγαγόμην ὑμᾶς πρὸς ἐμαυτόν 5 καὶ νῦν ἐὰν ἀκοῇ ἀκούσητε τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς καὶ φυλάξητε τὴν διαθήκην μου ἔσεσθέ μοι λαὸς περιούσιος ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐμὴ γάρ ἐστιν πᾶσα ἡ γῆ 6 ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔσεσθέ μοι βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα καὶ ἔθνος ἅγιον ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ 7 ἦλθεν δὲ Μωυσῆς καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους οὓς συνέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεός 8 ἀπεκρίθη δὲ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁμοθυμαδὸν καὶ εἶπαν πάντα ὅσα εἶπεν ὁ θεός ποιήσομεν καὶ ἀκουσόμεθα ἀνήνεγκεν δὲ Μωυσῆς τοὺς λόγους τοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεόν 9 εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ παραγίνομαι πρὸς σὲ ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης ἵνα ἀκούσῃ ὁ λαὸς λαλοῦντός μου πρὸς σὲ καὶ σοὶ πιστεύσωσιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἀνήγγειλεν δὲ Μωυσῆς τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς κύριον 10 εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν καταβὰς διαμάρτυραι τῷ λαῷ καὶ ἅγνισον αὐτοὺς σήμερον καὶ αὔριον καὶ πλυνάτωσαν τὰ ἱμάτια 11 καὶ ἔστωσαν ἕτοιμοι εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν τρίτην τῇ γὰρ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ καταβήσεται κύριος ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινα ἐναντίον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ 12 καὶ ἀφοριεῖς τὸν λαὸν κύκλῳ λέγων προσέχετε ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ ἀναβῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ θιγεῖν τι αὐτοῦ πᾶς ὁ ἁψάμενος τοῦ ὄρους θανάτῳ τελευτήσει 13 οὐχ ἅψεται αὐτοῦ χείρ ἐν γὰρ λίθοις λιθοβοληθήσεται ἢ βολίδι κατατοξευθήσεται ἐάν τε κτῆνος ἐάν τε ἄνθρωπος οὐ ζήσεται ὅταν αἱ φωναὶ καὶ αἱ σάλπιγγες καὶ ἡ νεφέλη ἀπέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους ἐκεῖνοι ἀναβήσονται ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος 14 κατέβη δὲ Μωυσῆς ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους πρὸς τὸν λαὸν καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτούς καὶ ἔπλυναν τὰ ἱμάτια 15 καὶ εἶπεν τῷ λαῷ γίνεσθε ἕτοιμοι τρεῖς ἡμέρας μὴ προσέλθητε γυναικί

1 The third new moon was rising since they left the land of Egypt, on the day when the Israelites reached the wilderness of Sinai.[1] 2 They set out from Raphidim, and marched all the way to the Sinai desert before they encamped, pitching their tents there in full view of the mountain. 3 Here Moses went up to meet God, and the voice of God came to him from the mountain, A message to the race of Jacob; to Israel’s sons proclaim it: 4 You have seen for yourselves what I did to the Egyptians, how I carried you as if on eagle’s wings, and took you up into my care. 5 Listen, then, to my voice, and keep your covenant with me; and I, to whom all the earth belongs, will single you out among its peoples to be my own. 6 You shall serve me as a royal priesthood, as a consecrated nation;[2] tell the Israelites this. 7 So, when Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people, and told them what message it was the Lord had entrusted to him; 8 whereupon the whole people answered with one voice, We will do all the Lord has said.

Moses went back to the Lord with this promise from the people, 9 and the Lord said to him, The time has come now when I mean to visit thee, wrapped in a dark cloud, so that all the people may hear me talking with thee, and obey thee without question henceforward. And when Moses had told him of the people’s promise, 10 he said, Go back to the people, and spend to-day and to-morrow ridding them of defilement. Let them wash their clothes, 11 and hold themselves in readiness for the third day; two days from now, the Lord will come down on to mount Sinai in the presence of all the people. 12 Keep them within bounds along the whole circle of it, and bid them beware of going up on to the mountain, or touching even the fringes of it; if anyone touches the mountain, his life must pay for it. 13 No hand must be laid on him, he must be stoned, or shot down with javelins; beast or man that touches the mountain is to die. All this, until they hear a blast on the ram’s horn; then let them go up on to the mountain. 14 So Moses went down again to the people, and rid them of defilement. First they must wash their clothes; 15 then he bade them hold themselves in readiness for the third day, and have no commerce with their wives.

1 Mense tertio egressionis Israël de terra Ægypti, in die hac venerunt in solitudinem Sinai. 2 Nam profecti de Raphidim, et pervenientes usque in desertum Sinai, castrametati sunt in eodem loco, ibique Israël fixit tentoria e regione montis. 3 Moyses autem ascendit ad Deum: vocavitque eum Dominus de monte, et ait: Hæc dices domui Jacob, et annuntiabis filiis Israël: 4 Vos ipsi vidistis quæ fecerim Ægyptiis, quomodo portaverim vos super alas aquilarum, et assumpserim mihi. 5 Si ergo audieritis vocem meam, et custodieritis pactum meum, eritis mihi in peculium de cunctis populis: mea est enim omnis terra: 6 et vos eritis mihi in regnum sacerdotale, et gens sancta. Hæc sunt verba quæ loqueris ad filios Israël. 7 Venit Moyses: et convocatis majoribus natu populi, exposuit omnes sermones quos mandaverat Dominus. 8 Responditque omnis populus simul: Cuncta quæ locutus est Dominus, faciemus. Cumque retulisset Moyses verba populi ad Dominum, 9 ait ei Dominus: Jam nunc veniam ad te in caligine nubis, ut audiat me populus loquentem ad te, et credat tibi in perpetuum. Nuntiavit ergo Moyses verba populi ad Dominum. 10 Qui dixit ei: Vade ad populum, et sanctifica illos hodie, et cras, laventque vestimenta sua. 11 Et sint parati in diem tertium: in die enim tertia descendet Dominus coram omni plebe super montem Sinai. 12 Constituesque terminos populo per circuitum, et dices ad eos: Cavete ne ascendatis in montem, nec tangatis fines illius: omnis qui tetigerit montem, morte morietur. 13 Manus non tanget eum, sed lapidibus opprimetur, aut confodietur jaculis: sive jumentum fuerit, sive homo, non vivet: cum cœperit clangere buccina, tunc ascendant in montem. 14 Descenditque Moyses de monte ad populum, et sanctificavit eum. Cumque lavissent vestimenta sua, 15 ait ad eos: Estote parati in diem tertium, et ne appropinquetis uxoribus vestris.

16 ἐγένετο δὲ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ γενηθέντος πρὸς ὄρθρον καὶ ἐγίνοντο φωναὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ νεφέλη γνοφώδης ἐ{P'} ὄρους Σινα φωνὴ τῆς σάλπιγγος ἤχει μέγα καὶ ἐπτοήθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ 17 καὶ ἐξήγαγεν Μωυσῆς τὸν λαὸν εἰς συνάντησιν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς καὶ παρέστησαν ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος 18 τὸ δὲ ὄρος τὸ Σινα ἐκαπνίζετο ὅλον διὰ τὸ καταβεβηκέναι ἐ{P'} αὐτὸ τὸν θεὸν ἐν πυρί καὶ ἀνέβαινεν ὁ καπνὸς ὡς καπνὸς καμίνου καὶ ἐξέστη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς σφόδρα 19 ἐγίνοντο δὲ αἱ φωναὶ τῆς σάλπιγγος προβαίνουσαι ἰσχυρότεραι σφόδρα Μωυσῆς ἐλάλει ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἀπεκρίνατο αὐτῷ φωνῇ 20 κατέβη δὲ κύριος ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινα ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους καὶ ἐκάλεσεν κύριος Μωυσῆν ἐπὶ τὴν κορυφὴν τοῦ ὄρους καὶ ἀνέβη Μωυσῆς 21 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων καταβὰς διαμάρτυραι τῷ λαῷ μήποτε ἐγγίσωσιν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν κατανοῆσαι καὶ πέσωσιν ἐξ αὐτῶν πλῆθος 22 καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς οἱ ἐγγίζοντες κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ἁγιασθήτωσαν μήποτε ἀπαλλάξῃ ἀ{P'} αὐτῶν κύριος 23 καὶ εἶπεν Μωυσῆς πρὸς τὸν θεόν οὐ δυνήσεται ὁ λαὸς προσαναβῆναι πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινα σὺ γὰρ διαμεμαρτύρησαι ἡμῖν λέγων ἀφόρισαι τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἁγίασαι αὐτό 24 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ κύριος βάδιζε κατάβηθι καὶ ἀνάβηθι σὺ καὶ Ααρων μετὰ σοῦ οἱ δὲ ἱερεῖς καὶ ὁ λαὸς μὴ βιαζέσθωσαν ἀναβῆναι πρὸς τὸν θεόν μήποτε ἀπολέσῃ ἀ{P'} αὐτῶν κύριος 25 κατέβη δὲ Μωυσῆς πρὸς τὸν λαὸν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς

16 And now the third day had come. Morning broke, and all at once thunder was heard, lightning shone out, and the mountain was covered with thick mist; loud rang the trumpet-blast, and the people in the camp were dismayed.[3] 17 But Moses brought them out from the camp itself to meet the Lord, and they stood there close by the spurs of the mountain. 18 The whole of mount Sinai was by now wreathed in smoke, where the Lord had come down with fire about him, so that smoke went up as if from a furnace; it was a mountain full of terrors. 19 Louder yet grew the noise of the trumpet, longer its blast; and then Moses spoke to the Lord, and the Lord’s voice was heard in answer. 20 It was on the very top of mount Sinai that the Lord had come down, and now he called Moses up to the summit. When he had climbed up there 21 he was bidden go down again, and warn the people not to pass beyond their bounds in their eagerness to see the Lord; or it might be that a great multitude of them would incur death. 22 Even the priests who came into the Lord’s presence were to come sanctified, for fear he should smite them.[4] 23 But, Lord, said Moses, the common folk will be in no danger of climbing up on to Sinai; thou thyself hast warned them, and bidden us set bounds, to keep the mountain inviolable. 24 Go down, the Lord said to him, and come back with Aaron alone; neither priests nor people are to go beyond their bounds, and come into the Lord’s presence, or he will slay them. 25 So Moses went back to the people, and told them all he was bidden.

16 Jamque advenerat tertius dies, et mane inclaruerat: et ecce cœperunt audiri tonitrua, ac micare fulgura, et nubes densissima operire montem, clangorque buccinæ vehementius perstrepebat: et timuit populus qui erat in castris. 17 Cumque eduxisset eos Moyses in occursum Dei de loco castrorum, steterunt ad radices montis. 18 Totus autem mons Sinai fumabat, eo quod descendisset Dominus super eum in igne: et ascenderet fumus ex eo quasi de fornace, eratque omnis mons terribilis. 19 Et sonitus buccinæ paulatim crescebat in majus, et prolixius tendebatur: Moyses loquebatur, et Deus respondebat ei. 20 Descenditque Dominus super montem Sinai in ipso montis vertice, et vocavit Moysen in cacumen ejus. Quo cum ascendisset, 21 dixit ad eum: Descende, et contestare populum: ne forte velit transcendere terminos ad videndum Dominum, et pereat ex eis plurima multitudo. 22 Sacerdotes quoque qui accedunt ad Dominum, sanctificentur, ne percutiat eos. 23 Dixitque Moyses ad Dominum: Non poterit vulgus ascendere in montem Sinai: tu enim testificatus es, et jussisti, dicens: Pone terminos circa montem, et sanctifica illum. 24 Cui ait Dominus: Vade, descende: ascendesque tu, et Aaron tecum: sacerdotes autem et populus ne transeant terminos, nec ascendant ad Dominum, ne forte interficiat illos. 25 Descenditque Moyses ad populum, et omnia narravit eis.

[1] The Latin here interprets the Hebrew as meaning simply ‘in the third month’, but this does not explain the words ‘on that day’ which follow.

[2] I Pet. 2.9.

[3] The noise of a trumpet here mentioned was probably supernatural in origin; the word used in the Hebrew text is not the same as in v. 13 above.

[4] Some would render ‘chieftains’ instead of ‘ priests’. The leading men in Israel perhaps had certain religious functions before the Aaronic priesthood was instituted. Cf. II Kg. 8.18.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd