Exodus

33 Then spake Yahweh unto Moses—Get thee away, go up from hence thou and the people whom thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt,—into the land of which I sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, To thy seed will I give it;

2 And I will send before thee a messenger,—and will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite;

3 into a land flowing with milk and honey,—for I will not go up in thy midst, in that a stiff-necked people thou art, lest I consume thee in the way.

4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they afflicted themselves,—and they put not any man his ornaments upon him.

5 Then said Yahweh unto Moses—Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiff-necked people, in one moment—if I should go up in thy midst should I make an end of thee,—Now, therefore, lay down thine ornaments from off thee, that I may see what I must do with thee.

6 So then the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments [and moved on] from Mount Horeb.

7 And Moses proceeded to take a tent and pitch it by itself outside the camp afar off from the camp, and he called it The Tent of Meeting,—and so it came to pass that whosoever was seeking Yahweh went out unto the tent of meeting, which was on the outside of the camp.

8 And it came about that, when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people used to rise up, and station themselves every man at the opening of his tent,—and they watched Moses, until he entered the tent.

9 And it came to pass that, when Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud came down, and stood at the opening of the tent,—and spake with Moses.

10 And when all the people beheld the pillar of cloud, standing at the opening of the tent, then all the people rose up and bowed themselves down, every man at the entrance of his tent.

11 Thus Yahweh used to speak unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend,—and when he returned unto the camp his attendant, Joshua, son of Nun, a young man, moved not from the midst of the tent.

12 Then said Moses unto Yahweh, See! thou art saying unto me—Take up this people, and yet thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me,—though thou thyself didst say—I acknowledge thee by name, Yea, moreover, thou hast found favour in mine eyes.

13 Now, therefore, if, I pray thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, let me know, I beseech thee, thy way, that I may acknowledge thee to the intent I may find favour in thine eyes,—see thou, therefore, that this nation is thine own people.

14 So then he said,—Mine own presence shall go on, thus will I give thee rest.

15 And he said unto him,—If thy presence is not going on, do not take us up from hence.

16 Whereby, indeed, shall it be known then that I have found favour in thine eyes, I and thy people? Shall it not be by thy going on with us? So shall we be more distinguished, I and thy people, than any people that are on the face of the ground.

17 Then said Yahweh unto Moses: Even this thing, which thou hast spoken, will I do,—For thou hast found favour in mine eyes, And I have acknowledged thee by name.

18 And he said,—Show me, I pray thee, thy glory.

19 And he said—I will cause all my goodness to pass before thee, And will proclaim myself by the name Yahweh before thee,—And will shew favour unto whom I may show favour, And will have compassion on whom I may have compassion.

20 But he said—Thou canst not see my face,—For no son of earth can see me and live.

21 And Yahweh said, Lo! a place near me,—So then thou shalt station thyself upon the rock;

22 And it shall be, while my glory passeth by, I will put thee in the cleft of the rock,—and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

23 Then will I take away my hand, and thou shalt see behind me,—But my face must not be seen.