Exo 33 | NASB2020 | STEP | Then the Lord spoke to Moses , “ Depart , go up from here , you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt , to the land of which I swore to Abraham , Isaac , and Jacob , saying , ‘ To your descendants I will give it.’

Exodus 33

The Journey Resumed

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which ^aI swore to Abraham, ^bIsaac, and ^cJacob, saying, ‘ ^dTo your ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants I will give it.’ 2 And I will send ^fan angel before you and ^gI will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 3 Go up to a land ^hflowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are ^{▼▼Or a stiff-necked
,} ^jan obstinate people, and ^kI might destroy you on the way.”

4 When the people heard this ^{▼▼Lit evil}sad word, ^mthey went into mourning, and none of them put on his jewelry. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are ^{▼▼Or a stiff-necked
,} ^oan obstinate people; if I ^{▼▼Or go up...I will destroy}were to go up in your midst for just one moment, I would destroy you. So now, take off your ^{▼▼Lit jewelry from you, that}jewelry that I may know what I shall do to you.’” 6 So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry, from Mount Horeb onward.

7 Now Moses used to take ^rthe tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And ^severyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, ^tthe pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; ^uand ^{▼▼Lit He}the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would stand and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11 So ^wthe Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When ^{▼▼Lit he}Moses returned to the camp, ^yhis servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

Moses Intercedes

12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘ ^zBring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know ^aawhom You will send with me. ^abMoreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13 Now then, if I have found favor in Your sight in any way, please ^aclet me know Your ways so that I may know You, in order that I may find favor in Your sight. ^adConsider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14 And He said, “ ^aeMy presence shall go with you, and ^afI will give you rest.” 15 Then he said to Him, “ ^agIf Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16 For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that ^ahwe, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are on the face of the ^{▼▼Lit ground}earth?”

17 The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; ^ajfor you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18 ^akThen Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory!” 19 And He said, “ ^alI Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and ^amI will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.” 20 He further said, “You cannot see My face, ^anfor mankind shall not see Me and live!” 21 Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place ^{▼▼Lit with}by Me, and ^apyou shall stand there on the rock; 22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and ^aqcover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but ^arMy face shall not be seen.”