Bible

 

Exodus 19

Studie

   

1 In the third month of the going·​·out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, on this day they came·​·into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 And they journeyed from Rephidim, and came·​·into the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped in·​·front·​·of the mountain.

3 And Moses went up to God, and Jehovah called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell to the sons of Israel,

4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and I bore you on eagleswings, and brought you to Me.

5 And now, if obeying you shall obey My voice, and keep My covenant, then you shall be for Me a special possession more* than all peoples; for all the earth is Mine;

6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak to the sons of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Jehovah commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people to Jehovah.

9 And Jehovah said to Moses, Behold I come to thee in the thick cloud, on·​·account·​·of which the people will hear when I speak with thee, and will also believe in thee to eternity; and Moses told the words of the people to Jehovah.

10 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their raiment.

11 And let them be prepared for the third day, for in the third day Jehovah will come·​·down to the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set·​·a·​·border to the people round·​·about, saying, Take·​·heed to yourselves, that you go not up into the mountain, or touch the extremity of it; everyone that touches the mountain, dying he shall·​·die;

13 a hand shall not touch it, for stoning he shall be stoned, or shooting he shall be shot; if a beast, if a man, he shall not live; when the jobel* is drawn out, they shall come·​·up into the mountain.

14 And Moses went·​·down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people, and they washed their raiment.

15 And he said to the people, Prepare for three days, approach not a woman.

16 And it was, on the third day, when it was morning, that there were voices* and lightnings, and a heavy cloud on the mountain, and the voice of a shophar* exceedingly firm, and all the people who were in the camp were·​·frightened.

17 And Moses made the people go·​·out from the camp to meet God; and they stood·​·forth in the lower part of the mountain.

18 And Mount Sinai smoked, all of it, because Jehovah came·​·down upon it in fire; and the smoke’thereof went·​·up as the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain trembled* exceedingly.

19 And when the voice of the shophar was going, and waxing strong mightily, Moses spoke, and God answered him in a voice.

20 And Jehovah came·​·down on Mount Sinai, to the head of the mountain; and Jehovah called Moses to the head of the mountain, and Moses went·​·up.

21 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go·​·down, call· the people ·to·​·testify, lest they break·​·through to Jehovah to see, and many of them fall.

22 And the priests also, who approach Jehovah, shall sanctify themselves, lest Jehovah break·​·forth on them.

23 And Moses said to Jehovah, The people are· not ·able come·​·up to Mount Sinai; for Thou callest· us ·to·​·testify, saying, set·​·a·​·border on the mountain, and sanctify it.

24 And Jehovah said to him, Go, Go·​·down; and come·​·up, thou and Aaron with thee; and let not the priests and the people break·​·through to come·​·up to Jehovah, lest He break·​·forth against them.

25 And Moses went·​·down to the people, and talked with them.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Komentář

 

Earth

  
by Brita Conroy

Earth" is a general word that can be thought of as a container for other more specific words, as ground, field, or garden. Each of these means a person in an ascending series as that person learns truths from the Bible, thinks about them, and tries to apply them to life. The series represents the way of becoming good and wise. "Earth" and "ground" are terms that can go either way, as in the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:4-8) there was both good ground and bad ground, but "field" and "garden" mean minds that are regenerating towards good. "Earth" in the Bible can mean a person or a group of like-minded people as in a church. But it refers specifically to the external of the person's mind, or of the general thought of the group. If heaven and earth are mentioned together, then both the internals and externals of the mind are meant – something to note when reading the creation story.

In Revelation the word "earth" is used both as a ground level as we use it in its natural sense and also as the sense of a group. The action in this book takes place in the great middle zone of the spiritual world, where people first go and where they are sorted out. There are both evil people and good there, and sometimes at the end of a church the evil can have great influence before a great judgment comes. This level of the spiritual realm is called the "earth" to which the dragon was cast down (Revelation 12:9) and to which the stars fell (Revelation 12:4). The "earth" that swallowed the dragon’s flood means those still-sincere people within the church who discounted the flood of the dragon's falsities (Revelation 12:15).