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Exodus 19

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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.

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Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) # 49

  
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49. It was stated above, that the first state with the sons of Israel, was the appearing of the Lord Jehovih, calling and covenanting; and we are taught from the Word, that these three things took place, first with Abram, secondly with Moses, and thirdly with the entire people. The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Abraham is thus described in Genesis:

Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre; he was sitting at the door of his tent,... and when he lifted up his eyes and saw, behold! three men stood by him, and as soon as he saw them, he ran from the door of the tent to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, O Lord, if I have found grace in Thine eyes, pass not away, I pray, from Thy servant (Gen. 18:1-3).

It was the Lord our Saviour who appeared in His Divine Trinity, which the three angels represented; for the Lord said,

Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw and was glad... Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58).

There is in the Lord a Divine Trinity; and the Divine Unity was represented in Divine Trinity by the "three men," who were also called "angels" (Gen. 18:2; 19:1). But in His Divine Unity He was called "adonai" (Gen. 18:3; 19:18); and also "Jehovah," very frequently (Gen. 18:13-14, 17, 19-20, 22, 26, 33). The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Moses is thus described in Exodus:

The Angel of Jehovah appeared to Moses at the mountain of Horeb, in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush;... Moses therefore said, I will turn aside and see this great vision, why the bush is not burnt. And Jehovah saw that he turned aside;... therefore God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.... And moreover Moses said to God, . . . What is Thy name?... God said,... I AM THAT I AM. Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exod. 3[1], 2-4, 14).

The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before the whole people is thus also described in Exodus:

Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, that they be ready against the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down in the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai.... And it came to pass on the third day,... that there were voices, and lightnings, and thick clouds upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.... Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because He descended upon it in fire; and He promulgated the law before the people (Exod. 19:9-24, and 20:1-18).

The Lord also appeared to Joshua as Prince of the army of Jehovah, before whom Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and called him his "Lord" (Josh. 5:13-14).

THE CALLING OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL TO THE LAND OF CANAAN, thus to the Church, also took place three times; once to Abram, that he should depart thereto out of his fatherland, and afterwards the promise that his seed should inherit that land (Gen. 12:1-7). A calling also took place through Moses (Exod. 3:16-17); and again through Joshua (Josh. 1:3, etc., and 11).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.