1And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, go up from here, thou and the people that thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it;—
2And I will send before thee an angel; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Emorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite;—
3Unto a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee, because thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee on the way.
4And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no man did put his ornaments on him.
5For the Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people; should I go up one moment in the midst of thee, I would consume thee; now therefore put off thy ornaments from thee, and I shall know what I will do unto thee.
6The children of Israel then stripped themselves of their ornaments [they wore] from [the time they were at] mount Horeb.
7And Moses took the tent, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it, Tabernacle of the congregation; and it came to pass, that every one who sought [instruction of] the Lord went out unto the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp.
8And it came to pass, that when Moses went out unto the tent, all the people would rise up, and stand every man at the door of his tent, and look after Moses, until he was gone into the tent.
9And it came to pass, that as Moses entered into the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and spoke with Moses.
10And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the tent: then all the people rose up and prostrated themselves, every man at the door of his tent.
11And the Lord spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and then he returned into the camp; but his servant, Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent.
12And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people; but thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me: and yet thou hast said, I have chosen thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my eyes.
13Now, therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy eyes, do make me know thy way, that I may know thee, in order that I may find grace in thy eyes; and consider that this nation is thy people.
14And he said, My presence shall go in advance, and I will give thee rest.
15And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with us,] carry us not up from here.
16For wherein shall it be known in any wise that I have found grace in thy eyes, I with thy people? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be distinguished, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
17And the Lord said unto Moses, Also this thing that thou hast spoken will I do; for thou hast found grace in my eyes, and I have chosen thee by name.
18And he said, Let me see, I beseech thee, thy glory.
19And he said, I will cause all my goodness to pass before thy face, and I will proclaim, by name, the Lord before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.
20And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for no man can see me, and live.
21And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:
22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover thee with my hand, until I have passed by.
23And then I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen.