The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ The chyldren of Israel come to the mounte Si∣nai The people of God are holy and roial presthod. He that toucheth the hill dyeth. God appeareth to Moses on the mount in thonder and lyghtenynge.

CAPI. XIX.

THe thirde moneth after the chyldren of [ A] Israel were gone out of Egypt, the same daye they came in to the wyldernesse of Sinai.* 1.1 For they were departed from Raphi∣dim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched their tentes in the wyldernes. And there Israel pytched before the mounted. And Moses wente vp to God. And the Lorde cal∣led to him out of the mountayne, saying / thus saye to the house of Iacob, and tel the children of Israel: ye haue sene what I dyd to the E∣gyptians, and how I toke you vp vpon egles wynges, and haue brought you vnto my selfe. Now therfore yf ye wyll heare my voyce, and kepe myne appoyntmēt, ye shal be mine owne aboue all nacions, for all the erth is myne. Ye shal be vnto me a kyngdom of preestes, and an holy people,* 1.2 these are the wordes which thou shalte saye vnto the chyldren of Israel.

And Moses came and called for the elders of Israel, and layde before them all these wor∣des, whiche the Lorde had commaunded him. And the people answered all togyther and sayde: All that the Lorde hath sayd, we wyll doo. And Moses broughte the wordes of the people vnto the Lorde. And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: Lo, I wyll come vnto the in a thicke cloude, that the people may heare when I talke with the, and also bileue the for euer. So Moses shewed the wordes of the people vnto the Lorde.

And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: God [ B] vnto the people, and sanctifye them to daye and to morowe,* 1.3 and let them φ wasshe theyr clothes, that they maye be redye agaynste the thyrde daye. For the thyrde daye the Lorde wyll come downe in the syghte of all the peo∣ple vpon mounte Synai. And sette markes rounde aboute the people, and saye: beware that ye go not vp in to the mounte, and that ye touche not the borders of it / for who so euer toucheth the mounte, shall surely dye.* 1.4 There shall not an hande touche it, but that he shall either be stoned or els shot thorowe: whether it be beest or man, it shall not lyue / when the horne bloweth, then let them come vp in to the mountayne.

And Moses went downe from the mounte [ C] to the people, and sanctifyed them, and they wasshed theyr clothes. And he sayde vnto the people: be redy agaynst the thyrde daye,φ 1.5 and se that ye come not at youre wyues. And the thyrde daye in the mornynge there was thun∣der, and lyghtenyng, and a thycke cloude vpon mount, and the voyce of the horne waxed ex∣cedynge loude, and all the people that was in the hoste was afrayde. And Moses broughte the people out of y^e tentes to mete with God, and they stode vnder the hyll.

And mounte Sinai was al-togyther on a smoke: bycause the Lorde descended downe vpon it in fyre. And the smoke therof ascended vp, as it had ben the smoke of a kyl, and al the mount was excedynge fearfull. And the voyce of the horne blewe and waxed lowder & low∣der. Moses spake, and God answered him and [ D] that with a voyce. And the Lorde came downe vpon mount Sinai, euen in the top of the hyl, and called Moses vp in to the top of the hyll. And Moses wente vp.

And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: Goo downe and charge the people that they prease not vp vnto the Lorde to se him, leest so ma∣ny of them perysshe. And let the preestes also whiche come to the Lordes presence, sanctifye them selues, leest the Lorde smyte them. Then Moses sayde vnto the Lorde: the people can not come vp in to the mount Sinai, for thou chargedest vs, sayinge: set markes aboute the hyl, and sanctifye it. And the Lorde sayd vnto hym: away, and get the downe, and come vp agayne bothe thou and Aaron with the. But let not the preestes and the people presume to come vp vnto the Lorde, leest he smyte them. And Moses wente downe vnto the people, and tolde them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Nu .xxxiii. ••
• * 1.2

  i. Petter .ii. b
• * 1.3

  The wos∣shynge of the clothes is but a monicion to puryfye the hartes.
• * 1.4

  Reuerence.
• φ 1.5

  This pro∣ueth not that wedlocke is an vnholy thing but wil∣leth vs ī time of prayer and seriouse medi¦tacion to se∣questre ours mindes from all pleasure & delites accor∣ding to Pau∣les monicion .i. Corin .vii. a