The Israelis accepted Yahweh's agreement
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1 Then Yahweh said to me, “Come up to me on top of this mountain, you and Aaron and his sons Nadab and Abihu. Also take along seventy of the Israeli leaders. While you are still some distance from the top of the mountain, prostrate yourselves on the ground and worship me. 2 Moses, I will allow you alone to come near to me. The others must not come near, and the rest of the people must not come up the mountain.”
3 I went and told the people everything that Yahweh had said and all that he had commanded. The people all replied together, saying, “We will do everything that Yahweh has told us to do.” 4 Then I wrote down everything that Yahweh had commanded. Early the next morning I built a stone altar. I also set up twelve stones, one for each of the Israeli tribes. 5 I also selected some young men. They burned sacrifices to Yahweh and they also sacrificed some cattle that they did not burn completely, for the purpose of maintaining fellowship with Yahweh. 6 I took half of the blood of the animals that were slaughtered and put it in bowls. The other half of the blood I splashed against the altar. 7 Then I took the scroll on which I had written everything that Yahweh had commanded in the agreement that he had made, and I read it aloud, while all the people were listening. Then all the people said, “We will do all that Yahweh has told us to do. We will obey everything.”
8 Then I took the blood that was in the bowls and splashed it on the people. I said, “This is the blood that puts into effect the agreement that Yahweh made with you when he gave you all these commands.”
9 Then I, along with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy Israeli leaders, went up the mountain, 10 and they saw God, the one whom the Israeli people worship. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphires. They were as clear as the sky is when there are no clouds. 11 God did not harm those Israeli leaders because of their having seen him. They saw God, and they ate and drank together! Then we all went down the mountain.
12 Then Yahweh said to me, “Come up to me again on top of this mountain. While you are here, I will give you two stone slabs on which I have written all the laws that I have given to you to teach the people.” 13-14 So I told the elders, “Stay here with the other people until we return! Do not forget that Aaron and Hur will be with you. So if anyone has a dispute while I am gone, he can go to those two men.” Then I went with my assistant Joshua part of the way up the mountain that was dedicated to God. 15 Then I went the rest of the way up the mountain. A cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of Yahweh came down on the mountain and covered it for six days. On the seventh day, Yahweh called to me from the middle of the cloud. 17 When the Israeli people looked at the top of the mountain, the glory of Yahweh was like a big fire that was burning there. 18 I went into the cloud on top of the mountain. I was there for forty days and nights.