The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 41

  Victory over the Amalekites

  (Gen. 14:7; Num. 13:29; 14:25)

  8nNow Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

  9And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with othe rod of God in my hand.”

  10So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.

  11And so it was, when Moses pheld up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

  12But Moses’ hands became 5heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

  13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

  14Then the LORD said to Moses, q“Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that rI will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”

  15And Moses built an altar and called its name, 6The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;

  16for he said, “Because 7the LORD has ssworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

  Exodus 18

  Jethro’s Advice

  (Deut. 1:9–18)

  1And aJethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that bGod had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

  2Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took cZipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back,

  3with her dtwo sons, of whom the name of one was 1Gershom (for he said, e“I have been a 2stranger in a foreign land”)

  4and the name of the other was 3Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my fhelp, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”);

  5and Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness, where he was encamped at gthe mountain of God.

  6Now he had said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”

  7So Moses hwent out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and ikissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent.

  8And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had jdelivered them.

  9Then Jethro rejoiced for all the kgood which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

  10And Jethro said, l“Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

  11“Now I know that the LORD is mgreater than all the gods; nfor in the very thing in which they 4behaved oproudly, He was above them.”

  12Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, 5took a burnt poffering and other sacrifices to offer to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel qto eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

  13And so it was, on the next day, that Moses rsat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.

  14So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone 6sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?”

  15And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because sthe people come to me to inquire of God.

  16“When they have ta 7difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

  17So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good.

  18“Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; uyou are not able to perform it by yourself.

  19“Listen now to my voice; I will give you 8counsel, and God will be with you: Stand vbefore God for the people, so that you may wbring the difficulties to God.

  20“And you shall xteach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and ythe work they must do.

  21“Moreover you shall select from all the people zable men, such as afear God, bmen of truth, chating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

  22“And let them judge the people at all times. dThen it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for ethey will bear the burden with you.

  23“If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their fplace in peace.”

  24So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

  25And gMoses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

  26So they judged the people at all times; the hhard9 cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

  27Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and ihe went his way to his own land.

  Exodus 19

  Israel at Mount Sinai

  1In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, athey came to the Wilderness of Sinai.

  2For they had departed from bRephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before cthe mountain.

  3And dMoses went up to God, and the LORD ecalled to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:

  4f‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how gI 1bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

  5‘Now htherefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and ikeep My covenant, then jyou shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is kMine.

  6‘And you shall be to Me a lkingdom of priests and a mholy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

  7So Moses came and called for the nelders of the people, and 2laid before them all these words which the LORD commanded him.

  8Then oall the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.

  9And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you pin the thick cloud, qthat the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.

  10Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and rconsecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.

  11“And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

  12“You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. sWhoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

  13‘Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”

  14So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

  15And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; tdo not come near your wives.”

  16Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were uthunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp vtrembled.

  17And wMoses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and the
y stood at the foot of the mountain.

  18Now xMount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon yit in fire. zIts smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and 3the awhole mountain quaked greatly.

  19And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, bMoses spoke, and cGod answered him by voice.

  20Then the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

  21And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through dto gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish.

  22“Also let the epriests who come near the LORD fconsecrate themselves, lest the LORD gbreak out against them.”

  23But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, h‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

  24Then the LORD said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest He break out against them.”

  25So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

  Exodus 20

  The Ten Commandments

  (Deut. 5:1–22)

  1And God spoke aall these words, saying:

  2b“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, cout of the house of 1bondage.

  3d“You shall have no other gods before Me. The Ten Commandments

  4e“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

  5fyou shall not bow down to them nor 2serve them. gFor I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, hvisiting3 the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

  6but ishowing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

  7j“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD kwill not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

  8l“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

  9mSix days you shall labor and do all your work,

  10but the nseventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, onor your stranger who is within your gates.

  11For pin six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

  12q“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be rlong upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

  13s“You shall not murder.

  14t“You shall not commit uadultery.

  15v“You shall not steal.

  16w“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

  17x“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; yyou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

  The People Afraid of God’s Presence

  18Now zall the people awitnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain bsmoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.

  19Then they said to Moses, c“You speak with us, and we will hear; but dlet not God speak with us, lest we die.”

  20And Moses said to the people, e“Do not fear; ffor God has come to test you, and gthat His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

  21So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near hthe thick darkness where God was.

  The Law of the Altar

  22Then the LORD said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you ifrom heaven.

  23‘You shall not make anything to be jwith Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

  24‘An altar of kearth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, lyour sheep and your oxen. In every mplace where I 4record My name I will come to you, and I will nbless you.

  25‘And oif you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you puse your tool on it, you have profaned it.

  26‘Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your qnakedness may not be exposed on it.’

  Exodus 21

  The Law Concerning Servants

  (Deut. 15:12–18)

  1“Now these are the 1judgments which you shall aset before them:

  2b“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.

  3“If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.

  4“If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.

  5c“But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’

  6“then his master shall bring him to the djudges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

  7“And if a man esells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.

  8“If she 2does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.

  9“And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

  10“If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, fand her marriage rights.

  11“And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

  The Law Concerning Violence

  12g“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

  13“However, hif he did not lie in wait, but God idelivered him into his hand, then jI will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

  14“But if a man acts with kpremeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, lyou shall take him from My altar, that he may die.

  15“And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

  16m“He who kidnaps a man and nsells him, or if he is ofound in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

  17“And phe who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

  18“If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed,

  19“if he rises again and walks about outside qwith his staff, then he who struck him shall be 3acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.

  20“And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.

  21“Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his rproperty.

  22“If men 4fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that 5she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall spay as the judges determine.

  23“But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,

  24t“eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

  25“burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

  26“If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye.

  27“And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
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  Animal Control Laws

  28“If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then uthe ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be 6acquitted.

  29“But if the ox 7tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

  30“If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay vto redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him.

  31“Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.

  32“If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master wthirty shekels of silver, and the xox shall be stoned.

  33“And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it,

  34“the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his.

  35“If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide.

  36“Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own.

  Exodus 22

  Responsibility for Property

  1“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall arestore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

  2“If the thief is found bbreaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be cno guilt for his bloodshed.

  3“If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his bloodshed. He should make full restitution; if he has nothing, then he shall be dsold1 for his theft.

  4“If the theft is certainly efound alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall frestore double.

  5“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.