Exodus 20:18-23

Lexham English Bible

¹⁸ And all the people were seeing the thunder and the lightning and the sound of the ram’s horn and the mountain smoking, and the people saw, and they trembled, and they stood at a distance. ¹⁹ And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen, but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” ²⁰ And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that his fear will be before you so that you do not sin.” ²¹ And the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the very thick cloud where God was.

Instructions for Building Altars

²² And Yahweh said to Moses, “Thus you will say to the Israelites,^[a] ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from the heavens. ²³ You will not make alongside me gods of silver, and gods of gold you will not make for yourselves.