BIBLICAL ANTIQUITIES BOOK

A

without children, because your seed, dwelling in it, shall not fail. You shall not commit adultery, because your enemies have not committed adultery against you, but you have existed by a high hand. You shall not kill, for the reason that your enemies have dominated you so that they might kill you, but you have seen their death. You shall not be a false witness against your neighbor by speaking false testimony, lest your guards speak false testimony against you. You shall not covet the house of your neighbor, nor that which he has, lest others also covet your land. And as the Lord ceased to speak, the people feared greatly in their dread, and they had seen the mountain burning with fire in lamps, and they said to Moses: Speak to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die. For behold, today we know that God speaks to man, mouth to mouth, that man may live. And now we truly know that the earth has carried the voice of God with trembling. And Moses said to them: Do not fear, for God came to test you, that you might receive His fear within you, that you might not sin. And all the people stood afar off, but Moses approached the cloud, knowing that God was there.

Exodus 21

And then God spoke to him of His justices and judgments. And He detained him with Himself for forty days and forty nights, and there He commanded him many things, and showed him the tree of life, from which he cut and took and cast into the myrrh original: "myrrham", and the water of the myrrh was made sweet, and it followed them in the wilderness for 40 years. And he ascended the mountain with them, and descended into the fields, and He commanded him regarding the tabernacle, and the ark of the Lord, and regarding the sacrifice of burnt offerings, and incense, and regarding the observance of the month, and the lampstand, and the laver and its vessels, and regarding the week, and the breastpiece original: "logio", and the most precious stones, that the children of Israel might do so. And He showed him their likeness, that he might do according to the pattern he had seen, and He said to him: Make for me a sanctification, and the tabernacle of My glory shall be among you. And Moses descended, and when he had been bathed in invisible light, he descended to the place where the light of the sun and moon is, the splendor of his face conquered the light of the sun and moon,

B

and he himself did not know this. And it happened when he descended to the children of Israel, they saw and did not recognize him. But when he had spoken, then they recognized him. And this event was similar to that in Egypt when Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. And it happened afterwards, when Moses knew that his face had become most glorious, he made for himself a veil with which to cover his face. And while he was on the mountain, the heart of the peoples was corrupted, and they gathered to Aaron, saying: Make for us gods, whom we may serve, just as the other nations have: since that Moses, through whom wonders were done before us, has been snatched from us. And Aaron said to them: Be of equal mind, for Moses will come, and he will bring judgment to us, and he will illuminate the law for us, and he will expound the supremacy of God from his own mouth, establishing justices for our generation. And as he was speaking these things, they did not obey him, that the word might be fulfilled which was said at the time when the people sinned building the tower, when God said: And now unless I prohibit them, everything that they have foreseen to do for themselves, they will presume to do worse. Aaron, however, fearing, because the peoples were strengthened greatly, said to them: Bring to us the earrings of your women. And the men asked, each one his own wife, and they gave them immediately, and they put them into the fire.

A cast calf from earrings.

And they were fashioned into a figure, and a cast calf came forth. And the Lord said to Moses: Hasten from here, because the people has been corrupted, and has transgressed my ways, which I commanded it. What if the promises had been fulfilled, which I swore to your fathers, when I said to them: I will give your seed this land, in which you dwell? For behold, it has not yet entered the land, and even now it brings judgment, and they have abandoned Me. And therefore I know that if they have entered that land, they will perform greater iniquities. And now also I will abandon them, and having been turned, I will again be in concord with them, that you may build