9Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 of Israel's leaders. 10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made out of sapphire as clear and blue as the sky itself. 11God didn't harm these leaders of the Israelites. So they saw God, and then they ate and drank. 12The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and the commandments I have written for the people's instruction." 13Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14He said to the leaders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Take all your disagreements to them." 15So Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered it. 16The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from inside the cloud. 17To the Israelites, the glory of the LORD looked like a raging fire on top of the mountain. 18Moses entered the cloud as he went up the mountain. He stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights.
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