15 Then Moses said to the people, “Be ready in three days. Do not have sexual relations during this time.”
16 On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning with a thick cloud on the mountain. There was a very loud blast from a trumpet, and all the people in the camp trembled.
17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord came down on it in fire. The smoke rose from the mountain like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook wildly.
19 The sound from the trumpet became louder. Then Moses spoke, and the voice of God answered him.
20 When the Lord came down on top of Mount Sinai, he called Moses to come up to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people that they must not force their way through to see me. If they do, many of them will die.