ll have proper occasion to
speak in other places of these books.

CHAPTER 5. How Moses Ascended Up To Mount Sinai, And Received Laws From
God, And Delivered Them To The Hebrews.

1. Now Moses called the multitude together, and told them that he was
going from them unto mount Sinai to converse with God; to receive from
him, and to bring back with him, a certain oracle; but he enjoined them
to pitch their tents near the mountain, and prefer the habitation that
was nearest to God, before one more remote. When he had said this, he
ascended up to Mount Sinai, which is the highest of all the mountains
that are in that country [9] and is not only very difficult to be
ascended by men, on account of its vast altitude, but because of the
sharpness of its precipices also; nay, indeed, it cannot be looked
at without pain of the eyes: and besides this, it was terrible and
inaccessible, on account of the rumor that passed about, that God dwelt
there. But the Hebrews removed their tents as Moses had bidden them, and
took possession of the lowest parts of the mountain; and were elevated
in their minds, in expectation that Moses would return from God with
promises of the good things he had proposed to them. So they feasted
and waited for their conductor, and kept themselves pure as in other
respects, and not accompanying with their wives for three days, as he
had before ordered them to do. And they prayed to God that he would
favorably receive Moses in his conversing with him, and bestow some
such gift upon them by which they might live well. They also lived more
plentifully as to their diet; and put on their wives and children more
ornamental and decent clothing than they usually wore.

2. So they passed two days in this way of feasting; but on the third
day, before the sun was up, a cloud spread itself over the whole camp
of the Hebrews, such a one as none had before seen, and encompassed the
place where they had pitched their tents; and while all the rest of the
air was clear, there came strong winds, that raised up large showers of
rain, which became a mighty tempest. There was also such lightning, as
was terrible to those that saw it; and thunder, with its thunderbolts,
were sent down, and declared God to be there present in a gracious
way to such as Moses desired he should be gracious. Now, as to these
matters, every one of my readers may think as he pleases; but I am under
a necessity of relating this history as it is d