²³ And after hearing the voice which came out of the dark while the mountain was burning with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your chiefs came to me,

¹⁸ And all the people were watching the thunderings and the flames and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when they saw it, they kept far off, shaking with fear.

¹⁹ And they said to Moses, To your words we will give ear, but let not the voice of God come to our ears, for fear death may come on us.

¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain which may be touched, and is burning with fire, and to a black cloud, and a dark smoke, and a violent wind,

¹⁹ And to the sound of a horn, and the voice of words, the hearers of which made request that not a word more might be said to them:

²⁰ For the order which said, If the mountain is touched even by a beast, the beast is to be stoned, seemed hard to them;

²¹ And the vision was so overpowering that even Moses said, I am shaking and full of fear.