20:18 All the people were seeing ¹  the thundering and the lightning, and heard ²  the sound of the horn, and saw ³  the mountain smoking – and when ⁴  the people saw it they trembled with fear ⁵  and kept their distance. ⁶  20:19 They said to Moses, “You speak ⁷  to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.” 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, ⁸  that the fear of him ⁹  may be before you so that you do not ¹⁰  sin.” 20:21 The people kept ¹¹  their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness ¹²  where God was. ¹³ 

20:24 ‘You must make for me an altar made of earth, ¹⁸  and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, ¹⁹  your sheep and your cattle. In every place ²⁰  where I cause my name to be honored ²¹  I will come to you and I will bless you. 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it ²²  of stones shaped with tools, ²³  for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it. ²⁴  20:26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed.’ ²⁵