That is why even the first covenant went into effect only with the use of blood.

He said, "This is the blood which seals the covenant that God has commanded you to obey."

Moses went and told the people all the LORD's commands and all the ordinances, and all the people answered together, "We will do everything that the LORD has said."

Then he sent young men, and they burned sacrifices to the LORD and sacrificed some cattle as fellowship offerings.

Then he took the book of the covenant, in which the LORD's commands were written, and read it aloud to the people. They said, "We will obey the LORD and do everything that he has commanded."

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel went up the mountain

God did not harm these leading men of Israel; they saw God, and then they ate and drank together.

The LORD said to Moses, "I now make a covenant with the people of Israel. In their presence I will do great things such as have never been done anywhere on earth among any of the nations. All the people will see what great things I, the LORD, can do, because I am going to do an awesome thing for you.

The LORD said to Moses, "Write these words down, because it is on the basis of these words that I am making a covenant with you and with Israel."

Moses stayed there with the LORD forty days and nights, eating and drinking nothing. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant---the Ten Commandments.

At Mount Sinai the LORD our God made a covenant,

not only with our fathers, but with all of us who are living today.

These are the terms of the covenant that the LORD commanded Moses to make with the people of Israel in the land of Moab; all this was in addition to the covenant which the LORD had made with them at Mount Sinai.

You are here today to enter into this covenant that the LORD your God is making with you and to accept its obligations,

My friends, I am going to use an everyday example: when two people agree on a matter and sign an agreement, no one can break it or add anything to it.

What I mean is that God made a covenant with Abraham and promised to keep it. The Law, which was given four hundred and thirty years later, cannot break that covenant and cancel God's promise.

What, then, was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made. The Law was handed down by angels, with a man acting as a go-between.

These things can be understood as a figure: the two women represent two covenants. The one whose children are born in slavery is Hagar, and she represents the covenant made at Mount Sinai.

Lot hesitated. The LORD, however, had pity on him; so the men took him, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.

But God will never abandon the faithful or ever give help to evil people.

Who is this coming from the desert, arm in arm with her lover? Under the apple tree I woke you, in the place where you were born.

I am the LORD your God; I strengthen you and tell you, 'Do not be afraid; I will help you.' "

There is no one to lead you, no one among your people to take you by the hand.

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. After spitting on the man's eyes, Jesus placed his hands on him and asked him, "Can you see anything?"

Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but could not see a thing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.

The Lord's hand will come down on you now; you will be blind and will not see the light of day for a time." At once Elymas felt a dark mist cover his eyes, and he walked around trying to find someone to lead him by the hand.

"You saw what I, the LORD, did to the Egyptians and how I carried you as an eagle carries her young on her wings, and brought you here to me.

Now, if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own people. The whole earth is mine, but you will be my chosen people,

You led your people like a shepherd, with Moses and Aaron in charge.

Then he led his people out like a shepherd and guided them through the desert.

He brought them to his holy land, to the mountains which he himself conquered.

So he led his chosen people out, and they sang and shouted for joy.

He led the people of Israel out of Egypt; his love is eternal;

He divided the Red Sea; his love is eternal;

He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers.

from all their suffering. It was not an angel, but the LORD himself who saved them. In his love and compassion he rescued them. He had always taken care of them in the past,

But then they remembered the past, the days of Moses, the servant of the LORD, and they asked, "Where now is the LORD, who saved the leaders of his people from the sea? Where is the LORD, who gave his spirit to Moses?

(SEE 63:12)

They have already left the way that I commanded them to follow; they have made a bull-calf out of melted gold and have worshiped it and offered sacrifices to it. They are saying that this is their god, who led them out of Egypt.

And the answer will be, 'It is because the LORD's people broke the covenant they had made with him, the God of their ancestors, when he brought them out of Egypt.

The LORD said to Moses, "You will soon die, and after your death the people will become unfaithful to me and break the covenant that I made with them. They will abandon me and worship the pagan gods of the land they are about to enter.

And I will refuse to help them then, because they have done evil and worshiped other gods.

But just as he kept every promise that he made to you, so he will carry out every threat.

If you do not keep the covenant which the LORD your God commanded you to keep and if you serve and worship other gods, then in his anger he will punish you, and soon none of you will be left in this good land that he has given you."

They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the LORD's command not to imitate them.

They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight, and so aroused his anger.

They did not keep their covenant with God; they refused to obey his law.

They forgot what he had done, the miracles they had seen him perform.

but were rebellious and disloyal like their ancestors, unreliable as a crooked arrow.

The people have defiled the earth by breaking God's laws and by violating the covenant he made to last forever.

So God has pronounced a curse on the earth. Its people are paying for what they have done. Fewer and fewer remain alive.

When I brought their ancestors out of Egypt, I solemnly warned them to obey me, and I have kept on warning the people until this day.

But they did not listen or obey. Instead, everyone continued to be as stubborn and evil as ever. I had commanded them to keep the covenant, but they refused. So I brought on them all the punishments described in it."

"Afterward many foreigners will pass by and ask one another why I, the LORD, have done such a thing to this great city.

Then they will answer that it is because you have abandoned your covenant with me, your God, and have worshiped and served other gods."

It will not be like the old covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. Although I was like a husband to them, they did not keep that covenant.

"As I passed by again, I saw that the time had come for you to fall in love. I covered your naked body with my coat and promised to love you. Yes, I made a marriage covenant with you, and you became mine." This is what the Sovereign LORD says.

The Sovereign LORD says, "I will treat you the way you deserve, because you ignored your promises and broke the covenant.

"I will take firm control of you and make you obey my covenant.

I will take away from among you those who are rebellious and sinful. I will take them out of the lands where they are living now, but I will not let them return to the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

But you still left me and worshiped other gods, so I am not going to rescue you again.

Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them rescue you when you get in trouble."

The LORD had no more concern for them; he scattered them himself. He showed no regard for our priests and leaders.

When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings.

This is another thing you do. You drown the LORD's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him.