Exodus 20:18-26

When the people heard the thunder and the trumpet, and when they saw the lightning and the smoke rising from the mountain, they shook with fear and stood far away from the mountain. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.” Then Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come to test you. He wants you to respect him so you will not sin.” The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went near the dark cloud where God was. Then the LORD told Moses to say these things to the Israelites: “You yourselves have seen that I talked with you from heaven. You must not use gold or silver to make idols for yourselves; do not worship these gods in addition to me. “Make an altar of dirt for me, and sacrifice on it your whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and your cattle. Worship me in every place that I choose, and I will come and bless you. If you use stones to make an altar for me, don’t use stones that you have shaped with tools. When you use any tools on them, you make them unsuitable for use in worship. And you must not go up to my altar on steps, or people will be able to see under your clothes.”