³⁰ Jacob then named the place Peniel,^[a] “For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “and I have been delivered.”^(A)

Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,^[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,^[b] the mountain of God.^{(A) 2} Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush.^(B) As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. ³ So Moses thought: I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

⁵ “Do not come closer,” He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”^{(C) 6} Then He continued, “I am the God of your father,^[c] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”^(D) Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

⁹ Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and 70 of Israel’s elders, ¹⁰ and they saw^(A) the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire^[a] stone, as clear as the sky itself.^(B)

Commander of the Lord’s Army

¹³ When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand.^(A) Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as commander of the Lord’s army.”

Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship^(B) and asked Him, “What does my Lord want to say to His servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”^(C) And Joshua did so.

¹⁹ Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne,^(A) and the whole heavenly host^(B) was standing by Him at His right hand and at His left hand.

²⁴ God is spirit,^(A) and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”^(B)

⁴¹ Isaiah said these things because^[a] he saw His glory^(A) and spoke about Him.