A desert is a hot, dry and empty land. Since they had escaped from Egypt three months before, the Jews had been travelling through the desert on their way back home.

One day, they made their camp at Mount Sinai. This was the mountain where Moses, their leader, had first met God.

Moses went up the mountain again. This time, God said to him,

'You have seen how I care for the Jews. They are my special people and I will look after them. Tell them they must do what I say.'

So Moses went down the mountain and told the Jews what God had said. All the people answered together, "We will do everything God says."

After Moses told God what the people had said, God spoke,

'The people must all get ready for me. They must wash their clothes. For, in two days time, I will come down on Mount Sinai. All the people will see me. But they most not touch the mountain or they will die.'

Moses told the Jews what God had said and they all prepared themselves.

On the morning of the third day, God came down onto the mountain in a thick cloud. There was thunder and lightning and a trumpet sounded a loud blast.

The Jews were very scared. They shook with fear and stood far away from the mountain. But Moses led them forward to the foot of the mountain, and then he himself went into the cloud to meet God.

And there on Mount Sinai, God gave the words of the Torah to Moses. This was the start of an agreement between God and the Jews. If the Jews followed God's laws, He would protect them. There were many, many laws. The first ten were written by God himself on two blocks of stone.