The Ten Commandments
(Exodus 20.1-17)1 Moses called together the people of Israel and said:
Today I am telling you the laws and teachings that you must follow, so listen carefully. 2 The Lord our God made an agreement with our nation at Mount Sinai. 3 That agreement wasn't only with our ancestors but with us, who are here today. 4 The Lord himself spoke to you out of the fire, 5 but you were afraid of the fire and refused to go up the mountain. So I spoke with the Lord for you, then I told you that he had said:
6 I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.
7 Do not worship any god except me.
8 Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. 9 Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me and worship idols, I will punish your families for three or four generations. 10 But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.
11 Do not misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.
12 Show respect for the Sabbath Day—it belongs to me. 13 You have six days when you can do your work, 14 but the seventh day of the week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your oxen or donkeys or any other animal, not even those foreigners who live in your towns. And don't make your slaves do any work. 15 This special day of rest will remind you that I reached out my mighty arm and rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
16 Respect your father and mother, and you will live a long and successful life in the land I am giving you.
17 Do not murder.
18 Be faithful in marriage.
19 Do not steal.
20 Do not tell lies about others.
21 Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person—not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else.
22 When we were gathered at the mountain, the Lord spoke to us in a loud voice from the dark fiery cloud. The Lord gave us these commands, and only these. Then he wrote them on two flat stones and gave them to me.
The People Were Afraid
(Exodus 20.18-21)Moses said to Israel:
23 When fire blazed from the mountain, and you heard the voice coming from the darkness, your tribal leaders came to me 24 and said:
Today the Lord our God has shown us how powerful and glorious he is. He spoke to us from the fire, and we learned that people can live, even though God speaks to them. 25 But we don't want to take a chance on being killed by that terrible fire, and if we keep on hearing the Lord's voice, we will die. 26 Has anyone else ever heard the only true God speaking from fire, as we have? And even if they have, would they live to tell about it? 27 Moses, go up close and listen to the Lord. Then come back and tell us, and we will do everything he says.
28 The Lord heard you and said:
Moses, I heard what the people said to you, and I approve. 29 I wish they would always worship me with fear and trembling and be this willing to obey me! Then they and their children would always enjoy a successful life.
30 Now, tell them to return to their tents, 31 but you come back here to me. After I tell you my laws and teachings, you will repeat them to the people, so they can obey these laws in the land I am giving them.
Moses said:
32 Israel, you must carefully obey the Lord's commands. 33 Follow them, because they make a path that will lead to a long successful life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
1 Then Moses called all Israiel, and saide vnto them, Heare, O Israel, the ordinances and the lawes which I propose to you this day, that yee may learne them, and take heede to obserue them. 2 The Lord our God made a couenant with vs in Horeb. 3 The Lord made not this couenant with our fathers onely, but with vs, euen with vs all here aliue this day. 4 The Lord talked with you face to face in the Mount, out of the middes of the fire. 5 (At that time I stoode betweene the Lord and you, to declare vnto you ye word of the Lord: for ye were afraid at the sight of the fire, and went not vp into the mount, and he said, 6 I am the Lord thy God, which haue brought thee out of the lande of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt haue none other gods before my face. 8 Thou shalt make thee no grauen image or any likenesse of that that is in heauen aboue, or which is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters vnder the earth. 9 Thou shalt neither bowe thy selfe vnto them, nor serue them: for I the Lord thy God am a ielous God, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children, euen vnto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: 10 And shewing mercie vnto thousandes of them that loue me, and keepe my commandements. 11 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine: for the Lord will not holde him giltlesse that taketh his Name in vaine. 12 Keepe the Sabbath day, to sanctifie it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. 13 Sixe dayes thou shalt labour, and shalt doe all thy worke: 14 But the seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt not doe any worke therein, thou, nor thy sonne, nor thy daughter, nor thy man seruant, nor thy mayd, nor thine oxe, nor thine asse, neither any of thy cattel, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: that thy man seruant and thy mayde may rest aswell as thou. 15 For, remember that thou wast a seruant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence by a mightie hand and a stretched out arme: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to obserue the Sabbath day. 16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath comanded thee, that thy dayes may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee vpon the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee. 17 Thou shalt not kill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit adulterie. 19 Neither shalt thou steale. 20 Neither shalt thou beare false witnesse against thy neighbour. 21 Neither shalt thou couet thy neighbours wife, neither shalt thou desire thy neighbours house, his fielde, nor his man seruant, nor his mayd, his oxe, nor his asse, nor ought that thy neighbour hath. 22 These wordes the Lord spake vnto all your multitude in the mount out of the mids of the fire, the cloude and the darkenes, with a great voyce, and added no more thereto: and wrote them vpon two tables of stone, and deliuered them vnto me. 23 And when ye heard the voyce out of the middes of the darkenes, (for the mountaine did burne with fire) then ye came to me, all the chiefe of your tribes, and your Elders: 24 And ye sayd, Beholde, the Lord our God hath shewed vs his glory and his greatnes, and we haue heard his voyce out of the middes of the fire: we haue seene this day that God doeth talke with man, and he liueth. 25 Now therefore, why should we dye? for this great fire wil consume vs: if we heare ye voyce of the Lord our God any more, we shall dye. 26 For what flesh was there euer, that heard the voyce of the liuing God speaking out of the middes of the fire as we haue, and liued? 27 Go thou neere and heare all that the Lord our God saith: and declare thou vnto vs all that the Lord our God saith vnto thee, and we will heare it, and doe it. 28 Then the Lord heard the voyce of your wordes, when ye spake vnto me: and the Lord sayd vnto me, I haue heard the voyce of ye wordes of this people, which they haue spoken vnto thee: they haue well sayd, all that they haue spoken. 29 Oh that there were such an heart in them to feare me, and to keepe all my commandements alway: that it might go well with them, and with their children for euer. 30 Go, say vnto them, Returne you into your tentes. 31 But stand thou here with me, and I wil tell thee all the commandements, and the ordinances, and the lawes, which thou shalt teach them: that they may doe them in the land which I giue them to possesse it. 32 Take heede therefore, that ye doe as the Lord your God hath commanded you: turne not aside to the right hand nor to the left, 33 But walke in all the wayes which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may liue, and that it may goe well with you: and that ye may prolong your dayes in the land which ye shall possesse.