The Second Set of Commandments
(Deuteronomy 10.1-5)1 One day the Lord said to Moses, “Cut two flat stones like the first ones I made, and I will write on them the same commandments that were on the two you broke. 2 Be ready tomorrow morning to come up Mount Sinai and meet me at the top. 3 No one is to come with you or to be on the mountain at all. Don't even let the sheep and cattle graze at the foot of the mountain.” 4 So Moses cut two flat stones like the first ones, and early the next morning he carried them to the top of Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded.
5 The Lord God came down in a cloud and stood beside Moses there on the mountain. God spoke his holy name, “the Lord.” 6 Then he passed in front of Moses and called out, “I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. 7 I keep my promises to my people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins. When people sin, I punish them and their children, and also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
8 Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped the Lord. 9 He prayed, “Lord, if you really are pleased with me, I pray that you will go with us. It is true that these people are sinful and rebellious, but forgive our sin and let us be your people.”
A Promise and Its Demands
(Exodus 23.14-19Deuteronomy 7.1-5Deuteronomy 16.1-17)10 The Lord said:
I promise to perform miracles for you that have never been seen anywhere on earth. Neighboring nations will stand in fear and know that I was the one who did these marvelous things. 11 I will force out the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, but you must do what I command you today. 12 Don't make treaties with any of those people. If you do, it will be like falling into a trap. 13 Instead, you must destroy their altars and tear down the sacred poles they use in the worship of the goddess Asherah. 14 I demand your complete loyalty—you must not worship any other god! 15 Don't make treaties with the people there, or you will soon find yourselves worshiping their gods and taking part in their sacrificial meals. 16 Your men will even marry their women and be influenced to worship their gods.
17 Don't make metal images of gods.
18 Don't fail to observe the Festival of Thin Bread in the month of Abib. Obey me and eat bread without yeast for seven days during Abib, because that is the month you left Egypt.
19 The first-born males of your families and of your flocks and herds belong to me.
20 You can save the life of a first-born donkey by sacrificing a lamb; if you don't, you must break the donkey's neck. You must save every first-born son.
Bring an offering every time you come to worship.
21 Work for six days and rest on the seventh day, even during the seasons for plowing and harvesting. 22 Celebrate the Harvest Festival each spring when you start harvesting your wheat, and celebrate the Festival of Shelters each autumn when you pick your fruit.
23 Your men must come to worship me three times a year, because I am the Lord God of Israel. 24 As you advance, I will force the nations out of your land and enlarge your borders. Then no one will try to take your property when you come to worship me these three times each year.
25 When you sacrifice an animal on the altar, don't offer bread made with yeast. And don't save any part of the Passover meal for the next day.
26 I am the Lord your God, and you must bring the first part of your harvest to the place of worship.
Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
27 The Lord told Moses to put these laws in writing, as part of his agreement with Israel. 28 Moses stayed on the mountain with the Lord for 40 days and nights, without eating or drinking. And he wrote down the Ten Commandments, the most important part of God's agreement with his people.
Moses Comes Down from Mount Sinai
29 Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the Ten Commandments. His face was shining brightly because the Lord had been speaking to him. But Moses did not know at first that his face was shining. 30 When Aaron and the others looked at Moses, they saw this, and they were afraid to go near him. 31 Moses called out for Aaron and the leaders to come to him, and he spoke with them. 32 Then the rest of the people of Israel gathered around Moses, and he gave them the laws that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 The face of Moses kept shining, and after he had spoken with the people, he covered his face with a veil. 34 Moses would always remove the veil when he went into the sacred tent to speak with the Lord. And when he came out, he would tell the people everything the Lord had told him to say. 35 They could see that his face was still shining. So after he had spoken with them, he would put the veil back on and leave it on until the next time he went to speak with the Lord.
1 And the Lord saide vnto Moses, Hewe thee two Tables of stone, like vnto the first, and I will write vpon the Tables the wordes that were in the first Tables, which thou brakest in pieces. 2 And be ready in ye morning, that thou mayest come vp earely vnto the mount of Sinai, and waite there for me in the top of the mount. 3 But let no man come vp with thee, neither let any man be seene throughout all the mount, neyther let the sheepe nor cattell feede before this mount. 4 Then Moses hewed two Tables of stone like vnto the first, and rose vp earely in the morning, and went vp vnto the mount of Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and tooke in his hande two Tables of stone. 5 And the Lord descended in the cloude, and stoode with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 So the Lord passed before his face, and cried, The Lord, the Lord, strong, mercifull, and gracious, slowe to anger, and abundant in goodnesse and trueth, 7 Reseruing mercy for thousands, forgiuing iniquitie, and transgression and sinne, and not making the wicked innocent, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon ye children, and vpon childrens children, vnto the third and fourth generation. 8 Then Moses made haste and bowed him selfe to the earth, and worshipped, 9 And sayde, O Lord, I pray thee, If I haue founde grace in thy sight, that the Lord woulde nowe goe with vs (for it is a stiffe necked people) and pardon our iniquitie and our sinne, and take vs for thine inheritance. 10 And he answered, Behold, I will make a couenant before all thy people, and will do marueiles, such as haue not bene done in all the worlde, neyther in all nations: and all the people among whom thou art, shall see the worke of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. 11 Keepe diligently that which I commande thee this day: Beholde, I will cast out before thee the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Hiuites, and the Iebusites. 12 Take heede to thy selfe, that thou make no compact with ye inhabitantes of the land whither thou goest, least they be the cause of ruine among you: 13 But yee shall ouerthrowe their altars, and breake their images in pieces, and cut downe their groues, 14 (For thou shalt bow downe to none other god, because the Lord, whose Name is Ielous, is a ielous God) 15 Lest thou make a compact with the inhabitantes of the lande, and when they goe a whoring after their gods, and doe sacrifice vnto their gods, some man call thee, and thou eate of his sacrifice: 16 And least thou take of their daughters vnto thy sonnes, and their daughters goe a whoring after their gods, and make thy sonnes goe a whoring after their gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee no gods of metall. 18 The feast of vnleauened bread shalt thou keepe: seuen dayes shalt thou eate vnleauened bread, as I commanded thee, in ye time of the moneth of Abib: for in the moneth of Abib thou camest out of Egypt. 19 Euery male, that first openeth the wombe, shalbe mine: also all the first borne of thy flocke shalbe rekoned mine, both of beeues and sheepe. 20 But ye first of ye asse thou shalt bie out with a lambe: and if thou redeeme him not, then thou shalt breake his necke: all the first borne of thy sonnes shalt thou redeeme, and none shall appeare before me emptie. 21 Six dayes shalt thou worke, and in the seuenth day thou shalt rest: both in earing time, and in the haruest thou shalt rest. 22 Thou shalt also obserue the feast of weekes in the time of ye first fruits of wheate haruest, and the feast of gathering fruites in the ende of the yere. 23 Thrise in a yere shall all your men children appeare before the Lord Iehouah God of Israel. 24 For I wil cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy coasts, so that no man shall desire thy land, whe thou shalt come vp to appeare before the Lord thy God thrise in the yeere. 25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leauen, neither shall ought of the sacrifice of the feast of Passeouer be left vnto the morning. 26 The first ripe fruites of thy land thou shalt bring vnto the house of the Lord thy God: yet shalt thou not seethe a kid in his mothers milke. 27 And the Lord said vnto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenour of these words I haue made a couenant with thee and with Israel. 28 So hee was there with the Lord fourtie dayes and fourtie nights, and did neither eat bread nor drinke water: and hee wrote in the Tables the wordes of the couenant, euen the tenne commandements. 29 So when Moses came downe from mount Sinai, the two Tables of the Testimonie were in Moses hande, as hee descended from the mount: (nowe Moses wist not that the skinne of his face shone bright, after that God had talked with him. 30 And Aaron and all the children of Israel looked vpon Moses, and beholde, the skin of his face shone bright, and they were afraid to come neere him) 31 But Moses called them: and Aaron and all the chiefe of the congregation returned vnto him: and Moses talked with them. 32 And afterwarde all the children of Israel came neere, and he charged them with al that the Lord had said vnto him in mount Sinai. 33 So Moses made an end of comuning with them, and had put a couering vpon his face. 34 But, when Moses came before the Lord to speake with him, he tooke off the couering vntill he came out: then he came out, and spake vnto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel sawe the face of Moses, howe the skin of Moses face shone bright: therefore Moses put the couering vpon his face, vntill he went to speake with God.