Exodus 20

1 And the Lord spoke all these words:

And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, out of the house of servitude.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 You shall not have strange gods before me.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor a likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on earth below, nor of those things which are in the waters under the earth.

You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

5 You shall not adore them, nor shall you worship them. I am the Lord your God: strong, zealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6 and showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my precepts.

but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. For the Lord will not hold harmless one who takes the name of the Lord his God falsely.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 Remember that you are to sanctify the day of the Sabbath.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

9 For six days, you will work and accomplish all your tasks.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work in it: you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, your beast and the newcomer who is within your gates.

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all the things that are in them, and so he rested on the seventh day. For this reason, the Lord has blessed the day of the Sabbath and sanctified it.

For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may have a long life upon the land, which the Lord your God will give to you.

Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

You shall not steal.

16 You shall not speak false testimony against your neighbor.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; neither shall you desire his wife, nor male servant, nor female servant, nor ox, nor donkey, nor anything that is his.”

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 Then all the people considered the voices, and the lights, and the sound of the trumpet, and the smoking mountain. And being terrified and struck with fear, they stood at a distance,

When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance.

19 saying to Moses: “Speak to us, and we will listen. Let not the Lord speak to us, lest perhaps we may die.”

“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”

20 And Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid. For God came in order to test you, and so that the dread of him might be with you, and you would not sin.”

“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.”

21 And the people stood far away. But Moses approached toward the mist, in which was God.

And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

22 Thereafter, the Lord said to Moses: “This you shall say to the sons of Israel: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.

23 You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold.

You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.

24 You shall make an altar from the earth for me, and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace-offerings, your sheep and oxen, in every place where the memory of my name shall be. I will come to you, and I will bless you.

You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

25 And if you make an altar of stone for me, you shall not build it from cut stones; for if you lift up a tool over it, it will be defiled.

Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.

26 You shall not ascend by steps to my altar, lest your nakedness be revealed.”

And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’