< Deuteronomy 5 >
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the ceremonies and judgments, which I speak in your ears this day: learn them, and fulfill them in work.
Then Moses called all the Israelites together and told them: Listen, people of Israel to the rules and regulations that I'm giving you today. Learn them and make sure you follow them carefully.
2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
Remember that the Lord our God made an agreement with us at Horeb.
3 He made not the covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are now present and living.
He didn't make this agreement with our fathers, but with us, all of those who are still alive today.
4 He spoke to us face to face in the mount out of the midst of fire.
The Lord talked with you person to person from the fire on the mountain.
5 I was the mediator and stood between the Lord and you at that time, to shew you his words, for you feared the fire, and went not up into the mountain, and he said:
This was the time when I stood between the Lord and you to tell you what the Lord said, because you were afraid of the fire and refused to go up the mountain. He told you,
6 I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
“I am the Lord your God, who led you out of Egypt, out of the prison-house of slavery.
7 Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight.
You must not have any other gods except me.
8 Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth.
You must not make for yourself any kind of idol, whether in the form of anything in the heavens above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters below.
9 Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me,
You must not bow down before them or worship them; for I am the Lord your God and I am passionately exclusive. I lay the consequences of the sin of those who hate me on their sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons;
10 And shewing mercy unto many thousands, to them that love me, and keep my commandments.
but I show trustworthy love to the thousands of generations who love me and keep my commandments.
11 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for he shall not be unpunished that taketh his name upon a vain thing.
You must not use the name of the Lord your God in a wrong way, for the Lord will not forgive anyone who uses his name in a wrong way.
12 Observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, as the Lord as the Lord your God has commanded you to do.
13 Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works.
You have six days to work and earn your living,
14 The seventh is the day of the sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, even as thyself.
but the seventh day is the Sabbath to honor the Lord your God. On this day you must not do any work—not you, not your son or daughter, not your male slave or female slave or your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, and not the foreigner who is staying with you, so that your male slave and females slave can have the same rest as you.
15 Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the sabbath day.
Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, and that the Lord your God led you out from there with his great power and incredible strength. This is why the Lord your God has ordered you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou mayst live a long time, and it may be well with thee in the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.
Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you to do, so that you may live a long time and do well in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
You must not kill people.
18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
You must not commit adultery.
19 And thou shalt not steal.
You must not steal.
20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
You must not give false evidence against others.
21 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife: nor his house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.
You must not desire to have anyone else's wife. You must not desire to have their house or field, or their male slave or female slave, or their ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to them.”
22 These words the Lord spoke to all the multitude of you in the mountain, out of the midst of the fire and the cloud, and the darkness, with a loud voice, adding nothing more: and he wrote them in two tables of stone, which he delivered unto me.
In a loud voice the Lord gave these commandments to all of you, speaking from the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness that covered the mountain. He didn't add anything else. He wrote them down on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23 But you, after you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, and saw the mountain burn, came to me, all the princes of the tribes and the elders, and you said:
When you heard the voice that came from the darkness while the mountain was on fire, all your tribal leaders and elders came to me,
24 Behold the Lord our God hath shewn us his majesty and his greatness, we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire, and have proved this day that God speaking with man, man hath lived.
and said, “Listen, the Lord our God has revealed glory and majesty to us, and we have heard his voice that came from the fire. Today we have seen that human beings can don't die even when God speaks with them.
25 Why shall we die therefore, and why shall this exceeding great Are consume us: for if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, we shall die.
But we could still die, couldn't we? This enormous fire is going to burn us up, and we'll die if the Lord our God continues to speak to us.
26 What is all flesh, that it should hear the voice of the living God, who speaketh out of the midst of the fire, as we have heard, and be able to live?
Has anybody else ever heard the living God speak from the fire and survived, we have?
27 Approach thou rather: and hear all things that the Lord our God shall say to thee, and thou shalt speak to us, and we will hear and will do them.
You go and listen to everything the Lord our God tells you. Then you can repeat to us everything the Lord our God tells you. We promise to listen and obey.”
28 And when the Lord had heard this, he said to me: I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they spoke to thee: they have spoken all things well.
The Lord heard what you told me, and he said to me, “I've heard what these people told you. All that they've said is good.
29 Who shall give them to have such a mind, to fear me, and to keep all my commandments at all times, that it may be well with them and with their children for ever?
I only wish they really did respect me and always kept my commandments so that they and their children would do well for all time.
30 Go and say to them: Return into your tents.
Go and tell them: ‘You need to return to your tents.’
31 But stand thou here with me, and I will speak to thee all my commandments, and ceremonies and judgments: which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land, which I will give them for a possession.
But you are to stay here with me so that I can give you all the commandments and rules and regulations you are to teach them to follow in the country that I am giving them to take over and own.”
32 Keep therefore and do the things which the Lord God hath commanded you: you shall not go aside neither to the right hand, nor to the left.
So make sure you do what the Lord your God has ordered you to do—don't go astray in any direction.
33 But you shall walk in the way that the Lord your God hath commanded, that you may live, and it may be well with you, and your days may be long in the land of your possession.
Follow all the ways the Lord your God has shown you, so that you do well and live long lives in the country that you will occupy.