Exodus 20

1 God spoke all the following words:

And God said all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who led you out of Egypt, out of the land of your slavery.

I am the Lord your God who took you out of the land of Egypt, out of the prison-house.

3 You must not have any other gods except me.

You are to have no other gods but me.

4 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.

You are not to make an image or picture of anything in heaven or on the earth or in the waters under the earth:

5 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;

You may not go down on your faces before them or give them worship: for I, the Lord your God, am a God who will not give his honour to another; and I will send punishment on the children for the wrongdoing of their fathers, to the third and fourth generation of my haters;

6 but I show trustworthy love to the thousands of generations who love me and keep my commandments.

And I will have mercy through a thousand generations on those who have love for me and keep my laws.

7 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.

You are not to make use of the name of the Lord your God for an evil purpose; whoever takes the Lord's name on his lips for an evil purpose will be judged a sinner by the Lord

8 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Keep in memory the Sabbath and let it be a holy day.

9 You have six days to work and earn your living,

On six days do all your work:

10 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 livestock, and not the foreigner who is staying with you.

But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on that day you are to do no work, you or your son or your daughter, your man-servant or your woman-servant, your cattle or the man from a strange country who is living among you:

11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days, and then rested on the seventh day. That's why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and everything in them, and he took his rest on the seventh day: for this reason the Lord has given his blessing to the seventh day and made it holy.

12 Honor your father and mother, so that you may live a long time in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Give honour to your father and to your mother, so that your life may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

13 You must not murder.

Do not put anyone to death without cause.

14 You must not commit adultery.

Do not be false to the married relation.

15 You must not steal.

Do not take the property of another.

16 You must not give false evidence against others.

Do not give false witness against your neighbour.

17 You must not desire to have anyone else's house. You must not desire to have their wife, or their male slave or female slave, or their ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to them.”

Let not your desire be turned to your neighbour's house, or his wife or his man-servant or his woman-servant or his ox or his ass or anything which is his.

18 When all the people heard the thunder and the sound of the trumpet, and saw the lightning and the smoke from the mountain, they trembled with fear and stood a long way off.

And all the people were watching the thunderings and the flames and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when they saw it, they kept far off, shaking with fear.

19 “You speak to us, and we'll listen,” they said to Moses. “But don't let God speak to us, or we'll die.”

And they said to Moses, To your words we will give ear, but let not the voice of God come to our ears, for fear death may come on us.

20 Moses told them, “Do not be afraid, for God has only come to test you. He wants you to be in awe of him so that you don't sin.”

And Moses said to the people, Have no fear: for God has come to put you to the test, so that fearing him you may be kept from sin.

21 The people stood a long way off as Moses went over to the thick, dark cloud where God was.

And the people kept their places far off, but Moses went near to the dark cloud where God was.

22 The Lord told Moses, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘You saw for yourselves that I spoke with you from heaven.

And the Lord said to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, You yourselves have seen that my voice has come to you from heaven

23 You must not make any idols of silver or gold to worship in addition to me.

Gods of silver and gods of gold you are not to make for yourselves.

24 Make me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep, goats, and cattle. Wherever I decide to be worshiped, I will come to you and bless you.

Make for me an altar of earth, offering on it your burned offerings and your peace-offerings, your sheep and your oxen: in every place where I have put the memory of my name, I will come to you and give you my blessing.

25 Now if you make an altar out of stones for me, you must not build it with cut stones, because if you use a chisel to cut the stone, you make it unholy.

And if you make me an altar of stone do not make it of cut stones: for the touch of an instrument will make it unclean.

26 Also, you must not go up to my altar using steps, so your private parts are not seen.’”

And do not go up by steps to my altar, for fear that your bodies may be seen uncovered.