< Exodus 20 >

1 God spoke all the following words:
And God spoke all these words, saying,
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, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You must not have any other gods except me.
You shall have no other gods before 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 shall not make unto you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water 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 shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 but I show trustworthy love to the thousands of generations who love me and keep my commandments.
And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
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 shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 You have six days to work and earn your living,
Six days shall you labour, and 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 the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
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, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
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.
Honour your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you.
13 You must not murder.
You shall not kill.
14 You must not commit adultery.
You shall not commit adultery.
15 You must not steal.
You shall not steal.
16 You must not give false evidence against others.
You shall not bear 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.”
You shall not covet your neighbour's house, you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbour's.
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 saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood far off.
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 unto Moses, Speak you with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
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 unto the people, Fear not: for God has come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that all of you sin not.
21 The people stood a long way off as Moses went over to the thick, dark cloud where God was.
And the people stood far off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness 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 unto Moses, Thus you shall say unto the children of Israel, All of you have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 You must not make any idols of silver or gold to worship in addition to me.
All of you shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall all of you make unto you gods of gold.
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.
An altar of earth you shall make unto me, and shall sacrifice thereon your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your sheep, and your oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto you, and I will bless you.
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 will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone: for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have polluted it.
26 Also, you must not go up to my altar using steps, so your private parts are not seen.’”
Neither shall you go up by steps unto mine altar, that your nakedness be not discovered thereon.

< Exodus 20 >