< Deuteronomy 5 >
1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.
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 YHWH our Elohim made a covenant with us in Horeb.
Remember that the Lord our God made an agreement with us at Horeb.
3 YHWH made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day.
He didn't make this agreement with our fathers, but with us, all of those who are still alive today.
4 YHWH talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
The Lord talked with you person to person from the fire on the mountain.
5 (I stood between YHWH and you at that time, to shew you the word of YHWH: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount; ) saying,
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 YHWH thy Elohim, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from 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 have none other elohim before me.
You must not have any other gods except me.
8 Thou shalt not make thee 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 waters beneath 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 bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I YHWH thy Elohim am a jealous El, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of 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 thousands of 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 YHWH thy Elohim in vain: for YHWH will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
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 Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as YHWH thy Elohim 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 thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
You have six days to work and earn your living,
14 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of YHWH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
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 And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that YHWH thy Elohim brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore YHWH thy Elohim commanded thee to keep 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 thy mother, as YHWH thy Elohim hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which YHWH thy Elohim giveth 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 Neither shalt thou steal.
You must not steal.
20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
You must not give false evidence against others.
21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
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 YHWH spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them 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 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire, ) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;
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 And ye said, Behold, YHWH our Elohim hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that Elohim doth talk with man, and he liveth.
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 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of YHWH our Elohim any more, then 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 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
Has anybody else ever heard the living God speak from the fire and survived, we have?
27 Go thou near, and hear all that YHWH our Elohim shall say: and speak thou unto us all that YHWH our Elohim shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.
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 YHWH heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and YHWH said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken.
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 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might 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 say to them, Get you into your tents again.
Go and tell them: ‘You need to return to your tents.’
31 But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.
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 Ye shall observe to do therefore as YHWH your Elohim hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or 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 Ye shall walk in all the ways which YHWH your Elohim hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
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.