Exodus 20

1 God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt [Abode of slavery], out of the house of bondage.

3 “You shall have no other elohim ·deities, judges· before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

5 you shall not hawa ·bow low, prostrate· yourself down to them, nor abad ·serve· them, for I, Yahweh [He sustains breathing] your God, am El Kana' [Jealous God], visiting the depravity (moral evil) of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,

6 and showing chesed ·loving-kindness· to thousands of those who 'ahav ·affectionately love· me and keep my mitzvot ·instructions·.

7 “You shall not use את the name of Yahweh your God worthlessly, for Adonai will not hold him guiltless את who takes את his name in vain.

8 “Remember the Shabath ·Intermission· day, to keep it holy.

9 You shall labor six days, and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a Shabath ·Intermission· to Adonai your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;

11 for in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Adonai blessed the Shabath ·Intermission· day, and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land which Adonai your God gives you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

18 All the people perceived the thunder, the lightnings, the sound of the shofar ·ram horn·, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.

19 They said to Moses [Drawn out], “Speak with us yourself, and we will sh'ma ·hear obey·; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”

20 Moses [Drawn out] said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin ·err (the standard goal)·.”

21 The people stayed at a distance, and Moses [Drawn out] came near to the thick darkness where God was.

22 Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel [God prevails]: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

23 You shall most certainly not make alongside of me deities of silver, or deities of gold for yourselves.

24 You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.

25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.

26 You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’