The Ten Commandments(A)
5 Moses called all of Israel together and told them: “Listen, Israel! Today I’m going to announce God’s laws and regulations so that you will learn them and take care to obey them. 2 When the Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb, 3 it was not with our ancestors that the Lord made this covenant, but with us—we who are here today—all of us who are now living. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face on the mountain from the fire. 5 I stood at that time as mediator[a] between the Lord and you to declare his[b] message to you, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. He said:
| א[c] | 6 “‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt—from the house of slavery. 7 You are to have no other gods as a substitute for me.[d] |
| ב | 8 “‘You are not to craft for yourselves an idol resembling what is in the skies above, or on earth beneath, or in the water sources under the earth. 9 You are not to bow down to them in worship or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of parents[e] on children, to the third and fourth generation[f] of those who hate me, 10 but showing gracious love to the thousands of those who love me and keep my[g] commandments. |
| ג | 11 “‘You are not to misuse the name of the Lord your God,[h] because the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who misuses his name.[i] |
| ד | 12 “‘Observe the Sabbath day, maintaining its holiness,[j] just as the Lord your God commanded. 13 Six days you are to labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You are not to do any work—neither you, your son, nor your daughter,[k] your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys, nor any of your livestock, nor any foreigner who lives among you—[l] so that your male and female servants may rest as you do. 15 You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out from there with great power and a show of force.[m] Therefore, the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. |
| ה | 16 “‘Honor your father and your mother, just as the Lord your God commanded you, so that you will live long and things will go well for you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. |
| ו | 17 “‘You are not to commit murder. |
| ז | 18 “‘You are not to commit adultery. |
| ח | 19 “‘You are not to steal. |
| ט | 20 “‘You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor. |
| י | 21 “‘You are not to desire[n] your neighbor’s wife nor crave your neighbor’s house,[o] his fields, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, nor anything else that pertains to your neighbor.’” |
Moses Recalls God’s Warnings
22 “The Lord declared these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from out of the fire[p] and dark clouds,[q] and nothing more was added. He inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 When you heard the voice from the darkness while the mountain was blazing, all the leaders and elders of your tribes came to me and said: 24 ‘The Lord our God truly has displayed his glory and power, for we heard him[r] from out of the fire today. We have witnessed how God spoke to human beings, yet they lived. 25 Now therefore, why should we die? This great fire will consume us. If we continue to listen to the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we’ll die. 26 For what mortal man[s] has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire like we did, and lived? 27 As for you, go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God will say to you, then repeat it[t] to us, and we’ll listen and obey.’
28 “The Lord heard what you said. He told me: ‘I’ve heard what this people said. Everything they said was good. 29 If only they would commit[u] to fear me and keep all my commands, then it will go well with them and their children forever. 30 Go and tell them to return to their tents, 31 but you stand here with me and I’ll speak to you all the commands, decrees, and laws that you must teach them to observe in the land that I’m giving you to possess. 32 You must be careful to do what the Lord your God commanded you, turning neither to the left nor to the right. 33 You are to walk in every pathway that the Lord your God commanded you, so that life[v] may go well for you, and so that you will prolong your days in the land that you will possess.’”
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 5:5 The Heb. lacks as mediator
- Deuteronomy 5:5 Lit. the Lord’s
- Deuteronomy 5:5 The Heb. letters to the left denote numbers 1-10
- Deuteronomy 5:7 Lit. gods besides me
- Deuteronomy 5:9 Lit. fathers
- Deuteronomy 5:9 So LXX. The Heb. lacks generation
- Deuteronomy 5:10 The MT is written his but is to be read my
- Deuteronomy 5:11 Lit. to take in vain the name of the Lord your God; i.e. for a worthless purpose
- Deuteronomy 5:11 Lit. who takes his name in vain i.e. for a worthless purpose
- Deuteronomy 5:12 Lit. day as holy; i.e. to set apart the day as holy
- Deuteronomy 5:14 Lit. your sons and your daughters
- Deuteronomy 5:14 Lit. lives within your gates
- Deuteronomy 5:15 Lit. with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm
- Deuteronomy 5:21 Lit. to covet; i.e. to set your heart on
- Deuteronomy 5:21 Or neighbor’s family dynasty
- Deuteronomy 5:22 LXX Sam Pentateuch read dark; cf. Deut 4:11
- Deuteronomy 5:22 Lit. cloud and thick darkness
- Deuteronomy 5:24 The Heb. lacks him
- Deuteronomy 5:26 Lit. For who among all flesh
- Deuteronomy 5:27 Lit. Then tell everything that the Lord our God will speak
- Deuteronomy 5:29 Lit. only their heart would incline
- Deuteronomy 5:33 Lit. it