The Ten Commandments(A)
20 Then God spoke all these words:
| א[a] | 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt— from the house of slavery. 3 You are to have no other gods as a substitute for me.[b] |
| ב | 4 “You are not to craft for yourselves an idol or anything resembling what is in the skies above, or on earth beneath, or in the water sources under the earth. 5 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[c] on children, to the third and fourth generation[d] of those who hate me, 6 but showing gracious love to the thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. |
| ג | 7 “You are not to misuse the name of the Lord your God,[e] because the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who misuses his name.[f] |
| ד | 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, maintaining its holiness.[g] 9 Six days you are to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You are not to do any work—neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your livestock, nor any foreigner who lives among you—[h] 11 because the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days. Then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. |
| ה | 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. |
| ו | 13 “You are not to commit murder. |
| ז | 14 “You are not to commit adultery. |
| ח | 15 “You are not to steal. |
| ט | 16 “You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor. |
| י | 17 “You are not to desire[i] your neighbor’s house,[j] nor your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything else that pertains to your neighbor.” |
The People are Terrified in God’s Presence
18 All the people experienced the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the smoking mountain. And as the people experienced it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 They told Moses, “You speak to us and we will listen, but don’t let God speak with us, or we may die.
20 Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you may fear him in order that you don’t sin.” 21 Then the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.
Instruction about Idols and Altars
22 The Lord told Moses, “This is what you are to say to the Israelis, ‘You have seen for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven. 23 You are not to make gods of silver alongside me, nor are you to make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 You are to make an altar of earth for me, and you are to sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep, and your cattle. Everywhere I cause my name to be remembered, I’ll come to you and bless you. 25 If you make an altar of stone for me, you must not build it of cut stones, because if you strike it with your chisel, you will profane it. 26 You are not to ascend to my altar on steps, so that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’”
Footnotes
- Exodus 20:1 The Heb. letters to the left denote numbers 1-10
- Exodus 20:3 Lit. gods besides me
- Exodus 20:5 Lit. fathers
- Exodus 20:5 So LXX. The Heb. lacks generation
- Exodus 20:7 Lit. to take in vain the name of the Lord your God; i.e. for a worthless purpose
- Exodus 20:7 Lit. who takes his name in vain i.e. for a worthless purpose
- Exodus 20:8 Lit. day as holy; i.e. to set apart the day as holy
- Exodus 20:10 Lit. lives within your gates
- Exodus 20:17 Lit. to covet; i.e. to set your heart on
- Exodus 20:17 Or neighbor’s family dynasty