Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

1 And God spoke all these words:

2 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 "You shall have no other gods beforet me.

4 "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 "You shall not murder.

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance19 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."

20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."

21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Idols and Altars

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

24 "'Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.25 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it.26 And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.'

EXODUS 20

The Ten Commandments

(Deuteronomy 5.1-21)

1 God said to the people of Israel:

2 I am the [Lord] your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.

3 Do not worship any god except me.
4  t Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. 5 t Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the [Lord] your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations.

6 But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.

7  t Do not misuse my name.t I am the [Lord] your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.
8  t Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. 9 t You have six days when you can do your work, 10 but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns.

11 t In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.

12  t Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you.

13  t Do not murder.

14  t Be faithful in marriage.

15  t Do not steal.

16  t Do not tell lies about others.

17  t Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person—not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else.

The People Are Afraid

(Deuteronomy 5.23-33)

19 and said to Moses, “If you speak to us, we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die!”
20 “Don't be afraid!” Moses replied. “God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin.”

21 But when Moses went near the thick cloud where God was, the people stayed a long way off.

Idols and Altars

22 The [Lord] told Moses to say to the people of Israel:
With your own eyes you saw me speak to you from heaven.

23 So you must never make idols of silver or gold to worship in place of me.t
24 Build an altar out of earth, and offer on it your sacrificest of sheep, goats, and cattle. Wherever I choose to be worshiped, I will come down to bless you. 25 t If you ever build an altar for me out of stones, do not use any tools to chisel the stones, because that would make the altar unfit for use in worship. 26 And don't build an altar that requires steps; you might expose yourself when you climb up.