Exodus 20
English Standard Version
The Ten Commandments
20 (A)And (B)God spoke all these words, saying,
2 (C)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 (D)“You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 (E)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 (F)You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am (G)a jealous God, (H)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 (I)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 (J)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 (K)Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the (L)seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the (M)sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For (N)in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 (O)“Honor your father and your mother, (P)that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 (Q)“You shall not murder.[c]
14 (R)“You shall not commit adultery.
15 (S)“You shall not steal.
16 (T)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 (U)“You shall not covet (V)your neighbor's house; (W)you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
18 Now when all the people saw (X)the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid[d] and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, (Y)“You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 (Z)Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to (AA)test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the (AB)thick darkness where God was.
Laws About Altars
22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have (AC)talked with you from heaven. 23 (AD)You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. (AE)In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and (AF)bless you. 25 (AG)If you make me an altar of stone, (AH)you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’
Footnotes
- Exodus 20:3 Or besides
- Exodus 20:6 Or to the thousandth generation
- Exodus 20:13 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence
- Exodus 20:18 Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text the people saw
Shemot 20
Orthodox Jewish Bible
20 Then Elohim spoke all these words, saying,
2 I am Hashem Eloheicha, Who brought thee out of Eretz Mitzrayim, out of the bais avadim (house of slaves).
3 Thou shalt have no elohim acherim in My presence.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any pesel, or any temunah of any thing that is in Shomayim above, or that is in ha’aretz beneath, or that is in the mayim under ha’aretz.
5 Thou shalt not tishtacheveh to them, nor serve them; for I Hashem Eloheicha am an El kanna, visiting the avon Avot upon the Banim unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;
6 But showing chesed unto thousands of them that love Me, and are shomer over My mitzvot.
7 Thou shalt not take the Shem Hashem Eloheicha in vain; for Hashem will not hold him guiltless that taketh Shmo in vain.
8 Remember Yom HaShabbos, to keep it kodesh.
9 Sheshet yamim shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 But the Yom HaShevi’i is the Shabbos of Hashem Eloheicha; in it thou shalt not do any melachah, thou, nor thy ben, nor thy bat, thy eved, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy ger that is within thy gates;
11 For in sheshet yamim Hashem made Shomayim and Ha’Aretz, the yam, and all that in them is, and rested Yom HaShevi’i; for this reason Hashem blessed Yom HaShabbos, and set it apart as kodesh.
12 Honor thy av and thy em; that thy yamim may be long upon ha’adamah which Hashem Eloheicha giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not murder.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear ed sheker against thy neighbor.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s bais, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s isha, nor his eved, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
18 And kol HaAm saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the sound of the shofar, and HaHar smoking; and when HaAm saw it, they drew back, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moshe, Thou speak with us, and we will hear; but let not Elohim speak with us, lest we die (see Bereshis 42:23).
20 And Moshe said unto HaAm, Fear not: for HaElohim is come to test you, and that His fear may be upon your faces, that ye sin not.
21 And HaAm stood afar off, while Moshe drew near unto the thick cloud where HaElohim was.
22 And Hashem said unto Moshe, Thus thou shalt say unto the Bnei Yisroel, You yourselves have seen that from Shomayim I have spoken with you.
23 Ye shall not make beside Me elohei kesef, neither shall ye make for yourselves elohei zahav.
24 Mizbe’ach adamah thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy olot, and thy shelamim, thy tzon, and thine oxen; in all places where I cause My Shem to be remembered, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
25 And if thou wilt make Me a Mizbe’ach avanim, thou shalt not build it of cut stone; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast rendered it polluted.
26 Neither shalt thou go up by stairs unto Mine Mizbe’ach, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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