Chapter 19

Moses on Sinai

1 aIn the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, 1on that very day they came into the wilderness of bSinai.

2 When they set out from aRephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of bthe mountain.

3 Moses went up to God, and athe Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:

4 ‘aYou yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on beagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.

5 ‘Now then, aif you will indeed obey My voice and bkeep My covenant, then you shall be cMy 1own possession among all the peoples, for dall the earth is Mine;

6 and you shall be to Me aa kingdom of priests and ba holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

7 aSo Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.

8 aAll the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord.

9 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in aa thick cloud, so that the bpeople may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever.” Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

10 The Lord also said to Moses, “Go to the people and aconsecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them bwash their garments;

11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on athe third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

12 “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘1Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; awhoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

13 ‘No hand shall touch him, but ahe shall surely be stoned or 1shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to bthe mountain.”

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.

15 He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

16 aSo it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were 1thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the 1foot of the mountain.

The Lord Visits Sinai

18 aNow Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it bin fire; and its smoke ascended like cthe smoke of a furnace, and dthe whole mountain 1quaked violently.

19 When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and aGod answered him with 1thunder.

20 aThe Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, 1warn the people, so that athey do not break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them 2perish.

22 “Also let the apriests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.”

23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You 1warned us, saying, ‘aSet bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

24 Then the Lord said to him, “1Go down and come up again, ayou and Aaron with you; but do not let the bpriests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break forth upon them.”

25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Chapter 20

The Ten Commandments

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “aI am the Lord your God, bwho brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 1slavery.

3 “aYou shall have no other bgods 1before Me.

4 “aYou shall not make for yourself 1an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.

5 “aYou shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a bjealous God, cvisiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,

6 but showing lovingkindness to athousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 “aYou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not 1leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember athe sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 “aSix days you shall labor and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it ayou shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who 1stays with you.

11 “aFor in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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 “aHonor your father and your mother, that your bdays may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

13 “aYou shall not murder.

14 “aYou shall not commit adultery.

15 “aYou shall not steal.

16 “aYou shall not bear false witness against your bneighbor.

17 “aYou shall not covet your neighbor’s house; byou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 aAll the people perceived the 1thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.

19 aThen they said to Moses, “Speak 1to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak 1to us, or we will die.”

20 Moses said to the people, “aDo not be afraid; for God has come in order bto test you, and in order that cthe fear of Him may 1remain with you, so that you may not sin.”

21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached athe thick cloud where God was.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that aI have spoken 1to you from heaven.

23 ‘aYou shall not make other gods besides Me; bgods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.

24 ‘You shall make aan altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your bburnt offerings and your cpeace offerings, dyour sheep and your oxen; in every place ewhere I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

25 ‘If you make an altar of stone for Me, ayou shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it.

26 ‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ayour nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

Chapter 21

Ordinances for the People

1 “Now these are the aordinances which you are to set before them:

2 “If you buy aa Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment.

3 “If he comes 1alone, he shall go out 1alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him.

4 “If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out 1alone.

5 “But aif the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

6 then his master shall bring him to 1God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

7 “aIf a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to 1go free bas the male slaves 1do.

8 “If she is 1displeasing in the eyes of her master 2who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his 3unfairness to her.

9 “If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters.

10 “If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her 1food, her clothing, or aher conjugal rights.

11 “If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

Personal Injuries

12 “aHe who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.

13 “aBut 1if he did not lie in wait for him, but bGod let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee.

14 “aIf, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

15 “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

16 “aHe who 1kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his 2possession, shall surely be put to death.

17 “aHe who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 “If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but 1remains in bed,

19 if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his 1loss of time, and 2shall take care of him until he is completely healed.

20 “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies 1at his hand, he shall 2be punished.

21 “If, however, he 1survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; afor he is his 2property.

22 “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that 1she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband 2may demand of him, and he shall apay 3as the judges decide.

23 “But if there is any further injury, athen you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,

24 aeye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 burn for burn, wound for wound, 1bruise for bruise.

26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.

27 “And if he 1knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman 1to death, athe ox …