Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

20Then God spoke all these words:

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

³Do not have other gods besides Me. ^x

⁴Do not make an idol ^yfor yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. ⁵You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, ^zpunishing the children for the fathers’ sin, to the third and fourth generations ^aof those who hate Me, ⁶but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands. ^b

⁷Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name. ^c

⁸Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: ^d9You are to labor six days and do all your work, ^e10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. ^f11For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

¹²Honor your father and your mother ^gso that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³Do not murder. ^h

¹⁴Do not commit adultery. ⁱ

¹⁵Do not steal. ^j

¹⁶Do not give false testimony against your neighbor. ^k

¹⁷Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. ^l

The People’s Reaction

¹⁸All the people witnessed ^mthe thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it ⁿthey trembled and stood at a distance. ^o19“You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.” ^p

²⁰Moses responded to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear Him and will not ^qsin.” ^r21And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. ^s

Moses Receives Additional Laws

²²Then the Lord told Moses, “This is what you are to say to the Israelites: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven. ^t23You must not make gods of silver to rival Me; you must not make gods of gold for yourselves. ^uv

²⁴“You must make an earthen altar for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats, as well as your cattle. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause My name to be remembered. ^w25If you make a stone altar for Me, you must not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it. ^x26You must not go up to My altar on steps, so that your nakedness is not exposed on it.