⁴“Do not make statues of gods that look like anything in the sky or on the earth or in the waters. ⁵Do not bow down to them or worship them. I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. I punish the children for the sin of their parents. I punish the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those who hate me. ⁶But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments.

⁷“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.

⁸“Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. ⁹Do all of your work in six days. ¹⁰But the seventh day is a Sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and your animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your cities. ¹¹In six days I made the heavens and the earth. I made the oceans and everything in them. But I rested on the seventh day. So I blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹²“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹³“Do not commit murder.

¹⁴“Do not commit adultery.

¹⁵“Do not steal.

¹⁶“Do not give false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷“Do not long for anything that belongs to your neighbor. Do not long for your neighbor’s house, wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”

¹⁸The people saw the thunder and lightning. They heard the trumpet. They saw the mountain covered with smoke. They trembled with fear and stayed a long way off.

¹⁹They said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself. Then we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us. If he does, we’ll die.”

²⁰Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. God has come to put you to the test. He wants you to have respect for him. That will keep you from sinning.”

²¹Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. But the people remained a long way off.

Worshiping the Lord

²²Then the Lord said to Moses, “Here is what you must tell the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘You have seen for yourselves what I said to you from heaven. ²³Do not put any other gods in place of me. Do not make silver or gold statues of them for yourselves.

²⁴“ ‘Make an altar out of dirt for me. Sacrifice your burnt offerings and friendship offerings on it. Sacrifice your sheep, goats and cattle on it. I will come to you and bless you everywhere I cause my name to be honored.

²⁵“ ‘If you make an altar out of stones in honor of me, do not build it with blocks of stone. You will make it “unclean” if you use a tool on it.

²⁶“ ‘Do not walk up steps to my altar. If you do, someone might see your naked body under your robes.’

21“Here are the laws you must explain to the people of Israel.

Set Your Hebrew Servants Free

²“Suppose you buy a Hebrew servant. He must serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, you must set him free. He does not have to pay anything.

³“If he does not have a wife when he comes, he must go free alone. But if he has a wife when he comes, she must go with him. ⁴Suppose his master gives him a wife. And suppose she has sons or daughters by him. Then only the man will go free. The woman and her children will belong to her master.

⁵“But suppose the servant says, ‘I love my master and my wife and children. I don’t want to go free.’ ⁶Then his master must take him to the judges. He must be taken to the door or doorpost of his master’s house. His master must poke a hole through his ear lobe into the doorpost. Then he will become his servant for life.

⁷“Suppose a man sells his daughter as a servant. Then she can’t go free as male servants do.

⁸“But what if the master who has chosen her does not like her? Then he must let the man buy her back. He has no right to sell her to strangers. He has broken his promise to her.

⁹“What if he chooses her to get married to his son? Then he must grant her the rights of a daughter.

¹⁰“What if he marries another woman? He must still give the first one her food and clothes and make love to her. ¹¹If he does not provide her with those three things, she can go free. She does not have to pay anything.

Laws About Harming Others

¹²“You can be sure that if anyone hits and kills someone else, he will be put to death. ¹³Suppose he did not do it on purpose. Suppose I let it happen. Then he can escape to a place I will choose. ¹⁴But suppose he kills someone on purpose. Then take him away from my altar and put him to death.

¹⁵“If anyone attacks his father or mother, he will be put to death.

¹⁶“If anyone kidnaps and sells another person, he will be put to death. If he still has the person with him when he is caught, he will be put to death.

¹⁷“If anyone calls down a curse on his father or mother, he will be put to death.

¹⁸“Suppose two men get into a fight and argue with each other. One hits the other with a stone or his fist. He does not die but has to stay in bed. ¹⁹And later he gets up and walks around outside with his walking stick. Then the man who hit him will not be held accountable. But he must pay the one who was hurt for the time he spent in bed. He must be sure that the person is completely healed.

²⁰“Suppose a man beats his male or female slave to death with a club. Then he must be punished. ²¹But he will not be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two. After all, the slave is his property.

²²“Suppose some men are fighting and one of them hits a pregnant woman. And suppose she has her baby early but is not badly hurt. Then the man who hurt her must pay a fine. He must pay what the woman’s husband asks for and the court allows.

²³“But if someone is badly hurt, a life must be taken for a life. ²⁴An eye must be put out for an eye. A tooth must be knocked out for a tooth. A hand must be cut off for a hand and a foot for a foot. ²⁵A burn must be given for a burn, a wound for a wound, and a bruise for a bruise.

²⁶“Suppose a man hits his male or female servant in the eye and destroys it. Then he must let the servant go free to pay for the eye.

²⁷“Suppose he knocks out the tooth of a male or female servant. Then he must let the servant go free to pay for the tooth.

²⁸“Suppose a bull kills a man or woman with its horns. Then you must kill the bull by throwing stones at it. Its meat must not be eaten. The owner of the bull will not be held accountable.

²⁹“But suppose the bull has had the habit of attacking people. And suppose the owner has been warned but has not kept it fenced in. Then if it kills a man or woman, you must kill it with stones. The owner must also be put to death.

³⁰“But suppose payment is required of him instead. Then he can save his life by paying what is required.

³¹“The same law applies if the bull wounds a son or daughter with its horns.

³²“Suppose the bull wounds a male or female slave. Then the owner must pay the slave’s master 12 ounces of silver. You must kill the bull with stones.

³³“Suppose a man uncovers a pit or digs one and does not cover it. And suppose an ox or donkey falls into it. ³⁴Then the owner of the pit must pay the animal’s owner for the loss. The dead animal will belong to the owner of the pit.

³⁵“Suppose a man’s bull wounds a neighbor’s bull and it dies. Then they must sell the live one. And they must share the money and the dead animal equally.

³⁶“But suppose people knew that the bull had the habit of attacking. And suppose the owner did not keep it fenced in. Then he must give another animal to pay for the dead animal. The dead animal will belong to him.

Laws About Keeping Property Safe

22“Suppose a man steals an ox or a sheep. And suppose he kills it or sells it. Then he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox. Or he must pay back four sheep or goats for the sheep.

²“Suppose you catch a thief breaking into your house. And suppose you hit the thief and kill him. Then you are not guilty of murder. ³But suppose it happens after the sun has come up. Then you are guilty of murder.

“A thief must pay for what he has stolen. But suppose he does not have anything. Then he must be sold to pay for what he has stolen.

⁴“What if the stolen ox, donkey or sheep is found alive with him? Then the thief must pay back twice as much as he stole.

⁵“Suppose a man lets his livestock eat grass in someone else’s field or vineyard. Then he must pay that person back from the best crops of his own field or vineyard.

⁶“Suppose a fire breaks out and spreads into bushes. It burns grain that has been cut and stacked. Or it burns grain that is still growing. Or it burns the whole field. Then the one who started the fire must pay for the loss.

⁷“Suppose a man gives his neighbor silver or other things to keep safe. And suppose they are stolen from the neighbor’s house. If the thief is caught, he must pay back twice as much as he stole.

⁸“But suppose the thief is not found. Then the neighbor must go to the judges. They will decide whether the neighbor has stolen the other person’s property.

⁹“Suppose you have an ox, donkey, sheep or clothing that does not belong to you. Or you have other property that was lost by someone else. And suppose someone says, ‘That belongs to me.’ Then both people must bring their case to the judges. The one the judges decide is guilty must pay back twice as much to the other person.

¹⁰“Suppose a man asks his neighbor to take care of a donkey, ox, sheep or any other animal. And suppose the animal dies or gets hurt. Or suppose it is stolen while no one is looking. ¹¹Then the problem will be settled by taking an oath and promising the Lord to tell the truth.

“Suppose the neighbor takes an oath and says, ‘I didn’t steal your property.’ Then the owner must accept what the neighbor says. No payment is required.

¹²“But suppose the animal really was stolen. Then the neighbor must pay the owner back.

¹³“Or suppose it was torn…

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