Israel at Mount Sinai

19 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, athey came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from bRephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before cthe mountain.

3 And dMoses went up to God, and the Lord ecalled to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 f‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how gI 1bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now htherefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and ikeep My covenant, then jyou shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is kMine. 6 And you shall be to Me a lkingdom of priests and a mholy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

7 So Moses came and called for the nelders of the people, and 2laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 Then oall the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you pin the thick cloud, qthat the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”

So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and rconsecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. sWhoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; tdo not come near your wives.”

16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were uthunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp vtrembled. 17 And wMoses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now xMount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon yit in fire. zIts smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and 3the awhole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, bMoses spoke, and cGod answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through dto gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the epriests who come near the Lord fconsecrate themselves, lest the Lord gbreak out against them.”

23 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, h‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”

24 Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

The Ten Commandments

20 And God spoke aall these words, saying:

2 b“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, cout of the house of 1bondage.

3 d“You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 e“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—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 fyou shall not bow down to them nor 2serve them. gFor I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, hvisiting 3the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but ishowing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 j“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord kwill not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

8 l“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 mSix days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the nseventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, onor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For pin six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 q“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be rlong upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

13 s“You shall not murder.

14 t“You shall not commit uadultery.

15 v“You shall not steal.

16 w“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 x“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; yyou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

18 Now zall the people awitnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain bsmoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, c“You speak with us, and we will hear; but dlet not God speak with us, lest we die.”

20 And Moses said to the people, e“Do not fear; ffor God has come to test you, and gthat His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near hthe thick darkness where God was.

The Law of the Altar

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you ifrom heaven. 23 You shall not make anything to be jwith Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves. 24 An altar of kearth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, lyour sheep and your oxen. In every mplace where I 4record My name I will come to you, and I will nbless you. 25 And oif you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you puse your tool on it, you have profaned it. 26 Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your qnakedness may not be exposed on it.’

The Law Concerning Servants

21 “Now these are the 1judgments which you shall aset before them: 2 bIf you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 cBut if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the djudges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

7 “And if a man esells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. 8 If she 2does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, fand her marriage rights. 11 And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.

The Law Concerning Violence

12 g“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 However, hif he did not lie in wait, but God idelivered him into his hand, then jI will appoint for you a place where he may flee.

14 “But if a man acts with kpremeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, lyou shall take him from My altar, that he may die.

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

16 m“He who kidnaps a man and nsells him, or if he is ofound in his hand, shall surely be put to death.

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

18 “If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, 19 if he rises again and walks about outside qwith his staff, then he who struck him shall be 3acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.

20 “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his rproperty.

22 “If men 4fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that 5she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall spay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 teye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.

Animal Control Laws

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