The Decalogue

20:1 1 God spoke all these words:2

20:2 “I,3 the Lord, am your God,4 who brought you5 from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.6

20:3 “You shall have no7 other gods before me.8

20:4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image9 or any likeness10 of anything11 that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below.12 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them,13 for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous14 God, responding to15 the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations16 of those who reject me,17 20:6 and showing covenant faithfulness18 to a thousand generations19 of those who love me and keep my commandments.

20:7 “You shall not take20 the name of the Lord your God in vain,21 for the Lord will not hold guiltless22 anyone who takes his name in vain.

20:8 “Remember23 the Sabbath24 day to set it apart as holy.25 20:9 For six days26 you may labor27 and do all your work,28 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; on it29 you shall not do any work, you,30 or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates.31 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

20:12 “Honor32 your father and your mother, that you may live a long time33 in the land34 the Lord your God is giving to you.

20:13 “You shall not murder.35

20:14 “You shall not commit adultery.36

20:15 “You shall not steal.37

20:16 “You shall not give38 false testimony39 against your neighbor.

20:17 “You shall not covet40 your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”41

20:18 All the people were seeing42 the thundering and the lightning, and heard43 the sound of the horn, and saw44 the mountain smoking—and when45 the people saw it they trembled with fear46 and kept their distance.47 20:19 They said to Moses, “You speak48 to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die.” 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you,49 that the fear of him50 may be before you so that you do not51 sin.” 20:21 The people kept52 their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness53 where God was.54