The Ten Commandments
5 Moses sent for all the Israelites. Here is what he said to them.
Israel, listen to me. Here are the rules and laws I’m announcing to you today. Learn them well. Be sure to obey them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Horeb. 3 He didn’t make it only with our people of long ago. He also made it with us. In fact, he made it with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face. His voice came out of the fire on the mountain. 5 At that time I stood between the Lord and you. I announced to you the Lord’s message. I did it because you were afraid of the fire. You didn’t go up the mountain.
The Lord said,
6 “I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves.
7 “Do not put any other gods in place of me.
8 “Do not make statues of gods that look like anything in the sky or on the earth or in the waters. 9 Do not bow down to them or worship them. I am the Lord your God. I want you to worship only me. I cause the sins of the parents to affect their children. I will cause the sins of those who hate me to affect even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 10 But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.
12 “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Do this just as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 Do all your work in six days. 14 But the seventh day is a sabbath to honor 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, your oxen, your donkeys and your other animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your towns. I want your male and female servants to rest, just as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The Lord your God reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm and brought you out of there. So the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day holy.
16 “Honor your father and mother, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. Then you will live a long time in the land he is giving you. And things will go well with you there.
17 “Do not murder.
18 “Do not commit adultery.
19 “Do not steal.
20 “Do not be a false witness against your neighbor.
21 “Do not want to have your neighbor’s wife. Do not desire anything your neighbor owns. Do not desire to have your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”
22 These are the commandments the Lord announced in a loud voice to your whole community. He gave them to you there on the mountain. He spoke out of the fire, cloud and deep darkness. He didn’t add anything else. Then he wrote the commandments on two stone tablets. And he gave them to me.
23 The mountain was blazing with fire. You heard the voice coming out of the darkness. So your elders and all the leaders of your tribes came to me. 24 You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty. We have heard his voice coming out of the fire. Today we have seen that a person can still stay alive even if God speaks with them. 25 But why should we die? This great fire will burn us up. We’ll die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God again. 26 We have heard the voice of the living God. We’ve heard him speaking out of the fire. Has any other human being ever heard him speak like that and stayed alive? 27 Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then tell us what he tells you. We will listen and obey.”
28 The Lord heard you when you spoke to me. He said to me, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29 But I wish they would always have respect for me in their hearts. I wish they would always obey all my commands. Then things would go well with them and their children forever.
30 “Go and tell them to return to their tents. 31 But you stay here with me. Then I will give you all my commands, rules and laws. You must teach the people to obey them in the land I am giving them as their very own.”
32 So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Don’t turn away from his commands to the right or the left. 33 Live exactly as the Lord your God has commanded you to live. Then you will enjoy life in the land you will soon own. Things will go well with you there. You will live there for a long time.
