Exodus 20
20:1 God{After "God," the Hebrew has the two letters "Aleph Tav" (the first and
last letters of the Hebrew alphabet), not as a word, but as a grammatical
marker.} spoke all these words, saying,
20:2 "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage.
20:3 You shall have no other gods before me.
20:4 "You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that
is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth:
20:5 you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your
God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on
the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,
20:6 and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my
commandments.
20:7 "You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will
not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
20:9 You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any
work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your man-servant, nor your
maid-servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates;
20:11 for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in
them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and
made it holy.
20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land
which Yahweh your God gives you.
20:13 "You shall not murder.
20:14 "You shall not commit adultery.
20:15 "You shall not steal.
20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your
neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his
donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
20:18 All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the
trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and
stayed at a distance.
20:19 They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't
let God speak with us, lest we die."
20:20 Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you,
and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin."
20:21 The people stayed at a distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness
where God was.
20:22 Yahweh said to Moses, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:
'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
20:23 You shall most certainly not make alongside of me gods of silver, or gods
of gold for yourselves.
20:24 You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your
burnt offerings and your peace-offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every
place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.
20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones;
for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.
20:26 Neither shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not
be exposed to it.'
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