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Exodus 20

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Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

1And God spoke all these words, saying,

2"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3"You shall have no other gods beforea me.

4"You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or 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; 5you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

8"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; 10but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; 11for in six days the Lord made heaven and 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"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

13"You shall not kill.

14"You shall not commit adultery.

15"You shall not steal.

16"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's."

18Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, 19and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die." 20And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin."

The Law concerning the Altar

21And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. 22And the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 23You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you wield your tool upon it you profane it. 26And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.'