At Mount Sinai

19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt^(A)—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.^{(B) 2} After they set out from Rephidim,^(C) they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.^(D)

³ Then Moses went up to God,^(E) and the Lord called^(F) to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ⁴ ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,^(G) and how I carried you on eagles’ wings^(H) and brought you to myself.^{(I) 5} Now if you obey me fully^(J) and keep my covenant,^(K) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.^(L) Although the whole earth^(M) is mine, ⁶ you^[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests^(N) and a holy nation.’^(O) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses went back and summoned the elders^(P) of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.^{(Q) 8} The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”^(R) So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

⁹ The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,^(S) so that the people will hear me speaking^(T) with you and will always put their trust^(U) in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate^(V) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes^{(W) 11} and be ready by the third day,^(X) because on that day the Lord will come down^(Y) on Mount Sinai^(Z) in the sight of all the people. ¹² Put limits^(AA) for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. ¹³ They are to be stoned^(AB) or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn^(AC) sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”^(AD)

¹⁴ After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.^{(AE) 15} Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain^(AF) from sexual relations.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day there was thunder^(AG) and lightning, with a thick cloud^(AH) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.^(AI) Everyone in the camp trembled.^{(AJ) 17} Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.^{(AK) 18} Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,^(AL) because the Lord descended on it in fire.^(AM) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,^(AN) and the whole mountain^[b] trembled^(AO) violently. ¹⁹ As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice^(AP) of God answered^(AQ) him.^[c]

²⁰ The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai^(AR) and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up ²¹ and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see^(AS) the Lord and many of them perish.^{(AT) 22} Even the priests, who approach^(AU) the Lord, must consecrate^(AV) themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”^(AW)

²³ Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai,^(AX) because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits^(AY) around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

²⁴ The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron^(AZ) up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”^(BA)

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments^(BB)

20 And God spoke^(BC) all these words:^(BD)

¹⁸ When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet^(CF) and saw the mountain in smoke,^(CG) they trembled with fear.^(CH) They stayed at a distance ¹⁹ and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak^(CI) to us or we will die.”^(CJ)

²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.^(CK) God has come to test^(CL) you, so that the fear^(CM) of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”^(CN)

²¹ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness^(CO) where God was.

Idols and Altars

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:^{(CP) 23} Do not make any gods to be alongside me;^(CQ) do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.^(CR)

²⁴ “‘Make an altar^(CS) of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings^(CT) and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name^(CU) to be honored, I will come to you and bless^(CV) you. ²⁵ If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool^(CW) on it. ²⁶ And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts^(CX) may be exposed.’

²¹ “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner,^(A) for you were foreigners^(B) in Egypt.

²² “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless.^{(C) 23} If you do and they cry out^(D) to me, I will certainly hear their cry.^{(E) 24} My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.^(F)

²⁵ “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.^{(G) 26} If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge,^(H) return it by sunset, ²⁷ because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in?^(I) When they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.^(J)

²⁸ “Do not blaspheme God^[a](K) or curse^(L) the ruler of your people.^(M)

²⁹ “Do not hold back offerings^(N) from your granaries or your vats.^[b]

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons.^{(O) 30} Do the same with your cattle and your sheep.^(P) Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.^(Q)

³¹ “You are to be my holy people.^(R) So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts;^(S) throw it to the dogs.

Laws of Justice and Mercy

23 “Do not spread false reports.^(T) Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.^(U)

² “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice^(V) by siding with the crowd,^{(W) 3} and do not show favoritism^(X) to a poor person in a lawsuit.

⁴ “If you come across your enemy’s^(Y) ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it.^{(Z) 5} If you see the donkey^(AA) of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help them with it.

⁶ “Do not deny justice^(AB) to your poor people in their lawsuits. ⁷ Have nothing to do with a false charge^(AC) and do not put an innocent^(AD) or honest person to death,^(AE) for I will not acquit the guilty.^(AF)

⁸ “Do not accept a bribe,^(AG) for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.

⁹ “Do not oppress a foreigner;^(AH) you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Sabbath Laws

¹⁰ “For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, ¹¹ but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused.^(AI) Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

¹² “Six days do your work,^(AJ) but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed.^(AK)

¹³ “Be careful^(AL) to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods;^(AM) do not let them be heard on your lips.^(AN)

The Three Annual Festivals

¹⁴ “Three times^(AO) a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

¹⁵ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread;^(AP) for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,^(AQ) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.^(AR)

¹⁶ “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest^(AS) with the firstfruits^(AT) of the crops you sow in your field.

“Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering^(AU) at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.^(AV)

¹⁷ “Three times^(AW) a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord.

¹⁸ “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast.^(AX)

“The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.^(AY)

¹⁹ “Bring the best of the firstfruits^(AZ) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.^(BA)

God’s Angel to Prepare the Way

²⁰ “See, I am sending an angel^(BB) ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.^{(BC) 21} Pay attention to him and listen^(BD) to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive^(BE) your rebellion,^(BF) since my Name^(BG) is in him. ²² If you listen carefully to what he says and do^(BH) all that I say, I will be an enemy^(BI) to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. ²³ My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites,^(BJ) and I will wipe them out. ²⁴ Do not bow down before their gods or worship^(BK) them or follow their practices.^(BL) You must demolish^(BM) them and break their sacred stones^(BN) to pieces. ²⁵ Worship the Lord your God,^(BO) and his blessing^(BP) will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness^(BQ) from among you, ²⁶ and none will miscarry or be barren^(BR) in your land. I will give you a full life span.^(BS)

²⁷ “I will send my terror^(BT) ahead of you and throw into confusion^(BU) every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run.^{(BV) 28} I will send the hornet^(BW) ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites^(BX) out of your way. ²⁹ But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals^(BY) too numerous for you. ³⁰ Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession^(BZ) of the land.

³¹ “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea^[c] to the Mediterranean Sea,^[d] and from the desert to the Euphrates River.^(CA) I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out^(CB) before you. ³² Do not make a covenant^(CC) with them or with their gods. ³³ Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare^(CD) to you.”