19 (iv) In the third month after the people of Isra’el had left the land of Egypt, the same day they came to the Sinai Desert. ² After setting out from Refidim and arriving at the Sinai Desert, they set up camp in the desert; there in front of the mountain, Isra’el set up camp.

³ Moshe went up to God, and Adonai called to him from the mountain: “Here is what you are to say to the household of Ya‘akov, to tell the people of Isra’el: ⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; ⁶ and you will be a kingdom of cohanim for me, a nation set apart.’ These are the words you are to speak to the people of Isra’el.”

(v) ⁷ Moshe came, summoned the leaders of the people and presented them with all these words which Adonai had ordered him to say. ⁸ All the people answered as one, “Everything Adonai has said, we will do.” Moshe reported the words of the people to Adonai. ⁹ Adonai said to Moshe, “See, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people will be able to hear when I speak with you and also to trust in you forever.” Moshe had told Adonai what the people had said; ¹⁰ so Adonai said to Moshe, “Go to the people; today and tomorrow separate them for me by having them wash their clothing; ¹¹ and prepare for the third day. For on the third day, Adonai will come down on Mount Sinai before the eyes of all the people. ¹² You are to set limits for the people all around; and say, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or even touch its base; whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death. ¹³ No hand is to touch him; for he must be stoned or shot by arrows; neither animal nor human will be allowed to live.’ When the shofar sounds, they may go up on the mountain.”

(S: vi) ¹⁴ Moshe went down from the mountain to the people and separated the people for God, and they washed their clothing. ¹⁵ He said to the people, “Prepare for the third day; don’t approach a woman.”

¹⁶ On the morning of the third day, there was thunder, lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain. Then a shofar blast sounded so loudly that all the people in the camp trembled. ¹⁷ Moshe brought the people out of the camp to meet God; they stood near the base of the mountain. ¹⁸ Mount Sinai was enveloped in smoke, because Adonai descended onto it in fire — its smoke went up like the smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. ¹⁹ As the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder, Moshe spoke; and God answered him with a voice.

(A: vi, S: vii) ²⁰ Adonai came down onto Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; then Adonai called Moshe to the top of the mountain; and Moshe went up. ²¹ Adonai said to Moshe, “Go down and warn the people not to force their way through to Adonai to see him; if they do, many of them will perish. ²² Even the cohanim, who are allowed to approach Adonai, must keep themselves holy; otherwise, Adonai may break out against them.” ²³ Moshe said to Adonai, “The people can’t come up to Mount Sinai, because you ordered us to set limits around the mountain and separate it.” ²⁴ But Adonai answered him, “Go, get down! Then come back up, you and Aharon with you. But don’t let the cohanim and the people force their way through to come up to Adonai, or he will break out against them.”

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

20 Then God said all these words:

א ² “I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the abode of slavery.

ב ³ “You are to have no other gods before me. ⁴ You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline. ⁵ You are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶ but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.

ג ⁷ “You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses his name lightly.

ד ⁸ “Remember the day, Shabbat, to set it apart for God. ⁹ You have six days to labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Shabbat for Adonai your God. On it, you are not to do any kind of work — not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property. ¹¹ For in six days, Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. This is why Adonai blessed the day, Shabbat, and separated it for himself.

ה ¹² “Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land which Adonai your God is giving you.

ו ¹³ “Do not murder.

ז ⁽¹⁴⁾ “Do not commit adultery.

ח ⁽¹⁵⁾ “Do not steal.

ט ⁽¹⁶⁾ “Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.

י ^14 (17) “Do not covet your neighbor’s house; do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

(A: vii) ^15 (18) All the people experienced the thunder, the lightning, the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled. Standing at a distance, ^16 (19) they said to Moshe, “You, speak with us; and we will listen. But don’t let God speak with us, or we will die.” ^17 (20) Moshe answered the people, “Don’t be afraid, because God has come only to test you and make you fear him, so that you won’t commit sins.” ^18 (21) So the people stood at a distance, but Moshe approached the thick darkness where God was.

(A: Maftir) ^19 (22) Adonai said to Moshe, “Here is what you are to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘You yourselves have seen that I spoke with you from heaven. ^20 (23) You are not to make with me gods of silver, nor are you to make gods of gold for yourselves. (S: Maftir) ^21 (24) For me you need make only an altar of earth; on it you will sacrifice your burnt offerings, peace offerings, sheep, goats and cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you. ^22 (25) If you do make me an altar of stone, you are not to build it of cut stones; for if you use a tool on it, you profane it. ^23 (26) Likewise, you are not to use steps to go up to my altar; so that you won’t be indecently uncovered.’”

Haftarah Yitro: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 6:1–7:6; 9:5(6)– 6(7) (A); 6:1–13 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Yitro: Mattityahu (Matthew) 5:21–30; 15:1–11; 19:16–30; Mark 7:5–15; 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30; Acts 6:1–7; Romans 2:17–29; 7:7–12; 13:8–10; Ephesians 6:1–3; 1 Timothy 3:1–14; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:5–9; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 12:18–29; Ya‘akov (James) 2:8–13; 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 2:9–10

Parashah 18: Mishpatim (Rulings) 21:1–24:18

21 “These are the rulings you are to present to them:

² “If you purchase a Hebrew slave, he is to work six years; but in the seventh, he is to be given his freedom without having to pay anything. ³ If he came single, he is to leave single; if he was married when he came, his wife is to go with him when he leaves. ⁴ But if his master gave him a wife, and she bore him sons or daughters, then the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he will leave by himself. ⁵ Nevertheless, if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, so I don’t want to go free,’ ⁶ then his master is to bring him before God; and there at the door or doorpost, his master is to pierce his ear with an awl; and the man will be his slave for life.

⁷ “If a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to go free like the men-slaves. ⁸ If her master married her but decides she no longer pleases him, then he is to allow her to be redeemed. He is not allowed to sell her to a foreign people, because he has treated her unfairly. ⁹ If he has her marry his son, then he is to treat her like a daughter. ¹⁰ If he marries another wife, he is not to reduce her food, clothing or marital rights. ¹¹ If he fails to provide her with these three things, she is to be given her freedom without having to pay anything.

¹² “Whoever attacks a person and causes his death must be put to death. ¹³ If it was not premeditated but an act of God, then I will designate for you a place to which he can flee. ¹⁴ But if someone willfully kills another after deliberate planning, you are to take him even from my altar and put him to death.

¹⁵ “Whoever attacks his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁶ “Whoever kidnaps someone must be put to death, regardless of whether he has already sold him or the person is found still in his possession.

¹⁷ “Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸ “If two people fight, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist, and the injured party doesn’t die but is confined to his bed; ¹⁹ then, if he recovers enough to be able to walk around outside, even if with a cane, the attacker will be free of liability, except to compensate him for his loss of time and take responsibility for his care until his recovery is complete.

(ii) ²⁰ “If a person beats his male or female slave with a stick so severely that he dies, he is to be punished; ²¹ except that if the slave lives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his property.

²² “If people are fighting with each other and happen to hurt a pregnant woman so badly that her unborn child dies, then, even if no other harm follows, he must be fined. He must pay the amount set by the woman’s husband and confirmed by judges. ²³ But if any harm follows, then you are to give life for life, ²⁴ eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, ²⁵ burn for burn, wound for wound and bruise for bruise.

²⁶ “If a person hits his male or female slave’s eye and destroys it, he must let him go free in compensation for his eye. ²⁷ If he knocks out his male or female slave’s tooth, he must let him go free in compensation for his tooth.

²⁸ “If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox is to be stoned and its flesh not eaten, but the owner of the ox will have no further liability. ²⁹ However, if the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner was warned but did not confine it, so that it ended up killing a man or a woman; then the ox is to be stoned, and its owner too is to be put to death. ³⁰ However, a ransom may be imposed on him; and the death penalty will be commuted if he pays the amount imposed. ³¹ If the ox gores a son or daughter, the same rule applies. ³² If the ox gores a male or female slave, its owner must give their master twelve ounces of silver; and the ox is to be stoned to death.

³³ “If someone removes the cover from a cistern or digs one and fails to cover it, and an ox or donkey falls in, ³⁴ the owner of the cistern must make good the loss by compensating the animal’s owner; but the dead animal will be his.

³⁵ “If one person’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the revenue from the sale; and they are also to divide the dead animal. ³⁶ But if it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner did not confine it; he must pay ox for ox, but the dead animal will be his.

^37 (22:1) “If someone steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he is to pay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.