Exodus 19:18-20:21

New American Standard Bible

The Lord Visits Sinai

^18 (A)Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it ^(B)in fire; and its smoke ascended like ^(C)the smoke of a furnace, and ^(D)the entire mountain ^[a]quaked violently. ¹⁹ When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and ^(E)God answered him with ^[b]thunder. ²⁰ Then ^(F)the Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. ²¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Go down, ^[c]warn the people, so that ^(G)they do not break through to the Lord to stare, and many of them ^[d]perish. ²² Also have the ^(H)priests who approach the Lord consecrate themselves, or else the Lord will break out against them.” ²³ And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You ^[e]warned us, saying, ‘^(I)Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’” ²⁴ Then the Lord said to him, “^[f]Go down and come up again, ^(J)you and Aaron with you; but do not let the ^(K)priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out against them.” ²⁵ So Moses went down to the people and told them.

The Ten Commandments

20 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

² “^(L)I am the Lord your God, ^(M)who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^[g]slavery.

³ “^(N)You shall have no other ^(O)gods ^[h]before Me.

⁴ “^(P)You shall not make for yourself ^[i]an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. ^5 (Q)You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a ^(R)jealous God, ^(S)inflicting the ^[j]punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶ but showing ^[k]favor to ^(T)thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷ “^(U)You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not ^[l]leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

⁸ “Remember ^(V)the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ^9 (W)For six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; on it ^(X)you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave or your female slave, or your cattle, or your ^[m]resident who ^[n]stays with you. ^11 (Y)For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; for that reason the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

¹² “^(Z)Honor your father and your mother, so that your ^(AA)days may be prolonged on the land which the Lord your God gives you.

¹³ “^(AB)You shall not murder.

¹⁴ “^(AC)You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ “^(AD)You shall not steal.

¹⁶ “^(AE)You shall not ^[o]give false testimony against your ^(AF)neighbor.

¹⁷ “^(AG)You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; ^(AH)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ And ^(AI)all the people were watching and hearing the ^[p]thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance. ^19 (AJ)Then they said to Moses, “Speak ^[q]to us yourself and we will listen; but do not have God speak ^[r]to us, or we will die!” ²⁰ However, Moses said to the people, “^(AK)Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ^(AL)to test you, and in order that ^(AM)the fear of Him may ^[s]remain with you, so that you will not sin.” ²¹ So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached ^(AN)the thick darkness where God was.