Exodus 20:1-16
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 20
The Ten Commandments.[a] 1 God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of that place of slavery. 3 You shall not have other gods instead of me. 4 You shall not make idols or any image of things that are in the heavens above or that are upon the earth or that are in the waters under the earth. 5 You shall not bow before them nor shall you serve them. I, the Lord, am your God, a jealous God, who punishes the sins of fathers upon their sons until the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, 6 but I will show my favor for a thousand generations of those who love me and observe my commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished those who use his name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath in honor of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male slave, nor your female slave, nor your animals, nor the foreigner who dwells with you. 11 The Lord made the heavens and the earth and the seas and that which is in them in six days, but he rested the seventh day. Thus, the Lord blessed the Sabbath and declared it to be sacred.
12 “Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be lengthened in the land that the Lord your God, will give you.
13 “You shall not kill.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false witness against your neighbor.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 20:1 The Decalogue (“Ten Words”) is the basic law of the Covenant (there is a different version of the Decalogue in Deut 5:6-21). In fact, these words state consequences of commitment rather than laws: they show the result of denying God as Lord and deliverer (v. 2), as contrasted with belonging to the one true God. The prophets and Jesus will remind their hearers of the same requirement: the acknowledgment in the whole of one’s life that salvation is from the Lord.
Exodus 20:1-16
New King James Version
The Ten Commandments(A)
20 And God spoke (B)all these words, saying:
2 (C)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, (D)out of the house of [a]bondage.
3 (E)“You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 (F)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—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; 5 (G)you shall not bow down to them nor [b]serve them. (H)For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (I)visiting[c] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but (J)showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 (K)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord (L)will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 (M)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 (N)Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the (O)seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, (P)nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For (Q)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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 (R)“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be (S)long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
13 (T)“You shall not murder.
14 (U)“You shall not commit (V)adultery.
15 (W)“You shall not steal.
16 (X)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Footnotes
- Exodus 20:2 slaves
- Exodus 20:5 worship
- Exodus 20:5 punishing
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
