The Ten Commandments

Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully. The Lord our God made a covenant(A) with us at Horeb. He did not make this covenant with our ancestors,(B) but with all of us who are alive here today. The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain. At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to report the word[a] of the Lord to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And he said:

I am the Lord your God,(C) who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.(D)

Do not have other gods besides me.

Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,(E) 10 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.

11 Do not misuse the name(F) of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.

12 Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the resident alien who lives within your city gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.

15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

16 Honor your father and your mother,(G) as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you.(H)

17 Do not murder.(I)

18 Do not commit adultery.(J)

19 Do not steal.

20 Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor.(K)

21 Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.(L)

The People’s Response

22 “The Lord spoke these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly from the fire, cloud, and total darkness on the mountain; he added nothing more. He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 23 All of you approached me with your tribal leaders and elders when you heard the voice from the darkness and while the mountain was blazing with fire. 24 You said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that God speaks with a person, yet he still lives. 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. 26 For who out of all humanity has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then you can tell us everything the Lord our God tells you; we will listen and obey.’(M)

28 “The Lord heard your[b] words when you spoke to me. He said to me, ‘I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. Everything they have said is right. 29 If only they had such a heart to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that they and their children would prosper forever. 30 Go and tell them: Return to your tents. 31 But you stand here with me, and I will tell you every command—the statutes and ordinances—you are to teach them, so that they may follow them in the land I am giving them to possess.’

32 “Be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. 33 Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.

Footnotes

  1. 5:5 One Hb ms, DSS, Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg read words
  2. 5:28 Lit the sound of your

Basic Stipulations

And then Moses summoned all of Israel and said to them, “Hear, Israel, the rules and the regulations that I am speaking in your ears today,[a] and you shall learn them, and you must observe them diligently.[b] Yahweh our God made a covenant with us at Horeb. It was not with our ancestors[c] that Yahweh made this covenant, but with these of us who are here alive today. Face to face[d] Yahweh spoke with you at the mountain from the midst of the fire. I was standing between Yahweh and you[e] at that time to report[f] to you the word of Yahweh, for you were afraid because of the presence of[g] the fire, and so you did not go up the mountain. He said,[h]

‘I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. There shall not be for you other gods besides me.[i]

‘You shall not make for yourself a divine image of any type of form that is in the heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.

‘You shall not bow down to them, and you shall not serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, punishing the guilt of fathers upon their children and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of those hating me, 10 but showing loyal love to thousands of those who love me and of those who keep my commandments.

11 ‘You shall not take up the name of Yahweh your God for a worthless purpose, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who uses his name for a worthless purpose.

12 ‘Observe the Sabbath day[j] to make it holy,[k] just as Yahweh your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall work, and you shall do all of your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto Yahweh your God; you shall not do any work, or your son, or your daughter, or your slave, or your slave woman, or your ox, or your donkey, or any of your domestic animals, or your resident alien who is in your towns,[l] so that your slave and your slave woman may rest as you rest. 15 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and Yahweh your God brought you out with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm; therefore, Yahweh your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath.[m]

16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you, so that it will be good for you[n] in the land[o] that Yahweh your God is giving to you.

17 ‘You shall not murder.

18 ‘And you shall not commit adultery.

19 ‘And you shall not steal.

20 ‘And you shall not falsely bear evidence against your neighbor.

21 ‘And you shall not covet the wife of your neighbor, and you shall not crave the house of your neighbor, his field or his slave or his slave woman or his ox and his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’[p]

22 “These words Yahweh spoke to your whole assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire and the very thick cloud with a loud voice, and he did not add anything,[q] and then he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And then[r] when you heard[s] the voice from the midst of the darkness, and as the mountain was burning with fire, and and all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, 24 you said, ‘Look, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the midst of the fire; this day we have seen[t] that God can speak with a human being, yet he remains alive.[u] 25 And so then why shall we die, for this great fire will consume us if we continue[v] to hear the voice of Yahweh our God any longer, and so we shall die? 26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire as we have heard it and remained alive?[w] 27 You go near and hear everything[x] that Yahweh our God will say; and then you tell us all that Yahweh our God tells you, and we will listen, and we will do it.’

28 “And Yahweh heard the sound of your words when you spoke to me,[y] and Yahweh said to me, ‘I have heard the sound of the words of this people that they have spoken to you; they are right with respect to all that they have spoken. 29 If only[z] they had such a mind’;[aa] that is, to fear me and to keep all my commandments at all times,[ab] so that it will go well[ac] for them and for their children forever.[ad] 30 Go! Say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But you stand here with me, and let me tell you all of the commandments and the rules and the regulations that you shall teach them, so that they may do them in the land that I am giving to them to take possession of it.’

32 So you must be careful to do just as Yahweh your God commanded you; you shall not turn to the right or to the left. 33 In exactly the path[ae] that Yahweh your God has commanded, you must go, so that you may live and it will go well[af] for you and you may live long[ag] in the land that you will take possession of.”

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 5:1 Literally “the day”
  2. Deuteronomy 5:1 Literally “you shall observe them carefully to do them”
  3. Deuteronomy 5:3 Or “fathers”
  4. Deuteronomy 5:4 Literally “Faces to faces”
  5. Deuteronomy 5:5 Literally “between Yahweh and between you”
  6. Deuteronomy 5:5 Or “declare”
  7. Deuteronomy 5:5 Literally “the faces of”
  8. Deuteronomy 5:5 Literally “To say”
  9. Deuteronomy 5:7 Literally “before my face”
  10. Deuteronomy 5:12 Literally “the day of the Sabbath”
  11. Deuteronomy 5:12 Or “to sanctify it”
  12. Deuteronomy 5:14 Literally “gates”
  13. Deuteronomy 5:15 Literally “the day of the Sabbath”
  14. Deuteronomy 5:16 Or “it may go well for you”
  15. Deuteronomy 5:16 Literally “on the ground”
  16. Deuteronomy 5:21 Literally “that is for your neighbor”
  17. Deuteronomy 5:22 Literally “and not he added”
  18. Deuteronomy 5:23 Literally “And it happened”
  19. Deuteronomy 5:23 Literally “and as/when you heard” or “at the moment of your hearing”
  20. Deuteronomy 5:24 Or “saw”
  21. Deuteronomy 5:24 Literally “and he lives”
  22. Deuteronomy 5:25 Literally “we do again to hear”; or “we are doing again to hear”
  23. Deuteronomy 5:26 Literally “and lives”
  24. Deuteronomy 5:27 Literally “all of that which”
  25. Deuteronomy 5:28 Literally “in/at you to speak to me”
  26. Deuteronomy 5:29 Literally “Who gives/will give”
  27. Deuteronomy 5:29 Literally “it would be their heart this to them”
  28. Deuteronomy 5:29 Literally “all the days”
  29. Deuteronomy 5:29 Literally “he/it is good”
  30. Deuteronomy 5:29 Literally “to eternity”
  31. Deuteronomy 5:33 Literally “In all the way/path”
  32. Deuteronomy 5:33 Literally “and good it is
  33. Deuteronomy 5:33 Literally “you may make long”