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Ten Commandments for the Covenant Community

Moses called all the people of Israel together and said, “Listen carefully, Israel. Hear the decrees and regulations I am giving you today, so you may learn them and obey them!

“The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Sinai.[a] The Lord did not make this covenant with our ancestors, but with all of us who are alive today. At the mountain the Lord spoke to you face to face from the heart of the fire. I stood as an intermediary between you and the Lord, for you were afraid of the fire and did not want to approach the mountain. He spoke to me, and I passed his words on to you. This is what he said:

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

“You must not have any other god but me.

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 10 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands.

11 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your oxen and donkeys and other livestock, and any foreigners living among you. All your male and female servants must rest as you do. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day.

16 “Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

17 “You must not murder.

18 “You must not commit adultery.

19 “You must not steal.

20 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

21 “You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

22 “The Lord spoke these words to all of you assembled there at the foot of the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

23 “But when you heard the voice from the heart of the darkness, while the mountain was blazing with fire, all your tribal leaders and elders came to me. 24 They said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans, and yet we live! 25 But now, why should we risk death again? If the Lord our God speaks to us again, we will certainly die and be consumed by this awesome fire. 26 Can any living thing hear the voice of the living God from the heart of the fire as we did and yet survive? 27 Go yourself and listen to what the Lord our God says. Then come and tell us everything he tells you, and we will listen and obey.’

28 “The Lord heard the request you made to me. And he said, ‘I have heard what the people said to you, and they are right. 29 Oh, that they would always have hearts like this, that they might fear me and obey all my commands! If they did, they and their descendants would prosper forever. 30 Go and tell them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But you stand here with me so I can give you all my commands, decrees, and regulations. You must teach them to the people so they can obey them in the land I am giving them as their possession.’”

32 So Moses told the people, “You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. 33 Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

Footnotes

  1. 5:2 Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
  2. 5:10 Hebrew for thousands of those.

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”