Deuteronomy 5
Common English Bible
Ten Commandments
5 Moses called out to all Israel, saying to them: “Israel! Listen to the regulations and the case laws that I’m recounting in your hearing right now. Learn them and carefully do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Horeb. 3 The Lord didn’t make this covenant with our ancestors but with us—all of us who are here and alive right now. 4 The Lord spoke with you face-to-face on the mountain from the very fire itself. 5 At that time, I was standing between the Lord and you, declaring to you the Lord’s word, because you were terrified of the fire and didn’t go up on the mountain.”
The Lord said:
6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 You must have no other gods before[a] me. 8 Do not make an idol for yourself—no form whatsoever—of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 Do not bow down to them or worship them because I, the Lord your God, am a passionate God. I punish children for their parents’ sins—even to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me. 10 But I am loyal and gracious to the thousandth generation[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
11 Do not use the Lord your God’s name as if it were of no significance; the Lord won’t forgive anyone who uses his name that way.
12 Keep the Sabbath day and treat it as holy, exactly as the Lord your God commanded: 13 Six days you may work and do all your tasks, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Don’t do any work on it—not you, your sons or daughters, your male or female servants, your oxen or donkeys or any of your animals, or the immigrant who is living among you—so that your male and female servants can rest just like you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That’s why the Lord your God commands you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother, exactly as the Lord your God requires, so that your life will be long and so that things will go well for you on the fertile land that the Lord your God is giving you.
17 Do not kill.[c]
18 Do not commit adultery.
19 Do not steal.
20 Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
21 Do not desire and try to take your neighbor’s wife.
Do not crave your neighbor’s house, field, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.
22 Those are the words the Lord spoke to your entire assembly with a loud voice while on the mountain, from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick smoke. He added no more. God wrote them on two stone tablets, then gave them to me.
Moses’ intercessory role
23 Now once you heard the voice from the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, you came to me—more specifically, all the chiefs of your tribes and your elders came— 24 and you said: “Look here! The Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness. We’ve heard his voice come out of the very fire itself. We’ve seen firsthand that God can speak to a human being and they can survive! 25 But why should we die? Surely this massive fire will consume us! If we hear any more of the Lord our God’s voice, we will die. 26 Is there anyone who has heard the living God’s voice speaking out of the very fire itself, like we have, and survived? 27 You go and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us all that the Lord our God speaks to you. We’ll listen and we’ll do it.”
28 The Lord heard what you said, when you said this to me. The Lord then told me: I heard what the people said when they spoke with you. Everything they suggest is good. 29 If only their minds were like this: always fearing me and keeping all my commandments so that things would go well for them and their children forever! 30 Go and tell them: You may go back to your tents. 31 But you, Moses, must stay here with me. I will tell you all the commandments,[d] the regulations, and the case laws that you must teach the Israelites to do in the land that I am giving them to possess.
32 So you must carefully do exactly what the Lord your God commands you. Don’t deviate even a bit! 33 You must walk the precise path that the Lord your God indicates for you so that you will live, and so that things will go well for you, and so you will extend your time on the land that you will possess.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 5:7 Or besides
- Deuteronomy 5:10 Or to thousands
- Deuteronomy 5:17 Or murder
- Deuteronomy 5:31 Heb is singular, commandment (see 6:1).
Deuteronomy 5
New American Standard Bible
The Ten Commandments Repeated
5 Now Moses summoned all Israel and said to them:
“Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances which I am speaking today [a]for you to hear, so that you may learn them and be careful to do them. 2 The Lord our God made (A)a covenant with us at Horeb. 3 (B)The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, all [b]of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke with you (C)face to face at the mountain (D)from the midst of the fire, 5 while (E)I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; (F)for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up on the mountain. [c]He said,
6 ‘(G)I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [d]slavery.
7 ‘(H)You shall have no other gods besides Me.
8 ‘(I)You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any [e]likeness of what is in heaven above [f]or on the earth beneath [g]or in the water under the earth. 9 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (J)inflicting the [h]punishment of the fathers on the children, [i]even on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but (K)showing [j]favor to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11 ‘(L)You shall not take the name of the Lord your God [k]in vain, for the Lord will not [l]leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.
12 ‘(M)Keep the Sabbath day to treat it as holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 For six days you [m]shall labor and do all your work, 14 but (N)the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; you shall not do any work that day, you or your son or your daughter, or your male slave or your female slave, or your ox, your donkey, or any of your cattle, or your [n]resident who [o]stays with you, so that your male slave and your female slave may rest as well as you. 15 (O)And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to [p]celebrate the Sabbath day.
16 ‘(P)Honor your father and your mother, just as the Lord your God has commanded you, (Q)so that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well for you on the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
17 ‘(R)You shall not murder.
18 ‘(S)You shall not commit adultery.
19 ‘(T)You shall not steal.
20 ‘(U)You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
21 ‘(V)You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male slave or his female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’
Moses Interceded
22 “These words the Lord spoke to your whole assembly at the mountain from the midst of the fire, from the cloud, and from the thick darkness, with a great voice, and He added nothing more. (W)He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. 24 You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with mankind, yet he lives. 25 (X)Now then, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, then we will die! 26 For (Y)who is there of [q]humanity who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 [r]Go near and listen to everything that the Lord our God says; then speak to us everything that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will listen and do it.’
28 “Now the Lord heard the sound of your words when you spoke to me, (Z)and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the sound of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. 29 (AA)If only they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and (AB)keep all My commandments always, so that (AC)it would go well with them and with their sons forever! 30 Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 (AD)But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, so that they may [s]follow them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ 32 So you shall be careful to do just as the Lord your God has commanded you; (AE)you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. 33 (AF)You shall walk [t]entirely in the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, (AG)so that you may live and that it may be well for you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 5:1 Lit in your ears
- Deuteronomy 5:3 Lit these of us ourselves
- Deuteronomy 5:5 Lit saying
- Deuteronomy 5:6 Lit slaves
- Deuteronomy 5:8 Or manifestation
- Deuteronomy 5:8 Lit or what is on
- Deuteronomy 5:8 Lit or what is on
- Deuteronomy 5:9 I.e., punishment for the wrongdoing
- Deuteronomy 5:9 Or and on
- Deuteronomy 5:10 Or faithfulness
- Deuteronomy 5:11 I.e., uselessly or abusively
- Deuteronomy 5:11 Or hold guiltless
- Deuteronomy 5:13 Or may
- Deuteronomy 5:14 Lit stranger
- Deuteronomy 5:14 Lit is in your gates
- Deuteronomy 5:15 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 5:26 Lit all flesh
- Deuteronomy 5:27 Lit Go yourself
- Deuteronomy 5:31 Lit perform
- Deuteronomy 5:33 Lit in all the way of
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
