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Exodus 19:1-20:21
New King James Version
Exodus 19:1-20:21
New King James Version
Israel at Mount Sinai
19 In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, (A)they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they had departed from (B)Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before (C)the mountain.
3 And (D)Moses went up to God, and the Lord (E)called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 (F)‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how (G)I [a]bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. 5 Now (H)therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and (I)keep My covenant, then (J)you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is (K)Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a (L)kingdom of priests and a (M)holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
7 So Moses came and called for the (N)elders of the people, and [b]laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. 8 Then (O)all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you (P)in the thick cloud, (Q)that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”
So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and (R)consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. 11 And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. (S)Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain.”
14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; (T)do not come near your wives.”
16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were (U)thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp (V)trembled. 17 And (W)Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now (X)Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon (Y)it in fire. (Z)Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and [c]the (AA)whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, (AB)Moses spoke, and (AC)God answered him by voice. 20 Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through (AD)to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. 22 Also let the (AE)priests who come near the Lord (AF)consecrate themselves, lest the Lord (AG)break out against them.”
23 But Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, (AH)‘Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”
24 Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.
The Ten Commandments(AI)
20 And God spoke (AJ)all these words, saying:
2 (AK)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, (AL)out of the house of [d]bondage.
3 (AM)“You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 (AN)“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 (AO)you shall not bow down to them nor [e]serve them. (AP)For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (AQ)visiting[f] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but (AR)showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 (AS)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord (AT)will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 (AU)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 (AV)Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the (AW)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, (AX)nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For (AY)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 (AZ)“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be (BA)long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
13 (BB)“You shall not murder.
14 (BC)“You shall not commit (BD)adultery.
15 (BE)“You shall not steal.
16 (BF)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 (BG)“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; (BH)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
The People Afraid of God’s Presence
18 Now (BI)all the people (BJ)witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain (BK)smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. 19 Then they said to Moses, (BL)“You speak with us, and we will hear; but (BM)let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
20 And Moses said to the people, (BN)“Do not fear; (BO)for God has come to test you, and (BP)that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near (BQ)the thick darkness where God was.
Footnotes
- Exodus 19:4 sustained
- Exodus 19:7 set
- Exodus 19:18 LXX all the people
- Exodus 20:2 slaves
- Exodus 20:5 worship
- Exodus 20:5 punishing
Exodus 19:1-20:21
New International Version
Exodus 19:1-20:21
New International Version
At Mount Sinai
19 On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt(A)—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai.(B) 2 After they set out from Rephidim,(C) they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.(D)
3 Then Moses went up to God,(E) and the Lord called(F) to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt,(G) and how I carried you on eagles’ wings(H) and brought you to myself.(I) 5 Now if you obey me fully(J) and keep my covenant,(K) then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.(L) Although the whole earth(M) is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests(N) and a holy nation.’(O) These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders(P) of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.(Q) 8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.”(R) So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.
9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud,(S) so that the people will hear me speaking(T) with you and will always put their trust(U) in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate(V) them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes(W) 11 and be ready by the third day,(X) because on that day the Lord will come down(Y) on Mount Sinai(Z) in the sight of all the people. 12 Put limits(AA) for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain is to be put to death. 13 They are to be stoned(AB) or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn(AC) sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”(AD)
14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.(AE) 15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain(AF) from sexual relations.”
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder(AG) and lightning, with a thick cloud(AH) over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast.(AI) Everyone in the camp trembled.(AJ) 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.(AK) 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke,(AL) because the Lord descended on it in fire.(AM) The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace,(AN) and the whole mountain[b] trembled(AO) violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice(AP) of God answered(AQ) him.[c]
20 The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai(AR) and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up 21 and the Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see(AS) the Lord and many of them perish.(AT) 22 Even the priests, who approach(AU) the Lord, must consecrate(AV) themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”(AW)
23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai,(AX) because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits(AY) around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”
24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron(AZ) up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”(BA)
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
The Ten Commandments(BB)
20 And God spoke(BC) all these words:(BD)
2 “I am the Lord your God,(BE) who brought you out(BF) of Egypt,(BG) out of the land of slavery.(BH)
3 “You shall have no other gods before[d] me.(BI)
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image(BJ) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship(BK) them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(BL) punishing the children for the sin of the parents(BM) to the third and fourth generation(BN) of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand(BO) generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.(BP)
8 “Remember the Sabbath(BQ) day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,(BR) 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath(BS) to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,(BT) the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested(BU) on the seventh day.(BV) Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother,(BW) so that you may live long(BX) in the land(BY) the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.(BZ)
14 “You shall not commit adultery.(CA)
15 “You shall not steal.(CB)
16 “You shall not give false testimony(CC) against your neighbor.(CD)
17 “You shall not covet(CE) your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet(CF) and saw the mountain in smoke,(CG) they trembled with fear.(CH) They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak(CI) to us or we will die.”(CJ)
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.(CK) God has come to test(CL) you, so that the fear(CM) of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”(CN)
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness(CO) where God was.
Footnotes
- Exodus 19:6 Or possession, for the whole earth is mine. 6 You
- Exodus 19:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint and all the people
- Exodus 19:19 Or and God answered him with thunder
- Exodus 20:3 Or besides
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.