Exodus 20
20
The Ten Commandments
(Deuteronomy 5.1-21)
1God said to the people of Israel:
2I am the Lord your God, the one who brought you out of Egypt where you were slaves.
3Do not worship any god except me.
4 #
Ex 34.17; Lv 19.4; 26.1; Dt 4.15-18; 27.14-26. Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. 5#Ex 34.6,7; Nu 14.18; Dt 7.9,10. Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. 6But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.
7 #
Lv 19.12. Do not misuse my name.#20.7 misuse my name: Probably includes breaking promises, telling lies after swearing to tell the truth, using the Lord's name as a curse word or a magic formula, and trying to control the Lord by using his name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name.
8 #
Ex 16.23-30; 31.12-15. Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. 9#Ex 23.12; 31.14,15; 34.21; 35.2; Lv 23.3. You have six days when you can do your work, 10but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. 11#Gn 2.1-3; Ex 31.17. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.
12 #
Dt 27.14-26; Mt 15.4; 19.19; Mk 7.10; 10.19; Lk 18.20; Eph 6.2;
Eph 6.3. Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you.
13 #
Gn 9.5,6; Lv 24.17; Mt 5.21; 19.18; Mk 10.19; Lk 18.20; Ro 13.9; Jas 2.11. Do not murder.
14 #
Lv 20.10; Mt 5.27; 19.18; Mk 10.19; Lk 18.20; Ro 13.9; Jas 2.11. Be faithful in marriage.
15 #
Lv 19.11; Mt 19.18; Mk 10.19; Lk 18.20; Ro 13.9. Do not steal.
16 #
Ex 23.1; Mt 19.18; Mk 10.19; Lk 18.20. Do not tell lies about others.
17 #
Ro 7.7; 13.9. Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person—not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else.
The People Are Afraid
(Deuteronomy 5.23-33)
18 #
He 12.18,19. The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain. They stood a long way off 19and said to Moses, “If you speak to us, we will listen. But don't let God speak to us, or we will die!”
20“Don't be afraid!” Moses replied. “God has come only to test you, so that by obeying him you won't sin.” 21But when Moses went near the thick cloud where God was, the people stayed a long way off.
Idols and Altars
22The Lord told Moses to say to the people of Israel:
With your own eyes you saw me speak to you from heaven. 23So you must never make idols of silver or gold to worship in place of me.#20.23 in place of me: Or “together with me.”
24Build an altar out of earth, and offer on it your sacrifices#20.24 sacrifices: The Hebrew text mentions two types of sacrifices: Sacrifices to please the Lord (traditionally called “whole burnt offerings”) and sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing (traditionally called “peace offerings”). of sheep, goats, and cattle. Wherever I choose to be worshiped, I will come down to bless you. 25#Dt 27.5-7; Js 8.30-32. If you ever build an altar for me out of stones, do not use any tools to chisel the stones, because that would make the altar unfit for use in worship. 26And don't build an altar that requires steps; you might expose yourself when you climb up.
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Exodus 20: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Exodus 20
20
The Ten Commandments
(Deuteronomy 5:6–21)
1Then God spoke all these words:
2“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.
3“Never have any other god. 4Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. 5Never worship them or serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a God who does not tolerate rivals. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. 6But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.
7“Never use the name of the Lord your God carelessly. The Lord will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.
8“Remember the day of rest by observing it as a holy day. 9You have six days to do all your work. 10The seventh day is the day of rest—a holy day dedicated to the Lord your God. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your cattle, and the foreigners living in your city must never do any work ⌞on that day⌟. 11In six days the Lord made heaven, earth, and the sea, along with everything in them. He didn’t work on the seventh day. That’s why the Lord blessed the day he stopped his work and set this day apart as holy.
12“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live for a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13“Never murder.
14“Never commit adultery.
15“Never steal.
16“Never lie when you testify about your neighbor.
17“Never desire to take your neighbor’s household away from him.
“Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”
The People’s Reaction
18All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. 19Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we’ll die!”
20Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid! God has come only to test you, so that you will be in awe of him and won’t sin.”
21The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where God was.
General Rules for Worship
22The Lord said to Moses, “This is what you must say to the Israelites: You’ve seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23Never make any gods of silver or gold for yourselves. Never worship them.
24“You must build an altar for me made out of dirt. Sacrifice your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep, goats, and cattle on it. Wherever I choose to have my name remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 25If you build an altar for me made out of stones, never make it with cut stone blocks. If you use a chisel on it, you will make it unacceptable to me. 26Never use stairs to go up to my altar. Otherwise, people will be able to see under your clothes.”
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.