Exodus 20

Modern

Literal

The Ten Commandments

¹And God spoke all these words:

¹And God spoke all these words, saying,

²“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

²“I am YHWH your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³You shall have no other gods before Me.^a

³You shall have no other gods before My face.

⁴You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

⁴You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters under the earth.

⁵You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

⁵You shall not bow down to them and you shall not serve them; for I, YHWH your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers on sons on the third and on the fourth for those who hate Me,

⁶but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations^a of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁶and showing loving devotion to thousands for those who love Me and for those who keep My commandments.

⁷You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

⁷You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain, for YHWH will not hold guiltless him who takes His name in vain.

⁸Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

⁸Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it.

⁹Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

⁹Six days you shall labor and you shall do all your work,

¹⁰but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.

¹⁰and the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH your God; you shall not do any work—you, and your son, and your daughter, your manservant, and your maidservant, and your livestock, and your sojourner who is within your gates.

¹¹For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

¹¹For in six days YHWH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and He rested on the seventh day. Therefore YHWH blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

¹²Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.^a

¹²Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long upon the land that YHWH your God is giving to you.

¹³You shall not murder.^a

¹³You shall not murder.

¹⁴You shall not commit adultery.^a

¹⁴You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵You shall not steal.^a

¹⁵You shall not steal.

¹⁶You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.^a

¹⁶You shall not answer against your neighbor as a false witness.

¹⁷You shall not covet^a your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁷You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; you shall not covet the wife of your neighbor, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Moses Comforts the People

¹⁸When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance.

¹⁸And all the people were seeing the voices, and the flames, and the voice of the shofar, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and they trembled and they stood from afar.

¹⁹“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”

¹⁹And they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen; and let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

²⁰“Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.”

²⁰And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come in order to test you, and in order that His fear may be before your faces, so that you may not sin.”

²¹And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

²¹And the people stood from afar, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Idolatry Forbidden

²²Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.

²²And YHWH said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from the heavens.

²³You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.

²³You shall not make alongside Me gods of silver; and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

²⁴You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

²⁴An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings, and your peace offerings, your flock, and your herd. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and I will bless you.

²⁵Now if you make an altar of stones for Me, you must not build it with stones shaped by tools; for if you use a chisel on it, you will defile it.

²⁵And if you make an altar of stone for Me, you shall not build them of cut stone, for if you wave your tool on it, then you have profaned it.

²⁶And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’

²⁶And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.’