20Verse 1And God spoke all these words:Verse 2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.Verse 3You shall have no other gods before Me.+Verse 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.Verse 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,Verse 6but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations+of those who love Me and keep My commandments.Verse 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.Verse 8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.Verse 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work,Verse 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.Verse 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.Verse 12Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.+Verse 13You shall not murder.+Verse 14You shall not commit adultery.+Verse 15You shall not steal.+Verse 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.+Verse 17You shall not covet+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.”
Moses Comforts the People
Verse 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.Verse 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.”Verse 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.”Verse 21And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Idolatry Forbidden
Verse 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.Verse 23You are not to make any gods alongside Me; you are not to make for yourselves gods of silver or gold.Verse 24You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your ascension offerings and well-being 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.Verse 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.Verse 26And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’