Exodus

The second book of Moses, called Exodus, chapter 20, New English Translation and King James Version

Chapter 20 New English Translation

The Decalogue

   1 God spoke all these words:
   2 "I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.
   3 "You shall have no other gods before me.
   4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, 6 and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
   7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold guiltless anyone who takes his name in vain.
   8 "Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart as holy. 9 For six days you may labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; on it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your cattle, or the resident foreigner who is in your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
   12 "Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you.
   13 "You shall not murder.
   14 "You shall not commit adultery.
   15 "You shall not steal.
   16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
   17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. 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 belongs to your neighbor."
   18 all the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking - and when the people saw it they trembled with fear and kept their distance. 19 they said to Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak with us, lest we die." 20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you so that you do not sin." 21 The people kept their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

The Altar

   22 The LORD said to Moses: "Thus you will tell the Israelites: 'You yourselves have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven. 23 You must not make gods of silver alongside me, nor make gods of gold for yourselves.
   24 'You must make for me an altar made of earth, and you will sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be honored I will come to you and I will bless you. 25 if you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of stones shaped with tools, for if you use your tool on it you have defiled it. 26 And you must not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed.'

King James Version

   1 And God spake all these words, saying,
   2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
   3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
   4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
   5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
   6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
   7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
   8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
   9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
   10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
   11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
   12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
   13 Thou shalt not kill.
   14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
   15 Thou shalt not steal.
   16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
   17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
   18 ¶ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
   19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
   20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
   21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
   22 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
   23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
   24 ¶ An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
   25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.
   26 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.