Exodus 20

1 And the Lord spoke all these words: [a] 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 You are to have no other gods besides me. 4 You are not to make yourself an idol, or a likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the waters under the earth. 5 You are not to bow down to them, and you are not to serve them. For I am the Lord your God, a jealous God, paying back the sins of fathers onto children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 and showing mercy to thousands — to those who love me and keep my decrees. 7 You are not to take up the name of the Lord your God for what is empty; for the Lord will not hold clean anyone who takes up his name for what is empty. 8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you are to labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you are to do no work — you, and your son and your daughter, your servant and your servant girl, your ox and your donkey and all your cattle, and the newcomer who lives among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, and he rested on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the seventh day and made it holy. 12 Honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well with you and you may live long on the good land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 You are not to commit adultery. 14 You are not to steal. 15 You are not to murder. [b] 16 You are not to give false witness against your neighbor. 17 You are not to set your desire on your neighbor’s wife. You are not to set your desire on your neighbor’s house, or his field, or his servant, or his servant girl, or his ox, or his donkey, or any animal of his, or anything at all that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 And all the people were seeing the voice and the torches and the voice of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and all the people were afraid, and they stood far off. [c] 19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us — and let God not speak to us, or we will die.” 20 And Moses said to them, “Take courage. God has come to you to test you, so that the fear of him may be in you — so that you do not sin.” 21 And the people stood far off, and Moses went into the thick darkness where God was.

22 And the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. 23 You are not to make yourselves gods of silver, and gods of gold you are not to make for yourselves. 24 You are to make me an altar of earth, and on it you are to sacrifice your whole burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, your sheep and your calves, in every place where I put my name; and I will come to you and bless you. [d] 25 And if you make me an altar of stones, you are not to build it of cut stone — for you have laid your blade on them, and they are defiled. 26 And you are not to go up to my altar by steps, so that your nakedness is not uncovered on it.”