Exodus, 20

1. God spoke all these words.

2. He said, "I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3. Do not have other gods before me.

4. Do not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth;

5. you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God; for the sin of the fathers, when they rebel against me, I punish the sons, the grandsons and the great-grandsons;

6. but I show steadfast love until the thousandth generation for those who love me and keep my commandments.

7. Do not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who takes his name in vain.

8. Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.

9. For six days you will labor and do all your work,

10. but the seventh day is a sabbath for Yahweh your God. Do not work that day, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals, nor the stranger who is staying with you.

11. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why Yahweh has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

12. Honor your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land that Yahweh has given you.

13. Do not kill.

14. Do not commit adultery.

15. Do not steal.

16. Do not give false witness against your neighbor.

17. Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his."

18. In the meantime, all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning and heard the blast of the trumpet and saw the mountain smoking. They trembled with fear and kept at a distance.

19. Then they said to Moses, "You yourself speak to us and we shall listen. But do not have God speak to us, lest we die."

20. Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that the fear of God may be with you, and that you may not sin again."

21. So the people kept at a distance while Moses went forward to the cloud where God was.

22. Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from the heavens.

23. Do not make any gods of silver or gold to stand beside me.

24. For me you are to make an altar of earth, and on it you will sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where you come to remember my name, I will come to you and bless you.

25. If you build an altar of stone, do not make it of cut stones, for you will defile it by using tools on it.

26. And you will not ascend my altar on steps lest you expose your nakedness on it.