16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a loud trumpet sound, so that all the people in the camp shuddered. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD came down on it in fire. (A) Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, (B) and the whole mountain shook violently. (C) 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder. (D)
20 The L
ORD came down on Mount Sinai, at the top of the mountain. Then the L
ORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up.
21 The L
ORD directed Moses, "Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the L
ORD; otherwise many of them will die.
(E) 22 Even the priests who come near the L
ORD must purify themselves or the L
ORD will break out [in anger] against them."
(F) 23 But Moses responded to the L
ORD, "The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, since You warned us: Put a boundary around the mountain and consider it holy."
24 And the L
ORD replied to him, "Go down and come back with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the L
ORD, or He will break out [in anger] against them."
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.
Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
1 Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the L
ORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
(G) 3 Do not have other gods besides Me.
(H) 4 Do not make an idol
(I) for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth.
5 You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the L
ORD your God, am a jealous God,
(J) punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth [generations]
(K) of those who hate Me,
6 but showing faithful love to a thousand [generations] of those who love Me and keep My commands.
(L) 7 Do not misuse the name of the L
ORD your God, because the L
ORD will punish anyone who misuses His name.
(M) 8 Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day:
(N) 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work,
(O) 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the L
ORD your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates.
(P) 11 For the L
ORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the L
ORD blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother
(Q) so that you may have a long life in the land that the L
ORD your God is giving you.
13 Do not murder.
(R) 14 Do not commit adultery.
(S) 15 Do not steal.
(T) 16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
(U) 17 Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
(V) The People's Reaction
18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain [surrounded by] smoke. When the people saw [it] they trembled and stood at a distance.
(W) 19 "You speak to us, and we will listen," they said to Moses, "but don't let God speak to us, or we will die."
(X) 20 Moses responded to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear Him and will not sin."
(Y) 21 And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
(Z) Moses Receives Additional Laws
22 Then the L
ORD told Moses, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
(AA) 23 You must not make gods of silver to rival Me; you must not make [gods of gold] for yourselves.
(AB) 24 "You must make an earthen altar for Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats, as well as your cattle. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause My name to be remembered.
(AC) 25 If you make a stone altar for Me, you must not build it out of cut stones. If you use your chisel on it, you will defile it.
(AD) 26 You must not go up to My altar on steps, so that your nakedness is not exposed on it.
Exodus 21
1 "These are the ordinances that you must set before them:
Laws about Slaves
2 "When you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for six years; then in the seventh he is to leave as a free man without paying anything.
(AE) 3 If he arrives alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrives with a wife, his wife is to leave with him.
4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the man must leave alone.
5 "But if the slave declares: 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,
(AF) '
6 his master is to bring him to the judges and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His master must pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.
7 "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she is not to leave as the male slaves do.
(AG) 8 If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her.
9 Or if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her according to the customary treatment of daughters.
10 If he takes an additional wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.
(AH) 11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she may leave free of charge, without any exchange of money.
Laws about Personal Injury
12 "Whoever strikes a person so that he dies must be put to death.
(AI) 13 But if he didn't intend any harm, and yet God caused it to happen by his hand, I will appoint a place for you where he may flee.
(AJ) 14 If a person willfully acts against his neighbor to murder him by scheming, you must take him from My altar to be put to death.
(AK) 15 "Whoever strikes his father or his mother must be put to death.
16 "Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession.
(AL) 17 "Whoever curses his father or his mother must be put to death.
(AM) 18 "When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist, and the injured man does not die but is confined to bed,
19 if he can [later] get up and walk around outside [leaning] on his staff, then the one who struck [him] will be exempt from punishment. Nevertheless, he must pay for his lost work time and provide for [his] complete recovery.
20 "When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his abuse, the owner must be punished.
21 However, if the slave can stand up after a day or two, the owner should not be punished because he is his [owner's] property.
(AN)