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Exodus 20

New International Reader’s Version



1 Here are all the words God spoke. He said, 2 ‘I am the LORD your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves. 3 ‘Do not put any other gods in place of me. 4 ‘Do not make for yourself statues of gods that look like anything in the sky. They may not look like anything on the earth or in the waters either. 5 Do not bow down to them or worship them. I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God. I cause the sins of the parents to affect their children. I will cause the sins of those who hate me to affect even their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 6 But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 ‘Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will find guilty anyone who misuses his name. 8 ‘Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. 9 Do all your work in six days. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to honour the LORD your God. Do not do any work on that day. The same command applies to your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and your animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your towns. 11 In six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in them. But he rested on the seventh day. So the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 ‘Honour your father and mother. Then you will live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 ‘Do not murder. 14 ‘Do not commit adultery. 15 ‘Do not steal. 16 ‘Do not be a false witness against your neighbour. 17 ‘Do not want to have anything your neighbour owns. Do not want to have your neighbour’s house, wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey.’ 18 The people saw the thunder and lightning. They heard the trumpet. They saw the mountain covered with smoke. They trembled with fear and stayed a long way off. 19 They said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself. Then we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us. If he does, we’ll die.’ 20 Moses said to the people, ‘Don’t be afraid. God has come to test you. He wants you to have respect for him. That will keep you from sinning.’ 21 Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. But the people remained a long way off. 



22 Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Here is what you must tell the people of Israel. Say to them, “You have seen for yourselves what I said to you from heaven. 23 Do not put any other gods in place of me. Do not make silver or gold statues of them for yourselves. 24 ‘ “Make an altar out of soil for me. Sacrifice your burnt offerings and friendship offerings on it. Sacrifice your sheep, goats and cattle on it. I will come to you and bless you everywhere I cause my name to be honoured. 25 If you make an altar out of stones to honour me, do not build it with blocks of stone. You will make it ‘unclean’ if you use a tool on it. 26 Do not walk up steps to my altar. If you do, someone might see your naked body under your robes.” 

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Exodus 20

English Standard Version



1 And God spoke all these words, saying, (De 5:6; De 5:22) 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Le 26:13; Ps 81:10; Ho 13:4) 3 “You shall have no other gods before[1] me. (2Ki 17:35; Jer 25:6; Jer 35:15) 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (Le 26:1; De 27:15; Ps 97:7; Ac 17:29) 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (Ex 23:24; Ex 34:7; Ex 34:14; Nu 14:18; De 4:24; De 6:15; Jos 23:7; Jos 24:19; Ps 79:8; Ps 109:14; Isa 65:6; Jer 32:18; Na 1:2) 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands[2] 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 him guiltless who takes his name in vain. (Le 19:12; Mt 5:34; Jas 5:12) 8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Ex 31:13; Le 19:3; Le 19:30; Le 26:2) 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, (Ex 23:12; Ex 34:21; Ex 35:2; Le 23:3; Lu 13:14) 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, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. (Ge 2:2; Ex 16:26; Ex 31:15; Nu 15:32; Ne 13:16; Eze 20:12) 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Ge 1:1) 12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Le 19:3; Jer 35:18; Mt 15:4; Mt 19:19; Mr 7:10; Mr 10:19; Lu 18:20; Eph 6:2; Eph 6:3) 13 “You shall not murder.[3] (Ge 9:5; Mt 5:21; Mt 19:18; Ro 13:9; 1Jo 3:15) 14 “You shall not commit adultery. (Le 18:20; De 22:22; Pr 6:32; Mt 5:27; Ro 13:9; 1Co 6:9; Heb 13:4) 15 “You shall not steal. (Le 19:11; Mt 19:18; Ro 13:9; Eph 4:28) 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Ex 23:1; De 19:16; Pr 19:5; Pr 19:9; Pr 21:28; Pr 24:28; Pr 25:18; Mt 19:18) 17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Jer 5:8; Mic 2:2; Mt 5:28; Lu 12:15; Ro 7:7; Ro 13:9; Eph 5:3; Eph 5:5; Col 3:5; Heb 13:5) 18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid[4] and trembled, and they stood far off (Heb 12:18) 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” (De 5:25; De 5:27; De 18:16; Ga 3:19; Heb 12:19) 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, that you may not sin.” (Ge 22:1; De 13:3; 1Sa 12:20) 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. (De 4:11; 2Sa 22:10; 1Ki 8:12; Ps 18:9; Ps 97:2) 



22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. (De 4:36; Ne 9:13; Heb 12:25) 23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. (Ex 32:31; 2Ki 17:33; Eze 20:39; Zep 1:5) 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. (De 7:13; De 12:5; De 12:11; De 14:23; De 16:6; De 16:11; De 26:2; 1Ki 8:29; 1Ki 9:3; 2Ch 6:6; 2Ch 7:16; 2Ch 12:13; Ezr 6:12; Ne 1:9; Ps 74:7; Jer 7:10; Jer 7:12) 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. (De 27:5; Jos 8:31; 1Ki 5:17; 1Ch 22:2) 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’ 

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