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Read Exodus Chapter 20

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1And God spake all these words, saying,

2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4Thou 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:

5Thou 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;

6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

7Thou 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.

8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10But 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:

11For 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.

12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

13Thou shalt not kill.

14Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15Thou shalt not steal.

16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17Thou 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.

18And 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.

19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

20And 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.

21And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

22And 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.

23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

24An 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.

25And 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.

26Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.

You are readingKing James Version

Explanation

Exodus 20

In short

God speaks ten fundamental rules to the people of Israel. The first four rules are about worshipping God alone and treating him with respect. The remaining six rules are about how people should treat each other. When the people hear God's voice directly, they become afraid and ask Moses to speak for them instead.

What the text says

God begins by reminding the people he rescued them from slavery in Egypt (verses 1-2). He then gives them ten commandments: worship no other gods (verse 3), do not make carved images to worship (verses 4-5), do not misuse God's name (verse 7), keep the seventh day holy by resting from work (verses 8-11), honour your parents (verse 12), do not kill (verse 13), do not commit adultery (verse 14), do not steal (verse 15), do not lie about others (verse 16), and do not desire what belongs to your neighbour (verse 17).

God adds that he shows mercy to those who love him and obey him (verse 6).

The people see lightning, hear thunder, and see the mountain smoking (verse 18). Frightened, they ask Moses to speak God's words to them rather than hear God directly (verse 19). Moses tells them to fear God and obey so they will not sin (verse 20). Moses then goes near to God while the people stay at a distance (verse 21).

God tells Moses to remind the people not to make gods of silver or gold (verses 22-23), and gives instructions about making altars from earth or uncut stone (verses 24-26).

Takeaways

  • God's rules address both duties toward him and duties toward other people.
  • The people respond to God's direct voice with fear, creating a need for Moses to be their mediator.
  • God promises mercy to those who keep his commandments, not just punishment for those who break them.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.