The Ten Commandments
1Moses sent for all the Israelites. Here is what he said to them.
Israel, listen to me. Here are the rules and laws I’m announcing to you today. Learn them well. Be sure to obey them. 2The Lord our God made a covenant with us at Mount Horeb. 3He didn’t make it only with our people of long ago. He also made it with us. In fact, he made it with all of us who are alive here today. 4The Lord spoke to you face to face. His voice came out of the fire on the mountain. 5At that time I stood between the Lord and you. I announced to you the Lord’s message. I did it because you were afraid of the fire. You didn’t go up the mountain.
The Lord said,
6“I am the Lord your God. I brought you out of Egypt. That is the land where you were slaves.
7“Do not put any other gods in place of me.
8“Do not make statues of gods that look like anything in the sky or on the earth or in the waters. 9Do not bow down to them or worship them. I am the Lord your God. I want you to worship only me. 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. 10But for all time to come I show love to all those who love me and keep my commandments.
11“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will find guilty anyone who misuses his name.
12“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Do this just as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13Do all your work in six days. 14But the seventh day is a sabbath to honor 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, your oxen, your donkeys and your other animals. It also applies to any outsiders who live in your towns. I want your male and female servants to rest, just as you do. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. The Lord your God reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm and brought you out of there. So the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day holy.
16“Honor your father and mother, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. Then you will live a long time in the land he is giving you. And things will go well with you there.
17“Do not murder.
18“Do not commit adultery.
19“Do not steal.
20“Do not be a false witness against your neighbor.
21“Do not want to have your neighbor’s wife. Do not desire anything your neighbor owns. Do not desire to have your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey.”
22These are the commandments the Lord announced in a loud voice to your whole community. He gave them to you there on the mountain. He spoke out of the fire, cloud and deep darkness. He didn’t add anything else. Then he wrote the commandments on two stone tablets. And he gave them to me.
23The mountain was blazing with fire. You heard the voice coming out of the darkness. So your elders and all the leaders of your tribes came to me. 24You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his glory and majesty. We have heard his voice coming out of the fire. Today we have seen that a person can still stay alive even if God speaks with them. 25But why should we die? This great fire will burn us up. We’ll die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God again. 26We have heard the voice of the living God. We’ve heard him speaking out of the fire. Has any other human being ever heard him speak like that and stayed alive? 27Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then tell us what he tells you. We will listen and obey.”
28The Lord heard you when you spoke to me. He said to me, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good. 29But I wish they would always have respect for me in their hearts. I wish they would always obey all my commands. Then things would go well with them and their children forever.
30“Go and tell them to return to their tents. 31But you stay here with me. Then I will give you all my commands, rules and laws. You must teach the people to obey them in the land I am giving them as their very own.”
32So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you. Don’t turn away from his commands to the right or the left. 33Live exactly as the Lord your God has commanded you to live. Then you will enjoy life in the land you will soon own. Things will go well with you there. You will live there for a long time.
十诫
1摩西把所有的以色列人召来，对他们说：“以色列人啊，要留心听我今天对你们宣讲的律例和典章，要学习并谨慎遵行。 2我们的上帝耶和华曾在何烈山与我们立约， 3这约不是与我们祖先立的，乃是与我们今天还活着的人立的。 4耶和华在山上的烈火中面对面跟你们说话。 5那时，因为你们害怕那烈火，没有到山上去，我就站在耶和华和你们中间，把耶和华的话传给你们。耶和华说，
6“‘我是你的上帝耶和华，曾把你领出埃及，使你不再受奴役。
7“‘除我以外，你不可有别的神。
8“‘不可为自己雕刻神像，不可仿照任何飞禽走兽或水族的样子造神像， 9不可跪拜它们，也不可供奉它们，因为我——你的上帝耶和华痛恨不贞，我必追讨背弃我之人的罪，从父到子直到三四代。 10但那些爱我、遵守我诫命的人，我必以慈爱待他们，直到千代。
11“‘不可妄用你上帝耶和华的名，违者必被耶和华定罪。
12“‘要遵照你的上帝耶和华的吩咐守安息日为圣日。 13你一周可工作六天， 14但第七天是你的上帝耶和华的安息日，你和儿女、仆婢、牛驴等牲畜以及你那里的外族人在这一天不可做任何工，好让仆婢和你一样得到休息。 15要记住，你曾在埃及做奴隶，你的上帝耶和华伸出臂膀，用大能的手把你从那里领出来。因此，你的上帝耶和华吩咐你守安息日。
16“‘要遵照你的上帝耶和华的吩咐孝敬父母，以便在你的上帝耶和华要赐给你的土地上享长寿，蒙祝福。
17“‘不可杀人。
18“‘不可通奸。
19“‘不可偷盗。
20“‘不可作伪证陷害人。
21“‘不可贪恋别人的妻子，不可贪图别人的房屋、田地、仆婢、牛驴或其他任何物品。’
22“这是耶和华在山上的烈火、乌云和幽暗中高声颁布给你们全体会众的诫命。此外，祂没有说别的。祂把这些话写在两块石版上交给我。 23当时，山上燃烧着烈焰，你们听见声音从黑暗中传来。你们各支派的首领和长老都到我跟前， 24说，‘看啊，我们的上帝耶和华向我们彰显了祂的荣耀和威严，我们听见了祂从火中发出的声音。今天我们已经看见，人听见上帝说话后还能活着。 25但我们何必冒死，被这烈火吞噬呢？我们若再次听到我们的上帝耶和华的声音，必然丧命。 26世上有谁像我们一样听见永活上帝从火中说话后还能活着呢？ 27你去听听我们上帝耶和华所说的话，然后回来告诉我们，我们必听从、遵行。’
28“耶和华听见了你们的话，就对我说，‘我听见了众人对你说的话，他们所说的都对。 29但愿他们常常敬畏我，遵从我的一切诫命，以便他们和他们的子孙世世代代可以蒙福。 30你吩咐他们回到自己的帐篷， 31然后你再回到我这里来，我要把所有的诫命、律例和典章都赐给你，你要把这些传授给众人，使他们可以在我要赐给他们的土地上遵行。’ 32所以，你们要谨遵你们上帝耶和华的吩咐，不可偏离左右。 33这样，你们便得享长寿，并且可以在你们将要占领的土地上兴盛。
