The Fifth Book of Moses: Deuteronomy

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- Chapter 5 -

Moses summoned all the people of Israel and said to them, ”You Israelite people, listen to all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today. Learn them and be sure to obey them.

When we were at Mount Sinai, Yahweh our God made a covenant with us.

But this covenant was not only for our ancestors. He made it also for us, who are alive now.

Yahweh spoke with us face to face on that mountain, from the middle of the fire.

The Ten Commandments

(Exodus 20:1–17)

On that day, I stood between your ancestors and Yahweh to tell them what he said, because they were afraid of the fire, and they did not want to climb up the mountain. This is what Yahweh said:

’I am Yahweh your God, the one you worship. I am the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves there.

You must worship only me; you must not worship any other god.

You must not make a carved figure of anything that represents any living creature that exists in the skies, or on the earth, in the waters of the earth.

You must not bow down to any idol and worship it, because I am Yahweh God, and I will not tolerate you doing that. I will punish anyone who does that, and their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

But I will steadfastly love thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.

Do not speak my name carelessly or for wrong purposes, because I am Yahweh God, the one whom you should worship, and I will certainly punish those who do that.

Do not forget that the seventh day of every week is for you to honor me specially, as I, Yahweh your God, am commanding you.

There are six days each week for you to do all your work,

but the seventh day is a rest day, a day dedicated to me, Yahweh your God. On that day you must not do any work. You and your sons and daughters and your male and female slaves must not work. You must not even force your livestock to work, and you must not tell foreigners to work, those who are living in your country. You must allow your slaves to rest on that day just like you do.

Do not forget that you were slaves in Egypt, and that I, Yahweh your God, brought you out from there by my very great power. That is the reason that I am commanding that all of you must rest on the seventh day each week.

Honor your fathers and your mothers, just like I, Yahweh your God, am commanding you, in order that you as a people group may live a long time in the land that I, Yahweh your God, will give you, and in order that things will go well for you there.

Do not murder anyone.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal anything.

Do not tell lies about anyone when you are speaking in court.

Do not covet someone else's wife, someone else's house, someone else's fields, someone else's male slave or female slave, someone else's livestock, someone else's donkeys, or anything else that another person owns.

Moses Intercedes for the People

(Exodus 20:18–21; Hebrews 12:18–29)

Those are the commandments that Yahweh spoke to your ancestors. When they were gathered there at the bottom of the mountain, he spoke with a very loud voice from the middle of the fire, and there were dark clouds surrounding the mountain. He spoke only those Ten Commandments, no more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.

After your ancestors heard Yahweh’s voice when he spoke to them out of the darkness, while there was a big fire burning on the mountain, their leaders and elders came to me,

and one of them said, ’Listen to us! Yahweh our God showed us that he is very great and glorious when we heard him speak from the fire. Today we have realized that it is possible for us human beings to continue to live even though God has spoken to us.

But we are afraid that we will die. We are afraid that this immense fire will burn us all up, if we go on hearing Yahweh’s voice.

We are the only people on earth who have remained alive after hearing the all-powerful God speak to them from a fire!

So Moses, you go up the mountain and listen to everything that Yahweh our God says. Then come back and tell us everything that he has said, and we will listen to what he has said and obey it.’

Yahweh heard your leaders say that, so when I went back up the mountain, Yahweh said to me, ’I have heard what your leaders have said, and what they have said is right.

I surely wish that they would always think like that and have an awesome respect for me and obey all my commandments, in order that things may go well for them and for their descendants forever.

So go down and tell them to return to their tents.

But then you come back up here and stand near me, and I will give to you all the rules and decrees that I want them to obey. Then you can teach them to the people, in order that they will obey them when they are in the land that I am giving to them.’

So I went back down to the people and said to them, ’Be sure that you do everything that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do. Do not disobey any of his laws.

Conduct your lives as Yahweh our God has commanded us to do, in order that you may live a long time, and in order that things will go well for you when you are living in the land that you will occupy.’”

Moses called to all Israel, and said to them, “Hear, Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears today, that you may learn them, and observe to do them.”

The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.

The LORD didn’t make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive today.

The LORD spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire,

The Ten Commandments

(Exodus 20:1–17)

(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to show you the LORD’s word; for you were afraid because of the fire, and didn’t go up onto the mountain) saying,

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make a carved image for yourself—any likeness of what is in heaven above, or what is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

You shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me

and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God;(a) for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name.

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.

You shall labor six days, and do all your work;

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, in which you shall not do any work— neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.

You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

“Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God commanded you, that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

“You shall not murder.

“You shall not commit adultery.

“You shall not steal.

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Moses Intercedes for the People

(Exodus 20:18–21; Hebrews 12:18–29)

The LORD spoke these words to all your assembly on the mountain out of the middle of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice. He added no more. He wrote them on two stone tablets, and gave them to me.

When you heard the voice out of the middle of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders;

and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives.

Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the LORD our God’s voice any more, then we shall die.

For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as we have, and lived?

Go near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say, and tell us all that the LORD our God tells you; and we will hear it, and do it.”

The LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me; and the LORD said to me, “I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have well said all that they have spoken.

Oh that there were such a heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

“Go tell them, ‘Return to your tents.’

But as for you, stand here by me, and I will tell you all the commandments, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess.”

You shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God has commanded you. You shall not turn away to the right hand or to the left.

You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.

Footnotes

(a)5:11 or, You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain;