Exodus 20
The Lord spoke to the Israelites, reminding them of their deliverance from Egypt and establishing the foundation of their relationship with Him. He gave them the Ten Commandments, which include worshiping only Him, not making idols, not taking His name in vain, keeping the Sabbath, honoring parents, and not committing murder, adultery, theft, or bearing false witness. The people were terrified by the display of God's power and asked Moses to speak to them instead, and Moses reassured them that God's intention was to test and instruct them. The Lord then instructed Moses to tell the Israelites not to make idols of silver or gold, but to make an altar of earth or uncut stone to offer sacrifices, and to approach the altar in a way that maintains modesty.
1And the Lord spoke all these words2"I am the Lord your God, who led you away from the land of Egypt, out of the house of servitude3You shall not have strange gods before me4You shall not make for yourself a graven image, nor a likeness of anything that is in heaven above or on earth below, nor of those things which are in the waters under the earth5You shall not adore them, nor shall you worship them. I am the Lord your God: strong, zealous, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me6and showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my precepts7You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. For the Lord will not hold harmless one who takes the name of the Lord his God falsely8Remember that you are to sanctify the day of the Sabbath9For six days, you will work and accomplish all your tasks10But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. You shall not do any work in it: you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, your beast and the newcomer who is within your gates11For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all the things that are in them, and so he rested on the seventh day. For this reason, the Lord has blessed the day of the Sabbath and sanctified it12Honor your father and your mother, so that you may have a long life upon the land, which the Lord your God will give to you13You shall not murder14You shall not commit adultery15You shall not steal16You shall not speak false testimony against your neighbor17You shall not covet the house of your neighbor; neither shall you desire his wife, nor male servant, nor female servant, nor ox, nor donkey, nor anything that is his.18Then all the people considered the voices, and the lights, and the sound of the trumpet, and the smoking mountain. And being terrified and struck with fear, they stood at a distance19saying to Moses: "Speak to us, and we will listen. Let not the Lord speak to us, lest perhaps we may die.20And Moses said to the people: "Do not be afraid. For God came in order to test you, and so that the dread of him might be with you, and you would not sin.21And the people stood far away. But Moses approached toward the mist, in which was God22Thereafter, the Lord said to Moses: "This you shall say to the sons of Israel: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven23You shall not make gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold24You shall make an altar from the earth for me, and you shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace-offerings, your sheep and oxen, in every place where the memory of my name shall be. I will come to you, and I will bless you25And if you make an altar of stone for me, you shall not build it from cut stones; for if you lift up a tool over it, it will be defiled26You shall not ascend by steps to my altar, lest your nakedness be revealed.
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