Deuteronomy

Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the laws and rules that I proclaim to you this day! Study them and observe them faithfully!

Our God יהוה made a covenant with us at Horeb.

It was not with our ancestors that יהוה made this covenant, but with us, the living, every one of us who is here today.

Face to face יהוה spoke to you on the mountain out of the fire—

I stood between יהוה and you at that time to convey יהוה’s words to you, for you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain—saying:

Tradition varies as to the divisions of the Commandments in vv. 6–18 and the numbering of the verses. Cf. note at Exod. 20.1. I יהוה am your God who brought you you The Decalogue is couched both in the second-person masculine singular and in terms of a household—the basic social and economic unit. Such a format addresses the Decalogue’s provisions to whichever responsible party they apply—most typically the (male) householder, or he and his (primary) wife as household administrators, or every m

You shall have no other gods beside Me.

You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters below the earth.

You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I your God יהוה am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,

but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

You shall not swear falsely by the name of your God יהוה; for יהוה will not clear one who swears falsely by God’s name.

Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as your God יהוה has commanded you.

Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a sabbath of your God יהוה; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or your ass, or any of your cattle, or the stranger in your settlements, so that your male and female slave may rest as you do.

Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and your God יהוה freed you from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore your God יהוה has commanded you to observe the sabbath day.

Honor your father and your mother, as your God יהוה has commanded you, that you may long endure, and that you may fare well, in the land that your God יהוה is assigning to you.

You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You [men] [men] Given ancient Israel’s norms, women typically were not in a position take a man into their household. Hence this part of the law addresses men only. See also note at 5.6. shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Likewise, none of you shall crave your neighbor’s house, or field, or male or female slave, or ox, or ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

יהוה spoke those words—those and no more—to your whole congregation at the mountain, with a mighty voice out of the fire and the dense clouds. [God] inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

When you heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was ablaze with fire, you came up to me, all your tribal heads and elders,

and said, “Our God יהוה has just shown us a majestic Presence, and we have heard God’s voice out of the fire; we have seen this day that humankind may live though addressed by God.

Let us not die, then, for this fearsome fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of our God יהוה any longer, we shall die.

For what mortal ever heard the voice of the living God speak out of the fire, as we did, and lived?

You go closer and hear all that our God יהוה says, and then you tell us everything that our God יהוה tells you, and we will willingly do it.”

יהוה heard the plea that you made to me, and יהוה said to me, “I have heard the plea that this people made to you; they did well to speak thus.

May they always be of such mind, to revere Me and follow all My commandments, that it may go well with them and with their children forever!

Go, say to them, ‘Return to your tents.’

But you remain here with Me, and I will give you the whole Instruction—the laws and the rules—that you shall impart to them, for them to observe in the land that I am giving them to possess.”

Be careful, then, to do as your God יהוה has commanded you. Do not turn aside to the right or to the left:

follow only the path that your God יהוה has enjoined upon you, so that you may thrive and that it may go well with you, and that you may long endure in the land you are to possess.