Exodus Chapter 20
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
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he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
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And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God:
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and he said unto Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
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And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.
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And Moses told his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how Jehovah delivered them.
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And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Jehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
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And Jethro said, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.
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Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all gods; yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them.
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And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
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And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood about Moses from the morning unto the evening.
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And when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even?
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And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God:
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when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.
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And Moses’ father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.
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Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
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Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God:
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and thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
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Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
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and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear
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the burden with thee.
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If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace.
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So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.
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And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
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And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
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And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
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In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
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AndGod spoke all these words, saying,
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I am Jehovah thyGod, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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Thou shalt have no othergods before me.
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Thou shalt not make thyself any graven image, or any form of what is in the heavens above, or what is in the earth beneath, or what is in the waters under the earth:
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thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah thyGod, am a jealousGod, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and to the fourth [generation] of them that hate me,
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and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
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Thou shalt not idly utter the name of Jehovah thyGod; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that idly uttereth his name.
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Remember the sabbath day to hallow it.
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Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work;
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but the seventh day is the sabbath of Jehovah thyGod: thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy bondman, nor thy handmaid, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.
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For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
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Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged in the land that Jehovah thyGod giveth thee.
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Thou shalt not kill.
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Thou shalt not commit adultery.
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Thou shalt not steal.
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Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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Thou shalt not desire thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not desire thy neighbour's wife, nor his bondman, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.
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And all the people saw the thunderings, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw [it], they trembled, and stood afar off,
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and said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let notGod speak with us, lest we die.
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And Moses said to the people, Fear not; forGod is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not.
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And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the obscurity whereGod was.
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And Jehovah said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: Ye have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens.
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Ye shall not make beside megods of silver, and ye shall not make to yougods of gold.
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An altar of earth shalt thou make unto me, and shalt sacrifice on it thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep and thine oxen: in all places where I shall make my name to be remembered, I will come unto thee, and bless thee.
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And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if thou lift up thy sharp tool upon it, thou hast profaned it.
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Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
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And the Lord spoke all these words, saying:
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I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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Thou shalt have no other gods beside me.
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Thou shalt not make to thyself an idol, nor likeness of anything, whatever things are in the heaven above, and whatever are in the earth beneath, and whatever are in the waters under the earth.
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Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them; for I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, recompensing the sins of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation to them that hate me,
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and bestowing mercy on them that love me to thousands [of them], and on them that keep my commandments.
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Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord thy God will not acquit him that takes his name in vain.
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Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
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Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all thy work.
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But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; on it thou shalt do no work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant nor thy maidservant, thine ox nor thine ass, nor any cattle of thine, nor the stranger that sojourns with thee.
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For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and the sea and all things in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.
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Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the good land, which the Lord thy God gives to thee.
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Thou shalt not commit adultery.
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Thou shalt not steal.
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Thou shalt not kill.
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Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; nor his field, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, nor whatever belongs to thy neighbour.
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And all the people perceived the thundering, and the flashes, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and all the people feared and stood afar off,
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and said to Moses, Speak thou to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die.
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And Moses says to them, Be of good courage, for God is come to you to try you, that his fear may be among you, that ye sin not.
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And the people stood afar off, and Moses went into the darkness where God was.
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And the Lord said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and thou shalt report it to the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
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Ye shall not make to yourselves gods of silver, and gods of gold ye shall not make to yourselves.
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Ye shall make to me an altar of earth; and upon it ye shall sacrifice your whole burnt-offerings, and your peace-offerings, and your sheep and your calves in every place, where I shall record my name; and I will come to thee and bless thee.
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And if thou wilt make to me an altar of stones, thou shalt not build them hewn [stones]; for thou hast lifted up thy tool upon them, and they are defiled.
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Thou shalt not go up to my altar by steps, that thou mayest not uncover thy nakedness upon it.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Locutusque est Dominus cunctos sermones hos:
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Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de Terra Ægypti, de domo servitutis.
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Non habebis deos alienos coram me.
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Non facies tibi sculptile, neque omnem similitudinem quæ est in cælo desuper, et quæ in terra deorsum, nec eorum quæ sunt in aquis sub terra.
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Non adorabis ea, neque coles: ego sum Dominus Deus tuus fortis, zelotes, visitans iniquitatem patrum in filios, in tertiam et quartam generationem eorum qui oderunt me:
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et faciens misericordiam in millia his qui diligunt me, et custodiunt præcepta mea.
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Non assumes nomen Domini Dei tui in vanum. nec enim habebit insontem Dominus eum qui assumpserit nomen Domini Dei sui frustra.
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Memento ut diem sabbati sanctifices.
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Sex diebus operaberis, et facies omnia opera tua.
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Septimo autem die sabbatum Domini Dei tui est: non facies omne opus in eo, tu, et filius tuus et filia tua, servus tuus et ancilla tua, iumentum tuum, et advena qui est intra portas tuas.
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Sex enim diebus fecit Dominus cælum et terram, et mare, et omnia quæ in eis sunt, et requievit in die septimo, idcirco benedixit Dominus diei sabbati, et sanctificavit eum.
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Honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam, ut sis longævus super terram, quam Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi.
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Non occides.
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Non mœchaberis.
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Non furtum facies.
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Non loqueris contra proximum tuum falsum testimonium.
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Non concupisces domum proximi tui: nec desiderabis uxorem eius, non servum, non ancillam, non bovem, non asinum, nec omnia quæ illius sunt.
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Cunctus autem populus videbat voces et lampades, et sonitum buccinæ, montemque fumantem: et perterriti ac pavore concussi, steterunt procul,
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dicentes Moysi: Loquere tu nobis, et audiemus: non loquatur nobis Dominus, ne forte moriamur.
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Et ait Moyses ad populum: Nolite timere: ut enim probaret vos venit Deus, et ut terror illius esset in vobis, et non peccaretis.
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Stetitque populus de longe. Moyses autem accessit ad caliginem in qua erat Deus.
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Dixit præterea Dominus ad Moysen: Hæc dices filiis Israel: Vos vidistis quod de cælo locutus sim vobis.
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Non facietis deos argenteos, nec deos aureos facietis vobis.
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Altare de terra facietis mihi, et offeretis super eo holocausta et pacifica vestra, oves vestras et boves in omni loco in quo memoria fuerit nominis mei: veniam ad te, et benedicam tibi.
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Quod si altare lapideum feceris mihi, non ædificabis illud de sectis lapidibus: si enim levaveris cultrum super eo, polluetur.
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Non ascendes per gradus ad altare meum, ne reveletur turpitudo tua.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
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God spoke all these words, saying,
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“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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“You shall have no other gods before me.
4
“You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5
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, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,
6
and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who misuses his name.
8
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
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You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;
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for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
12
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
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“You shall not murder.
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“You shall not commit adultery.
15
“You shall not steal.
16
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
18
All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.
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They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”
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Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.”
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The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
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The LORD said to Moses, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
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You shall most certainly not make gods of silver or gods of gold for yourselves to be alongside me.
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You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.
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If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.
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You shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
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`And God speaketh all these words, saying,
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I <FI>am<Fi> Jehovah thy God, who hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of servants.
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`Thou hast no other Gods before Me.
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`Thou dost not make to thyself a graven image, or any likeness which <FI>is<Fi> in the heavens above, or which <FI>is<Fi> in the earth beneath, or which <FI>is<Fi> in the waters under the earth.
5
Thou dost not bow thyself to them, nor serve them: for I, Jehovah thy God, <FI>am<Fi> a zealous God, charging iniquity of fathers on sons, on the third <FI>generation<Fi> , and on the fourth, of those hating Me,
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and doing kindness to thousands, of those loving Me and keeping My commands.
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`Thou dost not take up the name of Jehovah thy God for a vain thing, for Jehovah acquitteth not him who taketh up His name for a vain thing.
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`Remember the Sabbath-day to sanctify it;
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six days thou dost labour, and hast done all thy work,
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and the seventh day <FI>is<Fi> a Sabbath to Jehovah thy God; thou dost not do any work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy man-servant, and thy handmaid, and thy cattle, and thy sojourner who is within thy gates, --
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for six days hath Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that <FI>is<Fi> in them, and resteth in the seventh day; therefore hath Jehovah blessed the Sabbath-day, and doth sanctify it.
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`Honour thy father and thy mother, so that thy days are prolonged on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.
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`Thou dost not murder.
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`Thou dost not commit adultery.
15
`Thou dost not steal.
16
`Thou dost not answer against thy neighbour a false testimony.
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`Thou dost not desire the house of thy neighbour, thou dost not desire the wife of thy neighbour, or his man-servant, or his handmaid, or his ox, or his ass, or anything which <FI>is<Fi> thy neighbour's.'
18
And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand afar off,
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and say unto Moses, `Speak thou with us, and we hear, and let not God speak with us, lest we die.'
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And Moses saith unto the people, `Fear not, for to try you hath God come, and in order that His fear may be before your faces--that ye sin not.'
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And the people stand afar off, and Moses hath drawn nigh unto the thick darkness where God <FI>is<Fi> .
22
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Thus dost thou say unto the sons of Israel: Ye--ye have seen that from the heavens I have spoken with you;
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ye do not make with Me gods of silver, even gods of gold ye do not make to yourselves.
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`An altar of earth thou dost make for Me, and thou hast sacrificed on it thy burnt-offerings and thy peace-offerings, thy flock and thy herd; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered I come in unto thee, and have blessed thee.
25
`And if an altar of stones thou dost make to Me, thou dost not build them of hewn work; when thy tool thou hast waved over it, then thou dost pollute it;
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neither dost thou go up by steps on Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not revealed upon it.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).