Exodus 20 · Kingdoms of Scripture

1God spoke all these words:

2“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a slave house.

3You shall have no other gods before me.

4You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any form of what is in the sky above, or what is on the earth below, or what is in the water under the earth.

Notes (1)

Translation
Pesel is a carved image. Temunah is a form, a likeness. Both are printed.

5You shall not bow to them, and you shall not serve them, because I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, attending to the guilt of fathers on children, on the third generation and on the fourth, for those who hate me,

Notes (1)

Translation
El qanna is a jealous God, a God who does not share what is his. “Zealous” is the live alternative.

6and doing loyalty to the thousandth generation for those who love me and keep my commands.

7You shall not lift up the name of Yahweh your God for emptiness, because Yahweh will not hold innocent the one who lifts up his name for emptiness.

Notes (1)

Translation
Lashav is for emptiness, for what is empty. “In vain” is the live alternative. The line is about carrying the name into emptiness, not only about an oath formula.

8Remember the sabbath day, to set it apart.

9Six days you shall work and do all your work.

10The seventh day is a sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall do no work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male slave, or your female slave, or your animal, or your sojourner who is in your gates.

11Because in six days Yahweh made the sky and the earth, the sea and everything in them, and he rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and set it apart.

12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days are long on the ground that Yahweh your God is giving you.

13You shall not murder.

14You shall not commit adultery.

15You shall not steal.

16You shall not answer against your fellow as a lying witness.

17You shall not desire your fellow’s house. You shall not desire your fellow’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your fellow’s.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Tachmod is to desire, to want what is another’s. “Covet” is the older English, and it is not printed. In this copy murder, adultery, theft, and the lying witness are four separate verses, and the desire is one verse.

18All the people saw the thunder and the torches and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking. The people saw, and they shook, and they stood at a distance.

Notes (1)

Translation
Ro’im et ha-qolot: they saw the thunder, the voices. The verb is “saw,” and it is not changed to “heard.”

19They said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen. Let God not speak with us, or we will die.”

20Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of him be on your faces, so that you do not do wrong.”

21The people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

22Yahweh said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: You have seen that I spoke with you from the sky.

23You shall not make gods of silver beside me, and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

24An altar of earth you shall make for me, and you shall sacrifice on it your whole offerings and your sacrifices of well-being, your flock and your herd. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.

Notes (1)

Translation
Shelamim are sacrifices of well-being. “Peace offerings” is not printed.

25If you make an altar of stones for me, you shall not build them as cut stone, because if you have wielded your sword over it, you have profaned it.

26You shall not go up by steps onto my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed on it.”

1God spoke all these words:

2“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of a slave house.

3You shall have no other gods before me.

4You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any form of what is in the sky above, or what is on the earth below, or what is in the water under the earth.

Notes (1)

Translation
Pesel is a carved image. Temunah is a form, a likeness. Both are printed.

Notes (1)

Translation
El qanna is a jealous God, a God who does not share what is his. “Zealous” is the live alternative.

6and doing loyalty to the thousandth generation for those who love me and keep my commands.

7You shall not lift up the name of Yahweh your God for emptiness, because Yahweh will not hold innocent the one who lifts up his name for emptiness.

Notes (1)

Translation
Lashav is for emptiness, for what is empty. “In vain” is the live alternative. The line is about carrying the name into emptiness, not only about an oath formula.

8Remember the sabbath day, to set it apart.

9Six days you shall work and do all your work.

11Because in six days Yahweh made the sky and the earth, the sea and everything in them, and he rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and set it apart.

12Honor your father and your mother, so that your days are long on the ground that Yahweh your God is giving you.

13You shall not murder.

14You shall not commit adultery.

15You shall not steal.

16You shall not answer against your fellow as a lying witness.

17You shall not desire your fellow’s house. You shall not desire your fellow’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your fellow’s.”

Notes (1)

Translation
Tachmod is to desire, to want what is another’s. “Covet” is the older English, and it is not printed. In this copy murder, adultery, theft, and the lying witness are four separate verses, and the desire is one verse.

18All the people saw the thunder and the torches and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking. The people saw, and they shook, and they stood at a distance.

Notes (1)

Translation
Ro’im et ha-qolot: they saw the thunder, the voices. The verb is “saw,” and it is not changed to “heard.”

19They said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will listen. Let God not speak with us, or we will die.”

20Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of him be on your faces, so that you do not do wrong.”

21The people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

22Yahweh said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: You have seen that I spoke with you from the sky.

23You shall not make gods of silver beside me, and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

Notes (1)

Translation
Shelamim are sacrifices of well-being. “Peace offerings” is not printed.

25If you make an altar of stones for me, you shall not build them as cut stone, because if you have wielded your sword over it, you have profaned it.

26You shall not go up by steps onto my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed on it.”