Israel at Mount Sinai 19 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt , on that day they p came into the wilderness of Sinai . 2 They set out from q Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai , and they encamped in the wilderness . There Israel encamped before r the mountain , 3 while s Moses went up to God . t The Lord called to him out of the mountain , saying , “ Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob , and tell the people of Israel : 4 u ‘ You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians , and how v I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself . 5 Now therefore , if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant , you shall be w my treasured possession among all peoples , for x all the earth is mine ; 6 and you shall be to me a y kingdom of priests and z a holy nation . ’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel . ” 7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him . 8 a All the people answered together and said , “ All that the Lord has spoken we will do . ” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord . 9 And the Lord said to Moses , “ Behold , I am coming to you b in a thick cloud , that c the people may hear when I speak with you , and may also d believe you forever . ” When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord , 10 the Lord said to Moses , “ Go to the people and e consecrate them today and tomorrow , and let them f wash their garments 11 and be ready for the third day . For on the third day g the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people . 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around , saying , ‘ Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it . h Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death . 13 No hand shall touch him , but he shall be stoned or shot ; whether beast or man , he shall not live . ’ When i the trumpet sounds a long blast , they shall come up to the mountain . ” 14 So Moses j went down from the mountain to the people and e consecrated the people ; f and they washed their garments . 15 And he said to the people , “ Be ready for the k third day ; l do not go near a woman . ” 16 On the morning of the k third day there were m thunders and lightnings and n a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud o trumpet blast , so that all the people in the camp p trembled . 17 Then q Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God , and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain . 18 Now r Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire . The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln , and s the whole mountain trembled greatly . 19 And as the o sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder , Moses spoke , and t God answered him in thunder . 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai , to the top of the mountain . And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain , and Moses went up . 21 And the Lord said to Moses , “ Go down and warn the people , lest they break through to the Lord u to look and many of them perish . 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord v consecrate themselves , lest the Lord w break out against them . ” 23 And Moses said to the Lord , “ The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai , for you yourself warned us , saying , x ‘ Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it . ’ ” 24 And the Lord said to him , “ Go down , and come up bringing Aaron with you . But do not let the priests and the people y break through to come up to the Lord , lest he break out against them . ” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them .

The Ten Commandments 20 z And a God spoke all these words , saying , 2 b “ I am the Lord your God , who brought you out of the land of Egypt , out of the house of slavery . 3 c “ You shall have no other gods before me . 4 d “ You shall not make for yourself a carved image , or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above , or that is in the earth beneath , or that is in the water under the earth . 5 e You shall not bow down to them or serve them , for I the Lord your God am f a jealous God , g visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me , 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments . 7 h “ You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain , for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain . 8 i “ Remember the Sabbath day , to keep it holy . 9 j Six days you shall labor , and do all your work , 10 but the k seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God . On it you shall not do any work , you , or your son , or your daughter , your male servant , or your female servant , or your livestock , or the l sojourner who is within your gates . 11 For m in six days the Lord made heaven and earth , the sea , and all that is in them , and rested on the seventh day . Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy . 12 n “ Honor your father and your mother , o that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you . 13 p “ You shall not murder . 14 q “ You shall not commit adultery . 15 r “ You shall not steal . 16 s “ You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor . 17 t “ You shall not covet u your neighbor’s house ; v you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife , or his male servant , or his female servant , or his ox , or his donkey , or anything that is your neighbor’s . ” 18 Now when all the people saw w the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking , the people were afraid and trembled , and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses , x “ You speak to us , and we will listen ; but do not let God speak to us , lest we die . ” 20 y Moses said to the people , “ Do not fear , for God has come to z test you , that the fear of him may be before you , that you may not sin . ” 21 The people stood far off , while Moses drew near to the a thick darkness where God was . Laws About Altars 22 And the Lord said to Moses , “ Thus you shall say to the people of Israel : ‘ You have seen for yourselves that I have b talked with you from heaven . 23 c You shall not make gods of silver to be with me , nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold . 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings , your sheep and your oxen . d In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and e bless you . 25 f If you make me an altar of stone , g you shall not build it of hewn stones , for if you wield your tool on it you profane it . 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar , that your nakedness be not exposed on it . ’

Laws About Slaves 21 “ Now these are the h rules that you shall set before them . 2 i When you buy a Hebrew slave , he shall serve six years , and in the seventh he shall go out free , for nothing . 3 If he comes in single , he shall go out single ; if he comes in married , then his wife shall go out with him . 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters , the wife and her children shall be her master’s , and he shall go out alone . 5 But j if the slave plainly says , ‘ I love my master , my wife , and my children ; I will not go out free , ’ 6 then his master shall bring him to k God , and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost . And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl , and he shall be his slave forever . 7 “ When a man l sells his daughter as a slave , she shall not go out as the male slaves do . 8 If she does not please her master , who has designated her for himself , then he shall let her be redeemed . He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people , since he has broken faith with her . 9 If he designates her for his son , he shall deal with her as with a daughter . 10 If he takes another wife to himself , he shall not diminish her food , her clothing , or m her marital rights . 11 And if he does not do these three things for her , she shall go out for nothing , without payment of money . 12 n “ Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death . 13 o But if he did not lie in wait for him , but God let him fall into his hand , then p I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee . 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning , q you shall take him from my altar , that he may die . 15 “ Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death . 16 r “ Whoever steals a man and sells him , and anyone found s in possession of him , shall be put to death . 17 t “ Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death . 18 “ When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed , 19 then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff , he who struck him shall be clear ; only he shall pay for the loss of his time , and shall have him thoroughly healed . 20 “ When a man strikes his slave , male or female , with a rod and the slave dies under his hand , he shall be avenged . 21 But if the slave survives a day or two , he is not to be avenged , for the u slave is his money . 22 “ When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman , so that her children come out , but there is no harm , the one who hit her shall surely be fined , as the woman’s husband shall impose on him , and v he shall pay as the w judges determine . 23 But if there is harm , then you shall pay x life for life , 24 y eye for eye , tooth for tooth , hand for hand , foot for foot , 25 burn for burn , wound for wound , stripe for stripe . 26 “ When a man strikes the eye of his slave , male or female , and destroys it , he shall let the slave go free because of his eye . 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave , male or female , he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth . 28 “ When an ox gores a man or a woman to death , the z ox shall be stoned , and its flesh shall not be eaten , but the owner of the ox shall not be liable . 29 But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past , and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in , and it kills a man or a woman , the ox shall be stoned , and its owner also shall be put to death . 30 If a a ransom is imposed on him , then v he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him . 31 If it gores a man’s son or daughter , he shall be dealt with according to this same rule . 32 If the ox gores a slave , male or female , the owner shall give to their master b thirty shekels of silver , and z the ox shall be stoned . Laws About Restitution 33 “ When a man opens a pit , or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it , and an ox or a donkey falls into it , 34 the owner of the pit shall make restoration . He shall give money to its owner , and the dead beast shall be his . 35 “ When one man’s ox butts another’s , so that it dies , then they shall sell the live ox and share its price , and the dead beast also they shall share . 36 Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past , and its owner has not kept it in , he shall repay ox for ox , and the dead beast shall be his .

22 “ If a man steals an ox or a sheep , and kills it or sells it , he shall repay five oxen for an ox , and c four sheep for a sheep . 2 If a thief is found d breaking in and is struck so that he dies , there shall be no bloodguilt for him , 3 but if the sun has risen on him , there shall be bloodguilt for him . He shall surely pay . If he has nothing , then e he shall be sold for his theft . 4 If the stolen beast f is found alive in his possession , whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep , g he shall pay double . 5 “ If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over , or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man’s field , he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard . 6 “ If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed , he who started the fire shall make full restitution . 7 “ If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe , and it is stolen from the man’s house , then , if the thief is found , g he shall pay double . 8 If the thief is not found , the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property . 9 For every breach of trust , whether it is for an ox , for a donkey , for a sheep , for a cloak , or for any kind of lost thing , of which one says , ‘ This is it , ’ the case of both parties shall come before God . The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor . 10 “ If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe , and it dies or is injured or is driven away , without anyone seeing it , 11 h an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor’s property . The owner shall accept the oath , and he shall not make restitution . 12 But if i it is stolen from him , he shall make restitution to its owner . 13 If it is torn by beasts , let him bring it as evidence . He shall not make restitution for what has been torn . 14 “ If a man borrows anything of his neighbor , and it is injured or dies , the owner not being with it , he shall make full restitution . 15 If the owner was with it , he shall not make restitution ; if it was hired , it came for its hiring fee . Laws About Social Justice 16 j “ If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her , he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife . 17 If her father utterly refuses to give her to him , j he shall pay money equal to the k bride-price for virgins . 18 l “ You shall not permit a sorceress to live . 19 m “ Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death . 20 n “ Whoever sacrifices to any god , other than the Lord alone , shall be devoted to destruction . 21 o “ You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him , for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt . 22 p You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child . 23 If you do mistreat them , and they q cry out to me , I will surely r hear their cry , 24 and my wrath will burn , and I will kill you with the sword , and s your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless . 25 t “ If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor , you shall not be like a moneylender to him , and you shall not exact interest from him . 26 u If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge , you shall return it to him before the sun goes down , 27 for that is his only covering , and it is his cloak for his body ; in what else shall he sleep ? And if he q cries to me , I will hear , for I am v compassionate . 28 w “ You shall not revile God , nor w curse a ruler of your people . 29 “ You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses . x The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me . 30 y You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep : z seven days it shall be with its mother ; on the eighth day you shall give it to me . 31 a “ You shall be consecrated to me . Therefore b you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field ; c you shall throw it to the dogs .