Deuteronomy - Chapter 5

¹ Moses called all Israel together and said to them, 'Listen, Israel, to the laws and customs that I proclaim to you today. Learn them and take care to observe them.

² 'Yahweh our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

³ Yahweh made this covenant not with our ancestors, but with us, with all of us alive here today.

⁴ On the mountain, from the heart of the fire, Yahweh spoke to you face to face,

⁵ while I stood between you and Yahweh to let you know what Yahweh was saying, since you were afraid of the fire and had not gone up the mountain. He said:

⁶ ' "I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place of slave-labour.

⁷ ' "You will have no gods other than me.

⁸ ' "You must not make yourselves any image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth;

⁹ you must not bow down to these gods or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punish the parents' fault in the children, the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren, among those who hate me;

¹⁰ but I show faithful love to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

¹¹ ' "You must not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who uses his name for what is false.

¹² ' "Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as Yahweh your God has commanded you.

¹³ Labour for six days, doing all your work,

¹⁴ but the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God. You must not do any work that day, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servants -- male or female -- nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your animals, nor the foreigner who has made his home with you;

¹⁵ so that your servants, male and female, may rest, as you do. Remember that you were once a slave in Egypt, and that Yahweh your God brought you out of there with mighty hand and outstretched arm; this is why Yahweh your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

¹⁶ ' "Honour your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you, so that you may have long life and may prosper in the country which Yahweh your God is giving you.

¹⁷ ' "You must not kill.

¹⁸ ' "You must not commit adultery.

¹⁹ ' "You must not steal.

²⁰ ' "You must not give false evidence against your fellow.

²¹ ' "You must not set your heart on your neighbour's spouse, you must not set your heart on your neighbour's house, or field, or servant-man or woman -- or ox, or donkey or any of your neighbour's possessions."

²² 'These were the words Yahweh spoke to you when you were all assembled on the mountain. Thunderously, he spoke to you from the heart of the fire, in cloud and thick darkness. He added nothing, but wrote them on two tablets of stone which he gave to me.

²³ 'Now, having heard this voice coming out of the darkness, while the mountain was all on fire, you came to me, all of you, heads of tribes and elders,

²⁴ and said, "Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak with a human being and that person still live.

²⁵ So why should we expose ourselves to death again? For this great fire might devour us if we go on listening to the voice of Yahweh our God, and then we should die.

²⁶ For what creature of flesh could possibly live after hearing, as we have heard, the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire?

²⁷ Go nearer yourself and listen to everything that Yahweh our God may say, and then tell us everything that Yahweh our God has told you; we shall listen and put it into practice!"

²⁸ 'Yahweh heard what you were saying to me, and he then said to me, "I have heard what these people are saying. Everything they have said is well said.

²⁹ If only their heart were always so, set on fearing me and on keeping my commandments, so that they and their children might prosper for ever!

³⁰ Go and tell them to go back to their tents.

³¹ But you yourself stay here with me, and I shall tell you all the commandments, the laws and the customs which you are to teach them and which they are to observe in the country which I am giving them as their possession."

³² 'Keep them and put them into practice: such is Yahweh's command to you. Stray neither to right nor to left.

³³ Follow the whole way that Yahweh has marked for you, and you will survive to prosper and live long in the country which you are going to possess.'

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