The Ten Commandments

1 The Lord spoke all the praise of these words, saying: 2 The first word came out of the mouth of the Holy One, may his name be blessed, like shooting stars and lightning, like torches of fire, a fiery torch to the right and a fiery torch to the left. It flew and swiftly spread its wings in the air of the heavens and returned. All Israel saw it and was afraid. It returned and was engraved on the two tablets of the covenant, saying, “My people, sons ⟨…⟩.” It returned and hovered over the camps of Israel, then returned and was engraved on the tablets of the covenant. All Israel saw it. Then it cried out, “My people, sons of Israel, I am the Lord your God, who redeemed you and brought you as redeemed people out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery.” 3 The second word, when it came out of the mouth of the Holy One, may his name be blessed, was like shooting stars and lightning, like torches of fire, a fiery torch to the right and a torch of flame to the left. It flew and swiftly spread its wings in the air of the heavens and returned. All Israel saw it and was afraid. It returned and was engraved on the two tablets of the covenant. All Israel saw it, and this is what it cried out and said: “My people, sons of Israel, you must have no other God besides me. 4 Do not make yourselves ⟨an image or a figure⟩, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the sea beneath the earth. 5 Do not bow down to them or worship before them, because I am the Lord your God, a jealous God who takes vengeance, who zealously takes vengeance on the wicked, on rebellious sons to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. When the sons continue sinning after their fathers, I call them those who hate me.⁠a 6 But I keep mercy and goodness for thousands of generations, for the righteous who love him and for those who keep my commandments. 7 My people, sons of Israel, none of you may use the name of the Lord his God for nothing, because on the day of the great judgment the Lord will not acquit anyone who uses the name of the Lord his God for nothing. 8 My people, sons of Israel, remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it. 9 Work for six days and do all your work. 10 The seventh day is rest and quiet before the Lord your God. Do no work, you, your sons, your daughters, your male slaves, your female slaves, your animals, or your foreign residents in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord created the heavens, the earth, the seas, and everything in them, and on the seventh day there was rest and quiet before him. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it. 12 My people, sons of Israel, each of you must take care to honor his father and his mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you. 13 My people, sons of Israel, do not be murderers, companions of murderers, or partners with murderers. No murderous people may be seen in the congregation of Israel, so that your sons do not come after you and also learn to be murderous people, because the sins of murderers bring the sword upon the world. My people, sons of Israel, do not be adulterers, companions of adulterers, or partners with adulterers. No adulterous people may be seen in the congregation of Israel, so that your sons do not come after you and also learn to be adulterous people, because the sins of adulterers bring pestilence upon the world. My people, sons of Israel, do not be thieves, companions of thieves, or partners with thieves. No thieving people may be seen in the congregation of Israel, so that your sons do not come after you and also learn to be thieving people, because the sins of thieves bring famine upon the world. My people, sons of Israel, do not be false witnesses, companions of false witnesses, or partners with false witnesses. No people who testify falsely may be seen in the congregation of Israel, so that your sons do not come after you and also learn to be people who testify falsely, because the sins of false witnesses cause wild animals to leave human beings without their sons. 14 My people, sons of Israel, do not be people who crave what belongs to others, companions of such people, or partners with them. No such people may be seen in the congregation of Israel, so that your sons do not come after you and also learn to crave what belongs to others. None of you may crave his neighbor’s house, his neighbor’s wife, his male slave, his female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything belonging to his neighbor, because the sins of those who crave others’ possessions stir up ruling powers against human beings.”

The People Ask Moses to Speak

15 All the people saw the thunder, the torches, the trumpet’s sound, and the smoking mountain. The people saw and trembled and stood far away. 16 They told Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen. But do not let speech come to us from before the Lord, or we will die.” 17 Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. The Glory of the Shekinah of the Lord has been revealed to you to test you, and so that fear of the Lord may be on your faces and you may not sin.” 18 The people stood far away, while Moses approached the cloud where the Glory of the Shekinah of the Lord dwelt.

Instructions About Altars

19 The Lord told Moses, “Tell the sons of Israel this: ‘You have seen that I spoke with you from the heavens. 20 Do not make idols of silver before me, and do not make yourselves idols of gold. 21 Build an altar fixed on the earth to my name, and offer on it your burnt offerings, your sacrifices of holy things, your sheep, and your cattle. In every place where you remember my name in prayer, I will be revealed to you in my Memra and bless you. 22 If you build a stone altar to my name, do not build it of cut stones, because if you pass iron, from which swords are made, over them, you defile them. 23 You priests, sons of Aaron, who stand and serve at my altar, must not go up steps onto my altar, so that your nakedness is not exposed upon it.’”