Exodus 20-23

Names of God Bible

The Ten Commandments^(A)

20 Then Elohim spoke all these words:

² “I am Yahweh your Elohim, who brought you out of slavery in Egypt.

³ “Never have any other god. ⁴ Never make your own carved idols or statues that represent any creature in the sky, on the earth, or in the water. ⁵ Never worship them or serve them, because I, Yahweh your Elohim, am El Kanna. I punish children for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. ⁶ But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.

⁷ “Never use the name of Yahweh your Elohim carelessly. Yahweh will make sure that anyone who carelessly uses his name will be punished.

⁸ “Remember the day of worship by observing it as a holy day. ⁹ You have six days to do all your work. ¹⁰ The seventh day is the day of worship dedicated to Yahweh your Elohim. You, your sons, your daughters, your male and female slaves, your cattle, and the foreigners living in your city must never do any work on that day. ¹¹ In six days Yahweh made heaven, earth, and the sea, along with everything in them. He didn’t work on the seventh day. That’s why Yahweh blessed the day he stopped his work and set this day apart as holy.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live for a long time in the land Yahweh your Elohim is giving you.

¹³ “Never murder.

¹⁴ “Never commit adultery.

¹⁵ “Never steal.

¹⁶ “Never lie when you testify about your neighbor.

¹⁷ “Never desire to take your neighbor’s household away from him.

“Never desire to take your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him.”

The People’s Reaction

¹⁸ All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. ¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let Elohim speak to us, or we’ll die!”

²⁰ Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid! Elohim has come only to test you, so that you will be in awe of him and won’t sin.”

²¹ The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where Elohim was.

General Rules for Worship

²² Yahweh said to Moses, “This is what you must say to the Israelites: You’ve seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven. ²³ Never make any gods of silver or gold for yourselves. Never worship them.

²⁴ “You must build an altar for me made out of dirt. Sacrifice your burnt offerings and your fellowship offerings, your sheep, goats, and cattle on it. Wherever I choose to have my name remembered, I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ If you build an altar for me made out of stones, never make it with cut stone blocks. If you use a chisel on it, you will make it unacceptable to me. ²⁶ Never use stairs to go up to my altar. Otherwise, people will be able to see under your clothes.”

Laws Concerning the Treatment of Slaves

21 The Lord continued, “Here are the legal decisions to be used by the Israelites:

² “Whenever you buy a Hebrew slave, he will be your slave for six years. In the seventh year he may leave as a free man, without paying for his freedom. ³ If he comes to you by himself, he must leave by himself. If he comes as a married man, his wife may leave with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to the master, and the slave must leave by himself. ⁵ But if he makes this statement: ‘I hereby declare my love for my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to leave as a free man,’ ⁶ then his master must bring him to Elohim. The master must bring him to the door or the doorframe and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his slave for life.

⁷ “Whenever a man sells his daughter into slavery, she will not go free the way male slaves do. ⁸ If she doesn’t please the master who has chosen her as a wife,^[a] he must let her be bought back by one of her close relatives. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has treated her unfairly. ⁹ But if he has chosen her for his son, he must treat her like a daughter. ¹⁰ If that son marries another woman, he must not deprive the first wife of food, clothes, or sex.

¹¹ If he doesn’t give her these three things, she can go free, without paying any money for her freedom.

Laws Concerning Injury to People

¹² “Whoever strikes someone and kills him must be put to death. ¹³ If it wasn’t done intentionally, but Elohim let it happen, the killer should flee to a place I will set aside for you. ¹⁴ But whenever someone becomes so angry that he plans to kill his neighbor, you must take him away from my altar and put him to death.

¹⁵ “Whoever hits his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁶ “Whoever kidnaps another person must be put to death, whether he has sold the kidnapped person or still has him.

¹⁷ “Whoever curses his father or mother must be put to death.

¹⁸ “This is what you must do whenever men quarrel and one hits the other with a rock or with his fist and injures him so that he has to stay in bed. ¹⁹ If the injured man can get up again and walk around outside with a cane, the one who hit him must not be punished. He must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and for all his medical expenses.

²⁰ “Whenever an owner hits his male or female slave with a stick so that the slave dies from the beating, the owner must be punished. ²¹ But if the slave gets up in a day or two, the owner must not be punished. The slave is his property.

²² “This is what you must do whenever men fight and injure a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely. If there are no other injuries, the offender must pay whatever fine the court allows the woman’s husband to demand. ²³ If anyone is injured, the offender must pay a life for a life, ²⁴ an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, ²⁵ a burn for a burn, a bruise for a bruise, a wound for a wound.

²⁶ “Whenever an owner hits his male or female slave in the eye and the slave is blinded, he must let the slave go free to make up for the loss of the eye. ²⁷ If the owner knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to make up for the loss of the tooth.

²⁸ “Whenever a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat may not be eaten. The bull’s owner is free from any liability. ²⁹ But if the bull has had the habit of goring, and the owner has been warned but has not kept it confined, and it kills a man or a woman, then the bull must be stoned and its owner must be put to death, too. ³⁰ However, if only a cash settlement is demanded from the owner, the bull’s owner may save his life by paying whatever price is demanded of him. ³¹ If the bull gores someone’s son or daughter, this same ruling applies. ³² If the bull gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay 12 ounces of silver to the slave’s master, and the bull must be stoned.

Laws Concerning Property

³³ “Whenever someone opens up a cistern or digs a new one and doesn’t cover it and a bull or a donkey falls into it, ³⁴ the owner of the cistern must make up for the loss. He must pay money to the animal’s owner, and then the dead animal will be his.

³⁵ “Whenever one person’s bull kills another person’s bull, they must sell the live bull and divide the money between them. They must divide the dead bull, too. ³⁶ However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, and its owner didn’t keep it confined, the owner must make up for the loss—bull for bull—and then the dead bull will be his.”

22 ^[b]The Lord continued, “Whenever someone steals a bull or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must make up for the loss with five head of cattle to replace the bull or four sheep to replace the sheep.

² “If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder. ³ But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder.

“A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. ⁴ But if the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it’s a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount.

⁵ “Whenever someone lets his livestock graze in a field or a vineyard, and they stray and graze in another person’s field, he must make up for what the damaged field was expected to produce. But if he lets them ruin the whole field with their grazing,^[c] he must make up from his own field for the loss with the best from his field and vineyard.

⁶ “Whenever a fire starts and spreads into the underbrush so that it burns up stacked or standing grain or ruins a field, the person who started the fire must make up for the loss.

⁷ “This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor silver or other valuables to keep for him, and they are stolen from that person’s house: If the thief is caught, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. ⁸ If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to Elohim to find out whether or not he took his neighbor’s valuables. ⁹ If there is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, or any other lost property which two people claim as their own, both people must bring their case to Elohim. The one whom Elohim declares guilty must make up for his neighbor’s loss with double the amount.

¹⁰ “This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor a donkey, a bull, a sheep, or any other kind of animal to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is captured in war, and there are no witnesses. ¹¹ The case between them must be settled by swearing an oath to Yahweh that the neighbor did not take the other person’s animal. The owner must accept the oath. The neighbor doesn’t have to make up for the loss. ¹² But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make up for the owner’s loss. ¹³ If it was killed by a wild animal, he must bring in the dead body as evidence. He doesn’t have to make up for an animal that has been killed.

¹⁴ “Whenever someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, the borrower must make up for the loss. ¹⁵ If the owner is with the animal, the borrower doesn’t have to make up for the loss. If it is rented, the rental fee covers the loss.

Laws for Living as God’s Holy People

¹⁶ “Whenever a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sexual intercourse with her, he must pay the bride-price and marry her. ¹⁷ If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount of money equal to the bride-price for virgins.

¹⁸ “Never let a witch live.

¹⁹ “Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

²⁰ “Whoever sacrifices to any god except Yahweh must be condemned and destroyed.

²¹ “Never mistreat or oppress foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt.

²² “Never take advantage of any widow or orphan. ²³ If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure that I will hear their cry. ²⁴ I will become angry and have you killed in combat. Then your wives and children will become widows and orphans.

²⁵ “If you lend money to my people—to any poor person among you—never act like a moneylender. Charge no interest. ²⁶ If you take any of your neighbor’s clothes as collateral, give it back to him by sunset. ²⁷ It may be the only clothes he has to cover his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will listen because I am compassionate.

²⁸ “Never show disrespect for Elohim or curse a leader of your people.

²⁹ “Never withhold your best wine^[d] from me.

“You must give me your firstborn son. ³⁰ You must do the same with your cattle and your sheep. They will stay with their mothers seven days, but on the eighth day you must give them to me.

³¹ “You must be my holy people. Never eat the meat of an animal that has been killed by wild animals out in the countryside. Throw it to the dogs.”

23 The Lord continued, “Never spread false rumors. Don’t join forces with wicked people by giving false testimony. ² Never follow a crowd in doing wrong. When you testify in court, don’t side with the majority to pervert justice. ³ Never give special favors to poor people in court.

⁴ “Whenever you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering loose, be sure to take it back to him. ⁵ Whenever you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has collapsed under its load, don’t leave it there. Be sure to help him with his animal.

⁶ “Never deny justice to poor people in court. ⁷ Avoid telling lies. Don’t kill innocent or honest people, because I will never declare guilty people innocent. ⁸ Never take a bribe, because bribes blind those who can see and deny justice to those who are in the right.

⁹ “Never oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be foreigners because you were foreigners living in Egypt.

¹⁰ “For six years you may plant crops in your fields and harvest them, ¹¹ but in the seventh year you must leave the land unplowed and unused. In that way the poor among your people will have food to eat, and wild animals may eat what the poor people leave. You must do the same with your vineyards and olive groves.

¹² “For six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must not work. Then your ox and donkey can rest. The slaves born in your household and foreigners will also be refreshed.

¹³ “Be careful to do everything I told you.

“Never mention the names of other gods or let them be heard on your lips.

Laws for Three Festivals

¹⁴ “Three times a year you must celebrate a pilgrimage festival in my honor.

¹⁵ “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread: For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, because that was when you left Egypt. No one may come into my presence without an offering.

¹⁶ “Celebrate the Festival of the Harvest with the first produce harvested from whatever you plant in your fields.

“Celebrate the Festival of the Final Harvest at the end of the year when you harvest your crops from the fields.

¹⁷ “These are the three times each year that all your men must come into the presence of Adonay, Yahweh.

¹⁸ “Never offer the blood of a sacrifice to me at the same time you offer anything containing yeast. The fat sacrificed at my festivals should never be left over in the morning.

¹⁹ “You must bring the best of the first produce harvested from your soil to the house of Yahweh your Elohim.

“Never cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Laws about God’s Messenger, Who Will Bring Israel to the Promised Land

²⁰ “I’m going to send a Messenger in front of you to protect you on your trip and bring you to the place I have prepared. ²¹ Pay attention to him, and listen to him. Don’t defy him, because he will not forgive your disobedience. He is acting on my authority. ²² But if you will listen to him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an opponent to your opponents.

²³ “My Messenger will go ahead of you and will bring you to the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites. I will wipe them out. ²⁴ Never worship or serve their gods or follow their practices. Instead, you must destroy their gods and crush their sacred stones. ²⁵ You must serve Yahweh your Elohim, and he will bless your food and water. I will take away all sickness from among you. ²⁶ No woman in your land will miscarry or be unable to have children. I will let you live a normal life span.

²⁷ “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw any nation you meet into a panic. I will make all your enemies flee from you. ²⁸ I will spread panic ahead of you to force the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites out of your way. ²⁹ I will not force them out of your way in one year. Otherwise, the land would be deserted, and wild animals would take over. ³⁰ Little by little I will force them out of your way until you have increased enough in number to take possession of the land.

³¹ “I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Sinai Desert to the Euphrates River. I will put the people living in the land under your control, and you will force them out of your way. ³² Never make a treaty with them and their gods. ³³ Never let them live in your land, or they will make you sin against me and trap you into serving their gods.”