Deuteronomy
Chapter 5
1 Moses gathered all of Israel and told them, “Listen, Israel, to the rules and laws I am telling you today; learn them, follow them, and put them into practice.”
2 God made an agreement with us at Horeb.
3 God did not make this agreement with our ancestors, but with us, all of us who are alive here today.
4 God spoke to you directly on the mountain from within the fire.
5 I stood between God and you at that time to tell you God’s message because you were scared of the fire and did not go up the mountain.
6 I am God, who brought you out of Egypt, the place where you were slaves.
7 You should not have any other gods besides me.
8 Do not make for yourself any carved idol or any image of anything in heaven above, on earth below, or in the water under the earth.
9 Do not bow down to them or serve them, because I, your God, am a jealous God. I will punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
10 And showing kindness to thousands who love me and follow my commands.
11 Do not use God’s name for no good reason; God will not forgive those who misuse his name.
12 Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy, as God has instructed you.
13 Work for six days and do all your tasks.
14 The seventh day is God’s rest day: on this day, you or your children, your male and female workers, your oxen, your donkeys, or any other animals, or the foreigners living in your town, should not work. This is so your workers can rest just like you.
15 Remember you were a servant in Egypt, and God freed you with great power and an outstretched arm; that’s why God told you to observe the Sabbath day.
16 Respect your father and mother, as God has told you, so you may live a long life and have a good life in the land God is giving you.
17 Do not kill.
18 Do not cheat on your partner.
19 Do not steal.
20 Do not lie about your neighbor.
21 Do not want your neighbor’s wife, do not wish for your neighbor’s house, land, servants, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
22 God spoke these words to everyone gathered on the mountain from the fire, cloud, and dark fog with a loud voice, and said nothing more. He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
23 When you heard the voice from the dark and saw the mountain burning with fire, you all, including the leaders and older people of your tribes, came close to me.
24 You said, “Look, our God has shown us his glory and power, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to people, and they can still live.”
25 So why should we die now? This huge fire will burn us up. If we keep hearing God’s voice, we will die.
26 Who among all people has heard God speak from the fire like we have and still lived?
27 Go close and listen to everything that God will tell you; then tell us everything that God says to you, and we will listen and do it.
28 God heard what you said to me; and God told me, “I have heard what this people said to you, and everything they said is good.”
29 I wish they had a heart to respect me and always follow my commands, so things would go well for them and their children forever.
30 Go tell them to return to their tents.
31 Stay here with me and I will tell you all the rules and laws that you must teach the people so they can follow them in the land I am giving them to live in.
32 You must do as God has commanded you: do not turn right or left.
33 Follow all the paths God has told you to take so that you may live a good life and have a long time in the land you will own.