Exodus 19-20

Darby Translation

19 In the third month after the departure of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they [into] the wilderness of Sinai:

² they departed from Rephidim, and came [into] the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in the wilderness; and Israel encamped there before the mountain.

³ And Moses went up to God, and Jehovah called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:

⁴ Ye have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, and [how] I have borne you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

⁵ And now, if ye will hearken to my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then shall ye be my own possession out of all the peoples—for all the earth is mine—

⁶ and ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.

⁷ And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and laid before the mall these words which Jehovah had commanded him.

⁸ And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah has spoken will we do! And Moses brought the words of the people back to Jehovah.

⁹ And Jehovah said to Moses, Lo, I will come to thee in the cloud's thick darkness, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee also for ever. And Moses told the words of the people to Jehovah.

¹⁰ And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to the people, and hallow them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes;

¹¹ and let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down before the eyes of all the people on mount Sinai.

¹² And set bounds round about the people, saying, Take heed to yourselves, [not] to go up unto the mountain nor touch the border of it: whatever toucheth the mountain shall certainly be put to death:

¹³ not a hand shall touch it, but it shall certainly be stoned, or shot through; whether it be a beast or a man, it shall not live. When the long drawn note of the trumpet soundeth, they shall come up to the mountain.

¹⁴ And Moses came down from the mountain to the people, and hallowed the people; and they washed their clothes.

¹⁵ And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; do not come near [your] wives.

¹⁶ And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings and a heavy cloud on the mountain, and the sound of the trumpet exceeding loud; and the whole people that was in the camp trembled.

¹⁷ And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

¹⁸ And the whole of mount Sinai smoked, because Jehovah descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace; and the whole mountain shook greatly.

¹⁹ And the sound of the trumpet increased and became exceeding loud; Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

²⁰ And Jehovah came down on mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain; and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

²¹ And Jehovah said to Moses, Go down, testify to the people that they break not through to Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish.

²² And the priests also, who come near to Jehovah, shall hallow themselves, lest Jehovah break forth on them.

²³ And Moses said to Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou hast testified to us, saying, Set bounds about the mountain, and hallow it.

²⁴ And Jehovah said to him, Go, descend, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee; but the priests and the people shall not break through to go up to Jehovah, lest he break forth on them.

²⁵ So Moses went down to the people, and told them.

20 And God spoke all these words, saying,

² I am Jehovah thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

³ Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

⁴ Thou shalt not make thyself any graven image, or any form of what is in the heavens above, or what is in the earth beneath, or what is in the waters under the earth:

⁵ thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons to the third and to the fourth [generation] of them that hate me,

⁶ and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

⁷ Thou shalt not idly utter the name of Jehovah thy God; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that idly uttereth his name.

⁸ Remember the sabbath day to hallow it.

⁹ Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work;

¹⁰ but the seventh day is the sabbath of Jehovah thy God: thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy bondman, nor thy handmaid, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.

¹¹ For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

¹² Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee.

¹³ Thou shalt not kill.

¹⁴ Thou shalt not commit adultery.

¹⁵ Thou shalt not steal.

¹⁶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

¹⁷ Thou shalt not desire thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not desire thy neighbour's wife, nor his bondman, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.

¹⁸ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw [it], they trembled, and stood afar off,

¹⁹ and said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

²⁰ And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not.

²¹ And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the obscurity where God was.

²² And Jehovah said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: Ye have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens.

²³ Ye shall not make beside me gods of silver, and ye shall not make to you gods of gold.

²⁴ An altar of earth shalt thou make unto me, and shalt sacrifice on it thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep and thine oxen: in all places where I shall make my name to be remembered, I will come unto thee, and bless thee.

²⁵ And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if thou lift up thy sharp tool upon it, thou hast profaned it.

²⁶ Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.