10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

19 All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.

20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel.

24 For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year.

25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

26 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

27 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

28 And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Read full chapter

10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant(A) with you. Before all your people I will do wonders(B) never before done in any nation in all the world.(C) The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command(D) you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.(E) 12 Be careful not to make a treaty(F) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare(G) among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a](H) 14 Do not worship any other god,(I) for the Lord, whose name(J) is Jealous, is a jealous God.(K)

15 “Be careful not to make a treaty(L) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute(M) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.(N) 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives(O) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,(P) they will lead your sons to do the same.

17 “Do not make any idols.(Q)

18 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(R) For seven days eat bread made without yeast,(S) as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv,(T) for in that month you came out of Egypt.

19 “The first offspring(U) of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. 20 Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.(V) Redeem all your firstborn sons.(W)

“No one is to appear before me empty-handed.(X)

21 “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest;(Y) even during the plowing season and harvest(Z) you must rest.

22 “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the firstfruits(AA) of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering(AB) at the turn of the year.[b] 23 Three times(AC) a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. 24 I will drive out nations(AD) before you and enlarge your territory,(AE) and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God.

25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast,(AF) and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.(AG)

26 “Bring the best of the firstfruits(AH) of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.

“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”(AI)

27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write(AJ) down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant(AK) with you and with Israel.” 28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights(AL) without eating bread or drinking water.(AM) And he wrote on the tablets(AN) the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.(AO)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 34:13 That is, wooden symbols of the goddess Asherah
  2. Exodus 34:22 That is, in the autumn