The Covenant at Horeb 1 UDB Moses summoned all the people of Israel and said to them, "You Israelite people, listen to all the rules and decrees that I am giving to you today. Learn them and be sure to obey them. BSB BSB: Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and ordinances that I declare in your hearing this day. Learn them and observe them carefully.
2 UDB When we were at Mount Sinai, Yahweh our God made a covenant with us. BSB BSB: The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
3 UDB But this covenant was not only for our ancestors. He made it also for us, who are alive now. BSB BSB: He did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with all of us who are alive here today.
4 UDB Yahweh spoke with us face to face on that mountain, from the middle of the fire. BSB BSB: The LORD spoke with you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.
The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17)
5 UDB On that day, I stood between your ancestors and Yahweh to tell them what he said because they were afraid of the fire, and they did not want to climb up the mountain. This is what Yahweh said: BSB BSB: At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said:
6 UDB 'I am Yahweh your God, the one you worship. I am the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves there. BSB BSB: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7 UDB You must worship only me; you must not worship any other god. BSB BSB: You shall have no other gods before Me.
8 UDB You must not make a carved figure of anything that represents any living creature that exists in the skies, or on the earth, in the waters of the earth. BSB BSB: You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
9 UDB You must not bow down to any idol and worship it, because I am Yahweh God, and I will not tolerate you doing that. I will punish anyone who does that, as well as their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. BSB BSB: You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
10 UDB But I will steadfastly love thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments. BSB BSB: but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11 UDB Do not speak my name carelessly or for wrong purposes, because I am Yahweh God, the one whom you should worship, and I will certainly punish those who do that. BSB BSB: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
12 UDB Do not forget that the seventh day of every week is for you to honor me specially, as I, Yahweh your God, am commanding you. BSB BSB: Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.
13 UDB There are six days each week for you to do all your work, BSB BSB: Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14 UDB but the seventh day is a rest day, a day dedicated to me, Yahweh your God. On that day you must not do any work. You and your sons and daughters and your male and female slaves must not work. You must not even force your livestock to work, and you must not tell foreigners to work, those who are living in your country. You must allow your slaves to rest on that day just like you do. BSB BSB: but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.
15 UDB Do not forget that you were slaves in Egypt, and that I, Yahweh your God, brought you out from there by my very great power. That is the reason that I am commanding that all of you must rest on the seventh day each week. BSB BSB: Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the LORD your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 UDB Honor your fathers and your mothers, just like I, Yahweh your God, am commanding you, in order that you as a people may live a long time in the land that I, Yahweh your God, will give you, and in order that things will go well for you there. BSB BSB: Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
17 UDB Do not murder anyone. BSB BSB: You shall not murder.
18 UDB Do not commit adultery. BSB BSB: You shall not commit adultery.
19 UDB Do not steal anything. BSB BSB: You shall not steal.
20 UDB Do not tell lies about anyone when you are speaking in court. BSB BSB: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21 UDB Do not covet someone else's wife, someone else's house, someone else's fields, someone else's male slave or female slave, someone else's livestock, someone else's donkeys, or anything else that another person owns.' BSB BSB: You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Moses Intercedes for the People (Exodus 20:18–21; Hebrews 12:18–29)
22 UDB Those are the commandments that Yahweh spoke to your ancestors. When they were gathered there at the bottom of the mountain, he spoke with a very loud voice from the middle of the fire, and there were dark clouds surrounding the mountain. He spoke only those Ten Commandments, no more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. BSB BSB: The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
23 UDB After your ancestors heard Yahweh's voice when he spoke to them out of the darkness, while there was a big fire burning on the mountain, their leaders and elders came to me, BSB BSB: And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me,
24 UDB and one of them said, 'Listen to us! Yahweh our God showed us that he is very great and glorious when we heard him speak from the fire. Today we have realized that it is possible for us human beings to continue to live even though God has spoken to us. BSB BSB: and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
25 UDB But we are afraid that we will die. We are afraid that this immense fire will burn us all up, if we go on hearing Yahweh's voice. BSB BSB: But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer.
26 UDB We are the only people on earth who have remained alive after hearing the all-powerful God speak to them from a fire! BSB BSB: For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived?
27 UDB So Moses, you go up the mountain and listen to everything that Yahweh our God says. Then come back and tell us everything that he has said, and we will listen to what he has said and obey it.' BSB BSB: Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”
28 UDB Yahweh heard your leaders say that, so when I went back up the mountain, Yahweh said to me, 'I have heard what your leaders have said, and what they have said is right. BSB BSB: And the LORD heard the words you spoke to me, and He said to me, “I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.
29 UDB I surely wish that they would always think like that and have an awesome respect for me and obey all my commandments, in order that things may go well for them and for their descendants forever. BSB BSB: If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.
30 UDB So go down and tell them to return to their tents. BSB BSB: Go and tell them: ‘Return to your tents.’
31 UDB But then you come back up here and stand near me, and I will give to you all the rules and decrees that I want them to obey. Then you can teach them to the people, in order that they will obey them when they are in the land that I am giving to them.' BSB BSB: But you stand here with Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and statutes and ordinances you are to teach them to follow in the land that I am giving them to possess.”
32 UDB So I went back down to the people and said to them, 'Be sure that you do everything that Yahweh our God has commanded us to do. Do not disobey any of his laws. BSB BSB: So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.
33 UDB Conduct your lives as Yahweh our God has commanded us to do, in order that you may live a long time, and in order that things will go well for you when you are living in the land that you will occupy.'" BSB BSB: You must walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.