THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Key verse: 1
NIV
The Ten Commandments(A)
20 And God spoke(B) all these words:(C)
2 “I am the Lord your God,(D) who brought you out(E) of Egypt,(F) out of the land of slavery.(G)
3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.(H)
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image(I) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship(J) them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(K) punishing the children for the sin of the parents(L) to the third and fourth generation(M) of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand(N) generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.(O)
8 “Remember the Sabbath(P) day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,(Q) 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath(R) to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,(S) the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested(T) on the seventh day.(U) Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother,(V) so that you may live long(W) in the land(X) the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.(Y)
14 “You shall not commit adultery.(Z)
15 “You shall not steal.(AA)
16 “You shall not give false testimony(AB) against your neighbor.(AC)
17 “You shall not covet(AD) your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet(AE) and saw the mountain in smoke,(AF) they trembled with fear.(AG) They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak(AH) to us or we will die.”(AI)
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid.(AJ) God has come to test(AK) you, so that the fear(AL) of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”(AM)
21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness(AN) where God was.
Footnotes
- Exodus 20:3 Or besides
Cross references
- Exodus 20:1 : 20:1-17pp — Dt 5:6-21
- Exodus 20:1 : Dt 10:4
- Exodus 20:1 : Ne 9:13; Ps 119:9; 147:19; Mal 4:4
- Exodus 20:2 : S Ge 17:7; Ex 16:12; Lev 19:2; 20:7; Isa 43:3; Eze 20:19
- Exodus 20:2 : S Ge 15:7
- Exodus 20:2 : S Ex 6:6
- Exodus 20:2 : Ex 13:3; Eze 20:6
- Exodus 20:3 : ver 23; Ex 34:14; Dt 6:14; 13:10; 2Ki 17:35; Ps 44:20; 81:9; Jer 1:16; 7:6, 9; 11:13; 19:4; 25:6; 35:15
- Exodus 20:4 : ver 5, 23; Ex 32:8; 34:17; Lev 19:4; 26:1; Dt 4:15-19, 23; 27:15; 2Sa 7:22; 1Ki 14:9; 2Ki 17:12; Isa 40:19; 42:8; 44:9
- Exodus 20:5 : Ex 23:13, 24; Jos 23:7; Jdg 6:10; 2Ki 17:35; Isa 44:15, 17, 19; 46:6
- Exodus 20:5 : Ex 34:14; Dt 4:24; Jos 24:19; Na 1:2
- Exodus 20:5 : S Ge 9:25; S Lev 26:39
- Exodus 20:5 : Ex 34:7; Nu 14:18; Jer 32:18
- Exodus 20:6 : Ex 34:7; Nu 14:18; Dt 7:9; Jer 32:18; Lk 1:50; Ro 11:28
- Exodus 20:7 : Ex 22:28; Lev 18:21; 19:12; 22:2; 24:11, 16; Dt 6:13; 10:20; Job 2:5, 9; Ps 63:11; Isa 8:21; Eze 20:39; 39:7; S Mt 5:33
- Exodus 20:8 : S Ex 16:23; 31:13-16; 35:3; Lev 19:3, 30; 26:2; Isa 56:2; Jer 17:21-27; Eze 22:8
- Exodus 20:9 : Ex 23:12; 31:13-17; 34:21; 35:2-3; Lev 23:3; Lk 13:14
- Exodus 20:10 : S Ge 2:3; Ex 31:14; Lev 23:38; Nu 28:9; Isa 56:2; Eze 20:12, 20
- Exodus 20:11 : Ge 1:3-2:1
- Exodus 20:11 : S Ge 2:2
- Exodus 20:11 : Ex 31:17; Heb 4:4
- Exodus 20:12 : S Ge 31:35; S Dt 5:16; Mt 15:4*; 19:19*; Mk 7:10*; 10:19*; Lk 18:20*; Eph 6:2
- Exodus 20:12 : Dt 6:2; Eph 6:3
- Exodus 20:12 : Dt 11:9; 25:15; Jer 35:7
- Exodus 20:13 : S Ge 4:23; Mt 5:21*; 19:18*; Mk 10:19*; Lk 18:20*; Ro 13:9*; Jas 2:11*
- Exodus 20:14 : Lev 18:20; 20:10; Nu 5:12, 13, 29; Pr 6:29, 32; Mt 5:27*; 19:18*; Mk 10:19*; Lk 18:20*; Ro 13:9*; Jas 2:11*
- Exodus 20:15 : Lev 19:11, 13; Eze 18:7; Mt 19:18*; Mk 10:19*; Lk 18:20*; Ro 13:9*
- Exodus 20:16 : Lev 19:11; Jer 9:3, 5
- Exodus 20:16 : Ex 23:1, 7; Lev 19:18; Ps 50:20; 101:5; 119:29; Mt 19:18*; Mk 10:19; Lk 3:14*; 18:20*
- Exodus 20:17 : Lk 12:15; Ro 7:7*; 13:9*; Eph 5:3; Heb 13:5
- Exodus 20:18 : Ex 19:16-19; Dt 4:36; Isa 58:1; Jer 6:17; Eze 33:3; Heb 12:18-19; Rev 1:10
- Exodus 20:18 : S Ex 19:18
- Exodus 20:18 : S Ge 3:10; S Ex 14:31; S 19:16
- Exodus 20:19 : Job 37:4, 5; 40:9; Ps 29:3-4
- Exodus 20:19 : Dt 5:5, 23-27; 18:16; Gal 3:19
- Exodus 20:20 : S Ge 15:1
- Exodus 20:20 : S Ge 22:1
- Exodus 20:20 : Dt 4:10; 6:2, 24; 10:12; Ps 111:10; 128:1; Pr 1:7; Ecc 12:13; Isa 8:13
- Exodus 20:20 : Job 1:8; 2:3; 28:28; Pr 3:7; 8:13; 14:16; 16:6
- Exodus 20:21 : S Ex 19:9; Dt 5:22; Ps 18:9; 68:4; 97:2; Isa 19:1
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
The Ten Commandments
20 (A)And (B)God spoke all these words, saying,
2 (C)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 (D)“You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 (E)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 (F)You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am (G)a jealous God, (H)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands[b] of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 (I)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
8 (J)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 (K)Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the (L)seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the (M)sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For (N)in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 (O)“Honor your father and your mother, (P)that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 (Q)“You shall not murder.[c]
14 (R)“You shall not commit adultery.
15 (S)“You shall not steal.
16 (T)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 (U)“You shall not covet (V)your neighbor's house; (W)you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
18 Now when all the people saw (X)the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid[d] and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, (Y)“You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 (Z)Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to (AA)test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the (AB)thick darkness where God was.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 20:3 Or besides
- Exodus 20:6 Or to the thousandth generation
- Exodus 20:13 The Hebrew word also covers causing human death through carelessness or negligence
- Exodus 20:18 Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Masoretic Text the people saw
Cross references
- Exodus 20:1 : For ver. 1-17, see Deut. 5:6-21
- Exodus 20:1 : Deut. 5:22
- Exodus 20:2 : Lev. 26:13; Ps. 81:10; Hos. 13:4
- Exodus 20:3 : 2 Kgs. 17:35; Jer. 25:6; 35:15
- Exodus 20:4 : Lev. 26:1; Deut. 27:15; Ps. 97:7; [Acts 17:29]
- Exodus 20:5 : ch. 23:24; Josh. 23:7
- Exodus 20:5 : ch. 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 6:15; Josh. 24:19; Nah. 1:2
- Exodus 20:5 : ch. 34:7; Num. 14:18; [Ps. 79:8; 109:14; Isa. 65:6, 7; Jer. 32:18]
- Exodus 20:7 : Lev. 19:12; [Matt. 5:34, 35; James 5:12]
- Exodus 20:8 : Lev. 19:3, 30; 26:2; See ch. 31:13-17
- Exodus 20:9 : ch. 23:12; 34:21; 35:2; Lev. 23:3; Luke 13:14
- Exodus 20:10 : ch. 16:26; 31:15; Gen. 2:2, 3; Ezek. 20:12; See Num. 15:32-36
- Exodus 20:10 : See Neh. 13:16-19
- Exodus 20:11 : See Gen. 1:1–2:3
- Exodus 20:12 : Lev. 19:3; Cited Matt. 15:4; 19:19; Mark 7:10; 10:19; Luke 18:20; Eph. 6:2; [Jer. 35:18, 19]
- Exodus 20:12 : Eph. 6:3
- Exodus 20:13 : Cited Matt. 5:21; 19:18; Rom. 13:9; [Gen. 9:5, 6; 1 John 3:15]
- Exodus 20:14 : Lev. 18:20; Deut. 22:22; Prov. 6:32; 1 Cor. 6:9; Heb. 13:4; Cited Matt. 5:27; Rom. 13:9
- Exodus 20:15 : Lev. 19:11; Eph. 4:28; Cited Matt. 19:18; Rom. 13:9
- Exodus 20:16 : ch. 23:1; Prov. 19:5, 9; 21:28; 24:28; 25:18; Cited Matt. 19:18; See Deut. 19:16-20
- Exodus 20:17 : Luke 12:15; Eph. 5:3, 5; Cited Rom. 7:7; 13:9; [Col. 3:5; Heb. 13:5]
- Exodus 20:17 : Mic. 2:2
- Exodus 20:17 : Jer. 5:8; Matt. 5:28
- Exodus 20:18 : Heb. 12:18
- Exodus 20:19 : Deut. 5:25, 27; 18:16; Gal. 3:19, 20; Heb. 12:19
- Exodus 20:20 : [1 Sam. 12:20]
- Exodus 20:20 : [Gen. 22:1]; Deut. 13:3
- Exodus 20:21 : Deut. 4:11; 2 Sam. 22:10; 1 Kgs. 8:12; Ps. 18:9; 97:2
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Love God with all your heart (1-11)
The LORD God, who had delivered the Israelites out of bondage, was the author of the Ten Commandments. The first four governed the people's relationship with God. The people must not have other gods nor make an idol for themselves nor misuse God's name. They must keep the Sabbath day holy. By obeying these commandments God hoped that his people would know him deeply. The LORD God is a jealous God. He punishes disobedience but blesses obedience. His name is great. He sets aside one day a week for us to honor him and know him better.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself (11-21)
In the latter six commandments, God commands his people to honor their parents, not to murder, not to commit adultery nor steal nor lie about our neighbor. God's people must also not covet. Jesus expanded the meaning of some of these in Matthew 5 to include motive. Though mostly expressed in the negative, when we obey these commandments as God intended, we can grow from selfish people into people who can treat others and what belongs to them with dignity and respect.
Prayer: Father, help me to obey the commandments and come to know and love you better and to love others as you have loved me.
One Word: Obey God's word
