B.
The testimony of God (the law) revealing God to His people
20:1-17
Exo. 20
:1
20:1
aAnd God spoke all these
1words, saying,
Exo. 20
:2
20:2
I am
1aJehovah your God, who
bbrought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the slave house;
Exo. 20
:3
20:3
You shall have no
aother gods
1before Me.
Exo. 20
:4
20:4
You shall not
amake for yourself an
1idol, nor the
2form of anything that is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water beneath the earth.
Exo. 20
:5
20:5
You shall not bow down to them, and you shall not
aserve them; for I, Jehovah your God, am a
bjealous God,
cvisiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth
generations of those who hate Me,
Exo. 20
:6
20:6
Yet showing
alovingkindness to
1thousands of generations of those who
2love Me and keep My commandments.
Exo. 20
:7
20:7
You shall not take the
aname of Jehovah your God in vain, for Jehovah will not hold guiltless him who takes His name in vain.
Exo. 20
:8
20:8
Remember the
1aSabbath day so as to sanctify it.
Exo. 20
:9
20:9
aSix days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exo. 20
:10
20:10
But the
aseventh day is a Sabbath
1to Jehovah your God; you shall not do any work, you nor your son nor your daughter, your male servant nor your female servant, nor your cattle nor the sojourner with you, who is within your gates.
Exo. 20
:11
20:11
For in
asix days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
Exo. 20
:12
20:12
aHonor your father and your mother, that your days may be extended upon the land which
1Jehovah your God is giving you.
Exo. 20
:13
20:13
1aYou shall not
bkill.
Exo. 20
:14
20:14
aYou shall not commit adultery.
Exo. 20
:15
20:15
aYou shall not steal.
Exo. 20
:16
20:16
aYou shall not testify with false testimony against your neighbor.
Exo. 20
:17
20:17
You shall not
1acovet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.
C.
The negative aspect of the law
20:18-21
Exo. 20
:18
20:18
And all the people witnessed the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the
atrumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people witnessed
it, they
1trembled and stood at a distance.
Exo. 20
:19
20:19
And they said to Moses,
aYou speak with us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak with us, so we do not
bdie.
Exo. 20
:20
20:20
And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to
atest you and in order that the
bfear of Him may be before you, so that you do not sin.
Exo. 20
:21
20:21
And the people stood at a distance, and Moses drew near to the deep
adarkness where God was.
D.
The statutes of the law concerning the worship of God
20:22-26
Exo. 20
:22
20:22
And Jehovah said to Moses,
1Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, You yourselves have seen that I have
2aspoken to you from heaven.
Exo. 20
:23
20:23
You shall not make
other gods besides Me; gods of
1silver or
agods of
1gold, you shall not make for yourselves.
Exo. 20
:24
20:24
An 1altar of
2earth you shall make for Me, and you shall
1sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My
3aname to be remembered, I will
4come to you and
4bbless you.
Exo. 20
:25
20:25
And if you make Me an altar of
astone, you shall not build it of hewn stones; for if you lift up your tool upon it, you have
1polluted it.
Exo. 20
:26
20:26
Neither shall you go up by
1steps to My altar, so that your
2nakedness may not be uncovered on it.
