Exodus Chapter 20 - Ferrar Fenton Translation

The Ten Commandments

Then the Ever-Living dictated all these commands, and said;

Commandment I.

"I am your Ever-Living God, Who brought you out from the Mitzeraim, from the house of bondage. There shall be no other God to you, except Myself."

Commandment II.

"You shall not make for yourselves any image, or likeness of anything that is in the heavens above; or that is upon the earth beneath; or that is in the waters lower than the earth; you shall not worship them or serve them, for I, your Ever-Living God, am a jealous God, visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children to those who hate Me; but I show mercy for thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Commandments III.

"You shall not take the Name of the Ever-Living God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless the taking of His Name in vain.

Commandment IV.

"Remember the seventh day to keep it holy. Six days you may labour, and do all your business, but the seventh day is a Rest to your Ever-Living God. You shall not then do any business, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maid-servant, or your cattle, or your stranger who is within your gates; for in six ages the Ever-Living made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but rested at the seventh age; therefore the Ever-Living blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.

Commandment V.

"Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Ever-Living God will give you.

Commandment VI.

"You shall not murder.

Commandment VII.

"You shall not commit adultery.

Commandment VIII.

"You shall not steal.

Commandment IX.

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Commandments X.

"You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife; or his manservant, or his maid-servant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbour's."

The Terror of Israel

And all the People perceived the sounds and the flamings, and the trumpet voice, and the smoke from the mountain;--so the people feared and shook in themselves, and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we can listen: but let not God speak with us, for fear we should die."

Moses, however, answered to the People, "Fear not! for God has come to you to try you, and to test whether you will fear Him henceforward, and not sin."

So the People stood afar off, but Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Then the Ever-Living said to Moses; "say this to the children of Israel, you have seen that from the heavens I have spoken with you. Never make for yourselves a God of silver, or a God of gold. You shall not make them for yourselves. You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall offer upon it your sacrifices and your thank offerings, your sheep, and your oxen. In every place where I record My Name, I will come to you and bless you. But if you make an altar of stone to Me, it shall not be of cut stones, for if you carve with a cutter upon it, then it will be polluted. And you shall not pile up pyramids for an altar so that your nakedness may not be discovered when you go up to it."