Deuteronomy 5

¹ Moses cal ed al Israel together and said to them, 'Listen, Israel, to the laws and customs that I proclaimto you today. Learn them and take care to observe them.

² 'Yahweh our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.

³ Yahweh made this covenant not with our ancestors, but with us, with all of us alive here today.

⁴ On the mountain, from the heart of the fire, Yahweh spoke to you face to face,

⁵ while I stood between you and Yahweh to let you know what Yahweh was saying, since you were afraidof the fire and had not gone up the mountain. He said:

⁶ ' "I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place of slave-labour.

⁷ ' "You will have no gods other than me.

⁸ ' "You must not make yourselves any image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earthbeneath or in the waters under the earth;

⁹ you must not bow down to these gods or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and Ipunish the parents' fault in the children, the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren, among those who hateme;

¹⁰ but I show faithful love to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments.

¹¹ ' "You must not misuse the name of Yahweh your God, for Yahweh wil not leave unpunished anyonewho uses his name for what is false.

¹² ' "Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as Yahweh your God has commanded you.

¹³ Labour for six days, doing all your work,

¹⁴ but the seventh day is a Sabbath for Yahweh your God. You must not do any work that day, neitheryou, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servants -- male or female -- nor your ox, nor your donkey, norany of your animals, nor the foreigner who has made his home with you;

¹⁵ so that your servants, male and female, may rest, as you do. Remember that you were once a slave inEgypt, and that Yahweh your God brought you out of there with mighty hand and outstretched arm; this is whyYahweh your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

¹⁶ ' "Honour your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God has commanded you, so that you mayhave long life and may prosper in the country which Yahweh your God is giving you.

¹⁷ ' "You must not kil .

¹⁸ ' "You must not commit adultery.

¹⁹ ' "You must not steal.

²⁰ ' "You must not give false evidence against your fel ow.

²¹ ' "You must not set your heart on your neighbour's spouse, you must not set your heart on yourneighbour's house, or field, or servant-man or woman -- or ox, or donkey or any of your neighbour'spossessions."

²² 'These were the words Yahweh spoke to you when you were al assembled on the mountain.Thunderously, he spoke to you from the heart of the fire, in cloud and thick darkness. He added nothing, butwrote them on two tablets of stone which he gave to me.

²³ 'Now, having heard this voice coming out of the darkness, while the mountain was al on fire, youcame to me, al of you, heads of tribes and elders,

²⁴ and said, "Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voicefrom the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak with a human being and that person stil live.

²⁵ So why should we expose ourselves to death again? For this great fire might devour us if we go onlistening to the voice of Yahweh our God, and then we should die.

²⁶ For what creature of flesh could possibly live after hearing, as we have heard, the voice of the livingGod speaking from the heart of the fire?

²⁷ Go nearer yourself and listen to everything that Yahweh our God may say, and then tel us everything that Yahweh our God has told you; we shal listen and put it into practice!"

²⁸ 'Yahweh heard what you were saying to me, and he then said to me, "I have heard what these peopleare saying. Everything they have said is well said.

²⁹ If only their heart were always so, set on fearing me and on keeping my commandments, so that theyand their children might prosper for ever!

³⁰ Go and tell them to go back to their tents.

³¹ But you yourself stay here with me, and I shal tel you all the commandments, the laws and thecustoms which you are to teach them and which they are to observe in the country which I am giving them astheir possession."

³² 'Keep them and put them into practice: such is Yahweh's command to you. Stray neither to right nor toleft.

³³ Fol ow the whole way that Yahweh has marked for you, and you wil survive to prosper and live long inthe country which you are going to possess.'