18 Now Yitro, the priest of Midyan, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moshe, and for Israel his people, how that Yehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt. ²And Yitro, Moshes’ father-in-law, took Tzipporah, Moshe’s wife, after he had sent her away, ³and her two sons; of whom the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land: ⁴and the name of the other was Eli’ezer; for he said, The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh. ⁵And Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moshe into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God: ⁶and he said unto Moshe, I, thy father-in-law Yitro, am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. ⁷And Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him: and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. ⁸And Moshe told his father-in-law all that Yehovah had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how Yehovah delivered them. ⁹And Yitro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yehovah had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰And Yitro said, Blessed be Yehovah, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹Now I know that Yehovah is greater than all gods; yea, in the thing wherein they dealt proudly against them. ¹²And Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and sacrifices for God: and Aharon came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moshe’s father-in-law before God. 

¹³And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moshe sat to judge the people: and the people stood about Moshe from the morning unto the evening. ¹⁴And when Moshe’s father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto even? ¹⁵And Moshe said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God: ¹⁶when they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. ¹⁷And Moshe’s father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. ¹⁸Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. ¹⁹Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God: ²⁰and thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. ²¹Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: ²²and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. ²³If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace. ²⁴So Moshe hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. ²⁵And Moshe chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. ²⁶And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moshe, but every small matter they judged themselves. ²⁷And Moshe let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own land. 

19 In the third month after the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. ²And when they were departed from Refidim, and were come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mount. ³And Moshe went up unto God, and Yehovah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ⁴Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: ⁶and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 

⁷And Moshe came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yehovah commanded him. ⁸And all the people answered together, and said, All that Yehovah hath spoken we will do. And Moshe reported the words of the people unto Yehovah. ⁹And Yehovah said unto Moshe, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever. And Moshe told the words of the people unto Yehovah. ¹⁰And Yehovah said unto Moshe, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments, ¹¹and be ready against the third day; for the third day Yehovah will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. ¹²And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: ¹³no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. ¹⁴And Moshe went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments. ¹⁵And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman. 

¹⁶And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. ¹⁷And Moshe brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. ¹⁸And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. ¹⁹And when the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Moshe spake, and God answered him by a voice. ²⁰And Yehovah came down upon mount Sinai, to the top of the mount: and Yehovah called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moshe went up. ²¹And Yehovah said unto Moshe, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Yehovah to gaze, and many of them perish. ²²And let the priests also, that come near to Yehovah, sanctify themselves, lest Yehovah break forth upon them. ²³And Moshe said unto Yehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. ²⁴And Yehovah said unto him, Go, get thee down; and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aharon with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto Yehovah, lest he break forth upon them. ²⁵So Moshe went down unto the people, and told them. 

20 And God spake all these words, saying, 

א

²I am Yehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

ב

 ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: ⁵thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I Yehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me, ⁶and showing lovingkindness unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

ג

⁷Thou shalt not take the name of Yehovah thy God in vain; for Yehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 

ד

⁸Remember the Shabbat day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; ¹⁰but the seventh day is a Shabbat unto Yehovah thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ¹¹for in six days Yehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Yehovah blessed the Shabbat day, and hallowed it. 

ה

¹²Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Yehovah thy God giveth thee. 

ו

¹³Thou shalt not murder. 

ז

¹⁴Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

ח

¹⁵Thou shalt not steal.

ט

¹⁶Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

י

¹⁷Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s. 

¹⁸And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. ¹⁹And they said unto Moshe, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. ²⁰And Moshe said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. ²¹And the people stood afar off, and Moshe drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. 

²²And Yehovah said unto Moshe, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. ²³Ye shall not make other gods with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you. ²⁴An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in every place where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. ²⁵And if thou make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. ²⁶Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered thereon.