Exo 20-23 | NASB1995 | STEP | Then God spoke all these words , saying ,

Exodus 20

1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,

2 ^a“I am the Lord your God, ^bwho brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of ^{▼▼ Lit slaves}slavery.

3 ^d“You shall have no other ^egods ^{▼▼ Or besides Me}before Me.

4 ^g“You shall not make for yourself ^{▼▼ Or a graven image}an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 ⁱ“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a ^jjealous God, ^kvisiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to ^lthousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 ^m“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not ^{▼▼ Or hold him guiltless}leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

8 “Remember ^othe sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 ^p“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it ^qyou shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who ^{▼▼ Lit is in your gates}stays with you. 11 ^s“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the 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 ^t“Honor your father and your mother, that your ^udays may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

13 ^v“You shall not murder.

14 ^w“You shall not commit adultery.

15 ^x“You shall not steal.

16 ^y“You shall not bear false witness against your ^zneighbor.

17 ^aa“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; ^abyou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

18 ^acAll the people perceived the ^{▼▼ Lit sounds}thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 ^aeThen they said to Moses, “Speak ^{▼▼ Lit with}to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak ^{▼▼ Lit with}to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, ^ah“Do not be afraid; for God has come in order ^aito test you, and in order that ^ajthe fear of Him may ^{▼▼ Lit be before}remain with you, so that you may not sin.” 21 So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached ^althe thick cloud where God was.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen that ^amI have spoken ^{▼▼ Lit with}to you from heaven. 23 ‘ ^aoYou shall not make other gods besides Me; ^apgods of silver or gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves. 24 ‘You shall make ^aqan altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your ^arburnt offerings and your ^aspeace offerings, ^atyour sheep and your oxen; in every place ^auwhere I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 25 ‘If you make an altar of stone for Me, ^avyou shall not build it of cut stones, for if you wield your tool on it, you will profane it. 26 ‘And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, so that ^awyour nakedness will not be exposed on it.’

Exodus 21

Ordinances for the People

1 “Now these are the ^axordinances which you are to set before them:

2 “If you buy ^aya Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 “If he comes ^{▼▼ Lit by himself}alone, he shall go out ^{▼▼ Lit by himself}alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 “If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out ^{▼▼ Lit by himself}alone. 5 “But ^bcif the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to ^{▼▼ Or the judges who acted in God’s name}God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

7 ^be“If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to ^{▼▼ Lit go out}go free ^bgas the male slaves ^{▼▼ Lit go out}do. 8 “If she is ^{▼▼ Lit bad}displeasing in the eyes of her master ^{▼▼ Another reading is so that he did not designate her}who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his ^{▼▼ Lit dealing treacherously}unfairness to her. 9 “If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 “If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her ^{▼▼ Lit flesh}food, her clothing, or ^bmher conjugal rights. 11 “If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

Personal Injuries

12 ^bn“He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 ^bo“But ^{▼▼ Lit he who}if he did not lie in wait for him, but ^bqGod let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. 14 ^br“If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die.

15 “He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

16 ^bs“He who ^{▼▼ Lit steals}kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his ^{▼▼ Lit hand}possession, shall surely be put to death.

17 ^bv“He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.

18 “If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but ^{▼▼ Lit lies}remains in bed, 19 if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his ^{▼▼ Lit his sitting}loss of time, and ^{▼▼ Lit healing, he shall cause to be healed}shall take care of him until he is completely healed.

20 “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies ^{▼▼ Lit under}at his hand, he shall ^{▼▼ Lit suffer vengeance}be punished. 21 “If, however, he ^{▼▼ Lit stands}survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; ^ccfor he is his ^{▼▼ Lit money}property.

22 “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that ^{▼▼ Or an untimely birth occurs; lit her children come out}she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband ^{▼▼ Lit lays on him}may demand of him, and he shall ^cgpay ^{▼▼ Lit by arbitration}as the judges decide. 23 “But if there is any further injury, ^cithen you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 ^cjeye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, ^{▼▼ Lit welt}bruise for bruise.

26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. 27 “And if he ^{▼▼ Lit causes to fall}knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman ^{▼▼ Lit so that he dies}to death, ^cnthe ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished. 29 “If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 “If a ransom is ^{▼▼ Lit laid on him}demanded of him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is ^{▼▼ Lit laid on him}demanded of him. 31 “Whether it gores a son or ^{▼▼ Lit gores a daughter}a daughter, it shall be done to him according to ^{▼▼ Lit this judgment}the same rule. 32 “If the ox gores a male or female slave, ^{▼▼ Lit he}the owner shall give his or her master ^ctthirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.

33 “If a man opens a pit, or ^{▼▼ Lit if a man digs}digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall ^{▼▼ Lit give back}give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide its price equally; and also they shall divide the dead ox. 36 “Or if it is known that the ox was previously in the habit of goring, yet its owner has not confined it, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall become his.

Exodus 22

Property Rights

1 ^{▼▼ Ch 21:37 in Heb}“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five oxen for the ox and ^cxfour sheep for the sheep.

2 ^{▼▼ Ch 22:1 in Heb}“If the ^czthief is ^{▼▼ Lit found}caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account. 3 “But if the sun has risen on him, there will be bloodguiltiness on his account. He shall surely make restitution; if he owns nothing, then he shall be ^dbsold for his theft. 4 “If what he stole is actually found alive in his ^{▼▼ Lit hand}possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, ^ddhe shall pay double.

5 “If a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed bare and lets his animal loose so that it grazes in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.

6 “If a fire breaks out and spreads to thorn bushes, so that stacked grain or the standing grain or the field itself is consumed, he who started the fire shall surely make restitution.

7 ^de“If a man gives his neighbor money or goods to keep for him and it is stolen from the man’s house, if the thief is ^{▼▼ Lit found}caught, he shall pay double. 8 “If the thief is not ^{▼▼ Lit found}caught, then the owner of the house shall ^{▼▼ Lit approach to}appear before ^{▼▼ Or God
,} ^djthe judges, to determine whether he ^{▼▼ Lit stretched his hand}laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. 9 “For every ^{▼▼ Or matter of transgression}breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the ^{▼▼ Lit matter}case of both parties shall come before ^{▼▼ Or God
,} ^dothe judges; he whom ^{▼▼ Or God}the judges condemn shall pay double to his neighbor.

10 “If a man gives his neighbor a donkey, an ox, a sheep, or any animal to keep for him, and it dies or is hurt or is driven away while no one is looking, 11 an ^dqoath before the Lord shall be made by the two of them ^{▼▼ Lit whether}that he has not ^{▼▼ Lit stretched his hand}laid hands on his neighbor’s property; and its owner shall accept it, and he shall not make restitution. 12 “But if it is actually stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. 13 “If it is all torn to pieces, let him bring it as evidence; he shall not make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.

14 “If a man ^{▼▼ Lit asks}borrows anything from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while its owner is not with it, he shall make full restitution. 15 “If its owner is with it, he shall not make restitution; if it is hired, it came for its hire.

Sundry Laws

16 ^du“If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged, and lies with her, he must pay a dowry for her to be his wife. 17 “If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he shall ^{▼▼ Lit weigh out silver}pay money equal to the ^dwdowry for virgins.

18 “You shall not allow a ^dxsorceress to live.

19 ^dy“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.

20 ^dz“He who sacrifices to ^{▼▼ Lit the gods}any god, other than to the Lord alone, shall be ^{▼▼ Lit put under the ban}utterly destroyed.

21 ^ec“You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 22 ^ed“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. 23 “If you afflict him at all, and ^eeif he does cry out to Me, ^efI will surely hear his cry; 24 and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, ^egand your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

25 ^eh“If you lend money to My people, to the poor ^{▼▼ Lit with}among you, you are not to ^{▼▼ Lit be}act as a creditor to him; you shall not ^{▼▼ Lit lay upon}charge him ^elinterest. 26 “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak ^emas a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, 27 for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his ^{▼▼ Lit skin}body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that ^eowhen he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for ^epI am gracious.

28 “You shall not ^{▼▼ Or revile
,} ^ercurse God, ^esnor curse a ruler of your people.

29 ^et“You shall not delay the offering from ^{▼▼ Lit your fullness and your tears}your harvest and your vintage. ^evThe firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 ^ew“You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; ^exon the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

31 ^ey“You shall be holy men to Me, therefore ^ezyou shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.

Exodus 23

Sundry Laws

1 ^fa“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a ^fbmalicious witness. 2 “You shall not follow ^{▼▼ Lit many men}the masses in doing evil, nor shall you ^{▼▼ Or answer}testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after ^{▼▼ Lit many men}a multitude in order to ^ffpervert justice; 3 ^fgnor shall you ^{▼▼ Lit honor}be partial to a poor man in his dispute.

4 ^fi“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. 5 ^fj“If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him.

6 ^fk“You shall not pervert the justice due to your needy brother in his dispute. 7 ^fl“Keep far from a false charge, and ^fmdo not kill the innocent or the righteous, for ^fnI will not acquit the guilty.

8 ^fo“You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and ^{▼▼ Or distorts the words}subverts the cause of the just.

9 ^fq“You shall not oppress a ^{▼▼ Or sojourner(s)}stranger, since you yourselves know the ^{▼▼ Lit soul}feelings of a ^{▼▼ Or sojourner(s)}stranger, for you also were ^{▼▼ Or sojourner(s)}strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Sabbath and Land

10 ^fv“You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, 11 but on the seventh year you shall let it ^{▼▼ Lit drop}rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

12 ^fx“Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease from labor so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as ^{▼▼ Lit the sojourner}your stranger, may refresh themselves. 13 “Now ^fzconcerning everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and ^gado not mention the name of other gods, nor let them be heard ^{▼▼ Lit on}from your mouth.

Three National Feasts

14 ^gc“Three times a year you shall celebrate a feast to Me. 15 “You shall observe ^gdthe Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the ^gemonth Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. And ^{▼▼ Lit they...not
,} ^ggnone shall appear before Me empty-handed. 16 “Also you shall observe ^ghthe Feast of the Harvest of the first fruits of your labors from what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering at the end of the year ^giwhen you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 ^gj“Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God.

18 ^gl“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; ^gmnor is the fat of My ^{▼▼ Or festival}feast to remain overnight until morning.

19 “You shall bring ^gothe choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.

^gp“You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.

Conquest of the Land

20 “Behold, I am going to send ^gqan angel before you to guard you along the way and ^grto bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; ^gsdo not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since ^gtMy name is in him. 22 “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then ^guI will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 ^gv“For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24 ^gw“You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; ^gxbut you shall utterly overthrow them and break their ^gy sacred pillars in pieces. 25 ^gz“But you shall serve the Lord your God, ^{▼▼ Or that He may bless}and He will bless your bread and your water; and ^hbI will remove sickness from your midst. 26 “There shall be no one miscarrying or ^hcbarren in your land; ^hdI will fulfill the number of your days. 27 “I will ^hesend My terror ahead of you, and ^hfthrow into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will ^hgmake all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 “I will send ^hhhornets ahead of you so that they will ^hidrive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 ^hj“I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 “I will drive them out before you ^hklittle by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31 ^hl“I will fix your boundary from the ^{▼▼ Lit Sea of Reeds}Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; ^hnfor I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will ^hodrive them out before you. 32 ^hp“You shall ^{▼▼ Lit cut}make no covenant with them ^hror with their gods. 33 ^hs“They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, ^htit will surely be a snare to you.”