Online Bible

Book of Exodus, Chapter 20

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Exodus 20 NWT - New World TranslationExodus 20 NWT - New World Translation

Chapter 20 of Exodus—New World Translation (NWT)

  1. ¶ And God proceeded to speak all these words,[a] saying:1
  2. ¶ “I am Jehovah your God,[b]2 who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves.3
  3. You must not have any other gods[c]4 against my face.[d]
  4. ¶ “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth.5
  5. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them,[e]6 because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion,[f]7 bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons,[g] upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation,[h] in the case of those who hate me;8
  6. but exercising loving-kindness[i] toward the thousandth generation[j] in the case of those who love me and keep my commandments.[k]9
  7. ¶ “You must not take up[l] the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way,[m]10 for Jehovah will not leave the one unpunished who takes up his name in a worthless way.11
  8. ¶ “Remembering[n] the sabbath day to hold it sacred,12
  9. you are to render service[o] and you must do all your work six days.13
  10. But the seventh day is a sabbath[p] to Jehovah your God.14 You must not do any work, you nor your son nor your daughter, your slave man nor your slave girl nor your domestic animal nor your alien resident who is inside your gates.15
  11. For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them,16 and he proceeded to rest[q] on the seventh day.17 That is why Jehovah blessed the sabbath day and proceeded to make it sacred.[r]18
  12. ¶ “Honor[s] your father and your mother19 in order that your days may prove long upon the ground that Jehovah your God is giving you.20
  13. ¶ “You must not murder.[t]21
  14. ¶ “You must not commit adultery.[u]22
  15. ¶ “You must not steal.[v]23
  16. ¶ “You must not testify falsely as a witness against your fellowman.[w]24
  17. ¶ “You must not desire[x] your fellowman’s house. You must not desire your fellowman’s wife,25 nor his slave man nor his slave girl nor his bull nor his ass nor anything that belongs to your fellowman.”[y]26
  18. ¶ Now all the people were seeing[z] the thunders and the lightning flashes and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking. When the people got to see it, then they quivered and stood at a distance.27
  19. And they began to say to Moses: “You speak with us, and let us listen; but let not God speak with us for fear we may die.”28
  20. So Moses said to the people: “Do not be afraid, because for the sake of putting YOU to the test the [true] God has come,29 and in order that the fear of him may continue before YOUR faces that YOU may not sin.”30
  21. And the people kept standing at a distance, but Moses went near to the dark cloud mass where the [true] God was.31
  22. ¶ And Jehovah went on to say to Moses:32 “This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘YOU yourselves have seen that it was from the heavens I spoke with YOU.33
  23. YOU must not make along with me gods[aa] of silver, and YOU must not make gods of gold for yourselves.34
  24. An altar of ground35 you are to make for me, and you must sacrifice upon it your burnt offerings and your communion sacrifices,[ab] your flock and your herd.36 In every place where I shall cause my name to be remembered I shall come to you and shall certainly bless you.37
  25. And if you should make an altar of stones for me, you must not build them as hewn stones. In the event that you do wield your chisel upon it, then you will profane it.38
  26. And you must not go up by steps to my altar, that your private parts[ac] may not be exposed upon it.’

FOOTNOTES

  1. ^ Or, “commands.”
  2. ^ Or, “I, Jehovah, am your God.”
  3. ^ “Not . . . any other gods.” Heb., loʼ . . . ʼelo·himʹ ʼache·rimʹ; Gr., the·oiʹ.
  4. ^ Or, “gods in defiance of me.”
  5. ^ “You must not . . . be induced to serve them.” Heb., weloʼʹ tho·ʽov·dhemʹ; Gr., me la·treuʹseis au·toisʹ, “you will not render them sacred service.” Compare 3:12 ftn.
  6. ^ Or, “a God who is jealous (zealous); a God not tolerating rivalry.” Heb., ʼEl qan·naʼʹ; Gr., The·osʹ ze·lo·tesʹ.
  7. ^ Or, “children.”
  8. ^ Lit., “down to the third and fourth [generated] ones.” See Ge 50:23 ftn.
  9. ^ Or, “loyal love.” Heb., cheʹsedh.
  10. ^ Or, “to the thousandth [generated] ones.” See De 7:9; Ps 105:8.
  11. ^ See vs 17 ftn, “Fellowman.”
  12. ^ Or, “not pronounce”; or, “not lift up (carry).”
  13. ^ Or, “to a falsehood”; or, “in vain.”
  14. ^ “Remembering.” Heb., za·khohrʹ. This verb is not in the imperative mood but is in the infinitive absolute, indefinite as to time.
  15. ^ Or, “you are to labor.” Gr., er·gaiʹ.
  16. ^ Heb., shab·bathʹ.
  17. ^ “And he proceeded to rest.” Progressive action indicated by a Heb. verb in the imperfect state. See App 3C.
  18. ^ “And proceeded to make it sacred.” Or, “and sanctified it.” Heb., wa·yeqad·desheʹhu; Lat., et sanc·ti·fi·caʹvit eʹum.
  19. ^ “Honor.” Lat., ho·noʹra.
  20. ^ “You must not murder.” Heb., loʼ tir·tsachʹ. Note that the Heb. verb ta·haroghʹ, “should kill,” is not used here. See 2:14 ftn, “Me.”
  21. ^ “You must not commit adultery.” Heb., loʼ tin·ʼaphʹ.
  22. ^ “You must not steal.” Heb., loʼ tigh·novʹ; Gr., ou kleʹpseis.
  23. ^ Or, “your companion.” LXXVg, “your neighbor.”
  24. ^ “You must not desire.” Heb., loʼ thach·modhʹ. See De 5:21 ftn.
  25. ^ This division of the Ten Commandments, vss 2-17, is the natural division. It agrees with the first-century C.E. Jewish historian Josephus (Jewish An­tiq­uities, Book III, chapter 5, ¶5) and with the first-century Jewish philosopher Philo, who divide off vs 3 as the first commandment, vss 4-6 as the second commandment and vs 17, which forbids all covetousness, as the tenth commandment. Others, including Augustine, consider vss 3-6 as one commandment but divide vs 17 into two commandments, the ninth against coveting a fellowman’s house and the tenth against coveting his living possessions. Augustine supported his division on the later parallel statement of the Ten Commandments in De 5:6-21, which uses two different Heb. verbs in vs 21 in forbidding covetous desire for what belongs to a fellowman, whereas Ex 20:17 uses the same Heb. verb both times. Augustine’s division has been adopted by the Roman Catholic religious system.
  26. ^ “Seeing.” The figure of speech here is called zeugma, meaning a yoke, that is, one verb is unequally yoked to two or more objects, while grammatically a second verb is required. Here the “seeing” applies to the lightning flashes and the mountain smoking, but hearing is required for the thunders and the sound of the horn.
  27. ^ “Gods of.” Heb., ʼeloʹheh; Gr., the·ousʹ.
  28. ^ Or, “peace offerings.”
  29. ^ Lit., “your nakedness.”

REFERENCES

  1. ^ De 5:22; Ac 7:38
  2. ^ Ps 81:10; Ho 13:4; Ro 3:29
  3. ^ Ex 13:3
  4. ^ De 5:7; 2Ki 17:35; Je 25:6
  5. ^ Le 26:1; De 4:16; 5:8; Is 40:25; Ac 17:29; 1Co 8:4; Re 9:20
  6. ^ Ge 35:2; Ex 23:24; 1Co 10:20; 1Jo 5:21
  7. ^ Ex 34:14; Nu 25:11; Mt 4:10; Lu 10:27
  8. ^ De 5:9; 2Sa 21:6; 1Ki 21:29; Mt 23:35
  9. ^ De 4:37; 5:10; Ec 12:13; Ro 11:28
  10. ^ Le 19:12; Pr 30:9; Eze 36:21
  11. ^ Le 24:16; De 5:11; Jos 9:20
  12. ^ Ex 16:23; 31:13; De 5:12
  13. ^ Ex 23:12; De 5:13; Lu 13:14
  14. ^ Ex 34:21
  15. ^ Ex 16:29; De 5:14; Ne 13:16; Jn 7:23
  16. ^ Ac 4:24; 14:15; Re 10:6; 14:7
  17. ^ Ge 2:2; Heb 4:4
  18. ^ De 5:12
  19. ^ Ex 21:15; Pr 1:8; Je 35:18
  20. ^ Le 19:3; De 5:16; Mt 15:4; Eph 6:2
  21. ^ Ge 9:6; De 5:17; Jm 2:11; 1Jo 3:15; Re 21:8
  22. ^ Ge 39:9; De 5:18; Pr 6:32; Mt 5:27, 28; Ro 13:9; 1Co 6:18; Heb 13:4
  23. ^ Le 19:11; De 5:19; Mr 10:19; 1Co 6:10; Eph 4:28
  24. ^ Le 19:16; De 5:20; 19:16; Ps 15:3
  25. ^ Mt 5:28
  26. ^ Jos 7:21; Mc 2:2; Lu 12:15; Ro 7:7
  27. ^ Ex 19:16; Heb 12:18
  28. ^ De 18:16; Ac 7:38; Ga 3:19
  29. ^ Ge 22:1; De 8:2
  30. ^ Jos 24:14; Jb 28:28; Pr 1:7; Is 8:13
  31. ^ De 5:5; Ps 97:2
  32. ^ Ex 33:1; Nu 12:8
  33. ^ De 4:36; Ne 9:13
  34. ^ Ex 32:4; Da 5:4; Ac 17:29
  35. ^ 2Ki 5:17
  36. ^ Le 6:9; Jb 1:5
  37. ^ De 12:5; 2Ch 6:6
  38. ^ De 27:5; Jos 8:31

Read Exodus Chapter 20 in other Bible versions:

Comments

  1. Kiamia DoelKiamia Doel
    Jan 9, 2025 23:00 GMT

    The NWT adds words to the text that are not in the greek Manuscripts to fit it's own doctrinal position for example

    Compare the wording of the NWT and the NKJV at Colossians 1:15-17

    NKJV says

    15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

    NWT says

    15 He is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn OF all creation;16 because by means of him all OTHER things were created in the heavens and on the earth, the things visible and the things invisible,whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All OTHER things have been created through him and for him. 17 Also, he is before all OTHER things,and by means of him all OTHER things were made to exist,

    The word “other” is not in the Greek but they add it Why? So they can decieve their followers into thinking that Christ was created by the Father and that he then created other things, that is not what the Greek says.

    1. SmeSme
      Feb 27, 2025 11:17 GMT

      Truth is from God and those that follow him. As for lies? John8:44

      Kiamia, I noticed you used a modern version of kjv to make your point about the nwt.

      Why didn’t you use the original kjv of col1:15?

      Is it because it disproves your point? It proves the opposite of what you wrote?

      Here is kjv col1:15 ¶” Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn OF every creature:“

      Now I appeal to your Christian nature to correct your mistake as God is watching each of us, and let us bless the God of Jesus his father.

      Kjv 1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ….

  2. YanekYanek
    Dec 24, 2024 22:18 GMT

    Joshua, Jehovah’s Witnesses have never denied the deity of the Messiah in his prehuman existence. While on Earth he was fully 100% human. I do not mean he was a mere human, he was not affected by Adam’s unfaithful behavior, he was sinless.

  3. David yakubuDavid yakubu
    Oct 29, 2022 08:05 GMT

    When i do read some comments and seeing that its the same people that are supposed to be called believers but are talking ill of other denominations, it hurts. Let us all remember that We should judge not

    1. jonas smithjonas smith
      Apr 23, 2023 02:57 GMT

      The bible tells us to test the spirits. Satan disguises himself as angel of light. So yes some denomination are not teaching the truth. You are responsible for judging which ones are not. You have to judge the truth at all times. this is what the bible teaches

  4. THTH
    Apr 7, 2021 00:20 GMT

    The NWT is a very good translation. Dr. Jason David BeDuhn PhD attests to that in his book Truth in Translation. drive.google.com/...5p16melHzg8/view

    1. James LernerJames Lerner
      Jul 20, 2024 09:48 GMT

      The NWT is Satanic filth to its very core.

      The JW Cult is Satanic to its very core.

      Praise Yahweh I will never be a victim of JW brainwashing. If I burn in Hell for eternity or I am ultimately annihilated so be it

      May Yahweh's curse rest on the Watchtower Society and its Satanic leadership

    2. jim mcleodjim mcleod
      Aug 22, 2021 06:16 GMT

      NWT is a false translation that takes away from the deity of Jesus !

  5. SlightlyChaoticSlightlyChaotic
    Jan 30, 2021 16:33 GMT

    Thank you for taking the time to provide this service. I like seeing the NASB on your web page in the same format as I read on paper. On other sites, the text area is smaller, and so I have to keep scrolling down to read and sometimes I lose the context. So I really appreciate the format.

    As far as the NWT, you are certainly free to do whatever you think best with your own web pages. I'd suggest that you make a note anytime you have a translation that is associated with only one denomination or church, for example:
    New World Translation (Jehovah's Witness version).

    In Jesus' parable of the wheat and the tares. the main idea seems to be that you can't easily distinguish between God's people and not-God's people on this earth, so our Lord's response is to wait until they are shown to be the kind of people they are inside. But the NWT seems like false teaching to me. So I think the warning passages from Jesus' apostles are more applicable, as in 2 Peter 3:15-16, when he talks about Paul's writings:
    "There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures."
    And we also have the positive exhortations, as in 2 Timothy 2:15:
    "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."

    1. BroderickBroderick
      Jan 31, 2021 00:57 GMT

      Your suggestion regarding the denominational flagging is duly noted. But I can’t help but wonder, wouldn’t a Catholic also want “Protestant versions” marked as well?

      As for the parable, I’m pretty sure the slaves were convinced in their own minds that they could tell the tares from the wheat. After all, aren’t they the ones who identified the problem in the first place? But the master obviously thought otherwise.

      Furthermore, even at the time when Jesus himself was walking the earth, not everybody who claimed fellowship actually followed him causing John to inquire at Mark 9:39, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him . . . for he who is not against us is for us.”

  6. Joshua HarderJoshua Harder
    Dec 11, 2020 17:48 GMT

    Hello, question.. why have you included the NWT with other legitimate bible translations? Or why have you not atleast included a warning to readers? Don't you fear that someone could be influenced by the Watchtower's intentional heresies? Thank you.

    1. KevinKevin
      Jul 11, 2021 17:45 GMT

      en.m.wikipedia.org/..._Holy_Scriptures

      See the section critical review

    2. ChrisChris
      Jan 8, 2021 07:15 GMT

      Please site these intentional heresies. I am well versed in the watch tower outline and agree they are in many ways incorrect but i also bet i can point many out from EVERY established or main denomination. There is much to learn from them all as one who drinks milk?

      Judge not lest ye be judged, that is not to pass judgement on you either brother.

      I debate with scripture. I don't hold it to be true that Michael is Y'Shua HaMeshiach but I also firmly hold it to be true that our G-d and Heavenly Father are not the word encarnate and only begotten son.

      I love not seeing "lord" which i relate to baal. I feel the catholic church is a satanic establishment and I am aware a freemason started the hovies but there are evil in high places and our fight is also with principalities.

      What i'm saying is that in my darkest hours, those two were some of if not the only ones who would bring a Bible and eucharist and pray with me.

      We all fall short of the glory of G-d.

      Don't forget the NWT was recognized as the most accurate translation on Jeopardy.

      Lastly, this is different I noted than the NWT i have read and am very familiar with. Pull up the watchtower page and compare. I truly look forward to getting this one!

  7. julietjuliet
    Aug 17, 2022 09:36 GMT

    the sky is blue

  8. mercymercy
    Aug 12, 2022 21:23 GMT

    i am Mercy, the sky is blue what else do you need

    1. mercymercy
      Aug 12, 2022 21:25 GMT

      i am so sorry, it was a big mistake

  9. God is able to do all thingsGod is able to do all things
    May 17, 2021 17:59 GMT

    Jesus how much love calling yo name

  10. EmpiralEmpiral
    Jul 4, 2025 19:06 GMT

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