The Ten Commandments
Exodus 20God spoke all these words, saying, “I am YHWH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You must have no other gods before me.
“You must not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or in the land beneath, or in the water below the land: you must not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, YHWH your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You must not carry the name of YHWH your God in an empty way, for YHWH will not hold anyone guiltless who carries ʜɪꜱ name in an empty way.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You are to labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to YHWH your God. You must not do any work in it, not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your city gates. For in six days YHWH made heaven and land, the sea, and all that is in them, and ʜᴇ rested the seventh day. Therefore YHWH blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the ground which YHWH your God gives you.
“You must not murder.
“You must not commit adultery.
“You must not steal.
“You must not give false testimony against your neighbor.
“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
All the people saw the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. They said to Moses, “Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don’t let God speak with us, lest we die.”
Moses said to the people, “Y’all must not be afraid, for God has come to test y’all, that ʜɪꜱ fear may be with y’all, so that y’all won’t sin.” The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
Additional Laws on Image Making
YHWH said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the children of Israel: ‘Y’all have seen that I have spoken to y’all from heaven. Y’all must not make gods to go alongside me. Y’all are not to make gods of gold and silver for yourselves*. You are to make an altar of earth for me, and sacrifice your burnt offerings on it along with your peace offerings, your sheep, and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you. If you make me an altar of stone, you must not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it. You must not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.’