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The Ten Commandments
From A Storehouse of Knowledge
The Ten Commandments are the word of God to the people, inscribed upon two stone tablets, and brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses. The commandments are found in the Bible in Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21. Some religious groups may vary slightly on their grouping and/or interpretation of the commandments, although the principles remain consistent. For example, Christians generally consider the Sabbath to be Sunday, but for people of Jewish faith, the Sabbath is Saturday. (Or to be more precise, "shabbat" begins at sundown on Friday evening and ends at sunset on Saturday).
Following is an abbreviated list of the commandments:
1. Thou shall not have any other Gods before me
2. Thou shall not make any graven images
3. Thou shall not take the name of the LORD in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy
5. Honor thy father and thy mother
6. Thou shall not kill
7. Thou shall not commit adultery
8. Thou shall not steal
9. Thou shall not bear false witness
10. Thou shall not covet
Following is the full text of Exodus 20:2–17 from the King James version of the Bible: [1]
2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or 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 to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13Thou shalt not kill.
14Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15Thou shalt not steal.
16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
The following is Deuteronomy 5:6-21 from the New American Standard Bible: [2]
6'I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
7'You shall have no other gods before Me.
8'You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
9'You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
10but showing loving kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
11'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
12'Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.
13'Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
14but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you.
15'You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day.
16'Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the LORD your God gives you.
17'You shall not murder.
18'You shall not commit adultery.
19'You shall not steal.
20'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
21'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'
