The Wilderness Years

ADONAI our God made a covenant with us at Horev.

ADONAI did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us -with us, who are all of us here alive today.

ADONAI spoke with you face to face from the fire on the mountain.

At that time I stood between ADONAI and you in order to tell you what ADONAI was saying; because, on account of the fire, you were afraid and wouldn't go up onto the mountain. He said, t

"'I am ADONAI your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, where you lived as slaves. c

"'You are to have no other gods before me.

You are not to make for yourselves a carved image or any kind of representation of anything in heaven above, on the earth beneath or in the water below the shoreline -

you are not to bow down to them or serve them; for I, ADONAI your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of the parents, also the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

but displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.

"'You are not to misuse the name of ADONAI your God, because ADONAI will not leave unpunished someone who misuses his name.

"'Observe the day of Shabbat, to set it apart as holy, as ADONAI your God ordered you to do.

You have six days to labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Shabbat for ADONAI your God. On it you are not to do any kind of work - not you, your son or your daughter, not your male or female slave, not your ox, your donkey or any of your other livestock, and not the foreigner staying with you inside the gates to your property - so that your male and female servants can rest just as you do.

You are to remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and ADONAI your God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore ADONAI your God has ordered you to keep the day of Shabbat.

"'Honor your father and mother, as ADONAI your God ordered you to do, so that you will live long and have things go well with you in the land ADONAI your God is giving you.

"'Do not murder.

"'Do not commit adultery.

"'Do not steal.

"'Do not give false evidence against your neighbor.

"'Do not covet your neighbor's wife; do not covet your neighbor's house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.'

"These words ADONAI spoke to your entire gathering at the mountain from fire, cloud and thick mist, in a loud voice; then it ceased. But he wrote them on two stone tablets, which he gave to me.

When you heard the voice coming out of the darkness, as the mountain blazed with fire, you came to me, all the heads of your tribes and your leaders,

and said, 'Here, ADONAI our God has shown us his glory and his greatness! We have heard his voice coming from the fire, and we have seen today that God does speak with human beings, and they stay alive.

But why should we keep risking death? This great fire will consume us! If we hear the voice of ADONAI our God any more, we will die!

For who is there of all humanity that has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and stayed alive?