Deuteronomy Chapter 5
Showing all 33 verses for Deuteronomy Chapter 5.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. "
"Moses gathered all the people of Israel together and said to them: Listen, Israel, to the rules and laws I'm telling you today. Learn them, and make sure you actually live by them."
Moses gathers everyone to hear the same instruction together - no one is exempt, no one is favoured with a private version. Jesus calls you the same way: to actually learn His words, not just admire them, and then to keep and do them in daily life.
"The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. "
"The LORD our God made an agreement with us at Horeb (Mount Sinai)."
God binds Himself to His people in covenant - this is relationship, not mere rule-giving. Jesus shows you that same heart at the Last Supper, offering a new covenant sealed not in fear at a mountain but in His own blood, given freely for you.
"The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. "
"The LORD didn't make this agreement with our ancestors, but with us - all of us who are alive here today."
Moses insists this covenant is with the living generation, not just their ancestors - faith cannot simply be inherited, it must be personally embraced. Jesus asks the same of you today: His invitation is addressed to you, here and now, not just to those who walked with Him two thousand years ago.
"The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, "
"The LORD spoke with you face to face on the mountain, out of the fire."
God speaking face to face shows His desire for direct relationship, not distant ritual. Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of this closeness - God himself walking among people, speaking plainly, inviting you into intimate conversation rather than kept at arm's length.
"(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to shew you the word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount;) saying, "
"(I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to tell you what the LORD was saying, because you were afraid of the fire and wouldn't go up the mountain) - saying:"
Moses stands as a mediator between a fearful people and a holy God - a role that points forward to something greater. Jesus becomes that mediator permanently, removing the fear that once kept people at a distance so you can approach God with confidence rather than dread.
"I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. "
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place where you were slaves."
Before any command comes the reminder of rescue - God identifies Himself as deliverer before He asks anything. Jesus works the same way with you: He loves and saves you first, and only then invites obedience as a grateful response, never as a condition for being loved.
"Thou shalt have none other gods before me. "
"You must not put any other gods before me."
Putting nothing before God protects you from scattering your heart's devotion across things that cannot truly satisfy or save. Jesus calls you to single-hearted love, not because He is possessive, but because divided loyalty always leaves you empty and anxious.
"Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth: "
"Don't make yourself a carved image or any statue-like representation of anything - not of what's in the sky, on earth, or in the sea."
God refuses to be reduced to an image because no object can capture His living, relational nature. Jesus reveals what God is actually like far better than any carved image ever could - through a real life of compassion, healing, and truth that you can know personally.
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto 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, "
"Don't bow down to them or serve them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God - I hold the consequences of the parents' wrongdoing against their children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,"
This warning about consequences reaching generations is about the real ripple effects of sin's patterns being passed down, not God punishing innocent children directly. Jesus breaks these cycles when hearts turn to Him, offering a fresh start that can end generational patterns of harm.
"And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. "
"But I show faithful love to thousands of generations of those who love me and keep my commands."
Notice the imbalance here - judgement reaches a few generations, but mercy extends to thousands. God's character leans overwhelmingly towards grace, and Jesus embodies that mercy completely, always ready to forgive and restore rather than condemn.
"Thou 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. "
"Don't misuse the name of the LORD your God - he won't let you off the hook if you use his name carelessly or dishonestly."
Taking God's name in vain is about hollowing out what should be sacred - using His name carelessly or for selfish ends. Jesus teaches you to treat God's name, and indeed all your words, with integrity, letting your yes simply mean yes rather than dressing up speech with empty oaths.
"Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. "
"Keep the Sabbath day and treat it as set apart, just as the LORD your God has commanded you."
The sabbath is a gift of rest, not a burden of rules - a weekly reminder that your worth isn't found in constant striving. Jesus later reminds people that the sabbath was made to serve humanity's need for rest and renewal, not the other way round.
"Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work: "
"You have six days to work and get all your tasks done."
Six days of honest labour are affirmed here as good and expected - work itself is not the problem needing solved. Jesus, a carpenter before His ministry, shows that ordinary daily work has real dignity and value in God's eyes.
"But 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, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou. "
"But the seventh day is a rest day dedicated to the LORD your God - on it you must not do any work, not you, your son, your daughter, your male or female servant, your ox, your donkey, any of your animals, or the foreigner living with you - so that your servants can rest just like you do."
Notice how wide this rest extends - to children, servants, animals, and even the foreign stranger living among them. Jesus cares just as much about the wellbeing of the overlooked and vulnerable, wanting rest and dignity for everyone, not just those with status or power.
"And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. "
"Remember that you were once a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there with tremendous power. That's why the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath."
Remembering slavery in Egypt is meant to soften the heart towards others - those who know what it is to be oppressed should be the first to grant others rest and freedom. Jesus asks the same of you: let your own experience of rescue make you compassionate rather than hard towards those still struggling.
"Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. "
"Honour your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and things may go well for you in the land the LORD your God is giving you."
Honouring parents is presented as foundational to a flourishing life - family relationships matter deeply to God. Jesus honoured His own mother even from the cross, showing that love for parents remains important throughout every stage of life, including His final hours.
"Thou shalt not kill. "
"Do not murder."
This brief command protects the sanctity of human life itself. Jesus takes it further still, teaching that even harboured anger and contempt towards others are the seeds from which murder grows, calling you to guard your heart, not just your hands.
"Neither shalt thou commit adultery. "
"Do not commit adultery."
Faithfulness in marriage protects trust and love between two people who have committed their lives to one another. Jesus again goes to the heart, teaching that lustful intent is already a betrayal in spirit, calling for purity of thought as well as action.
"Neither shalt thou steal. "
"Do not steal."
Stealing takes what rightfully belongs to another and damages the trust a community depends on. Jesus calls for the opposite spirit entirely - generosity that gives rather than takes, and honest labour that provides so there is something to share with those in need.
"Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. "
"Do not give false testimony against your neighbour."
False witness destroys reputations and corrupts justice - words carry real power to harm or protect others. Jesus calls you to be a truth-teller in every situation, refusing to twist facts against another person even when it might seem to serve your own interests.
"Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. "
"Do not desire your neighbour's wife. Do not crave your neighbour's house, field, male or female servant, ox, donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbour."
Coveting is the internal root from which so many other sins grow - discontent with what you have leads easily to taking what isn't yours. Jesus teaches contentment and trust in God's provision instead, freeing your heart from the restless comparison that coveting always produces.
"These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. "
"The LORD spoke these words to your whole assembly on the mountain, out of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, in a loud voice - and he added nothing more. Then he wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me."
God speaks these ten words directly and completely, adding nothing more at that moment - they stand as a solid, sufficient foundation. Jesus doesn't discard this foundation but builds upon it, showing that love for God and neighbour is what these commandments were always driving towards.
"And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; "
"When you heard the voice out of the darkness, with the mountain blazing with fire, all the leaders of your tribes and your elders came to me."
The leaders and elders come forward representing the whole community before God - even in fear, they approach together rather than scattering apart. Jesus values this same kind of unity, wanting His people to draw near to God as a community that supports one another through daunting moments.
"And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. "
"And you said: Look, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we've heard his voice out of the fire. Today we've seen that God can speak with a person and that person can still live."
The people recognise something remarkable - that God can speak with humanity and they can still live. Jesus is the fullest answer to this wonder, God among people not as consuming fire but as approachable love, proving that closeness with God brings life rather than destruction.
"Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. "
"So now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us if we hear the voice of the LORD our God again - we'll die."
The people's fear of dying before God's overwhelming holiness shows how far sin had made humanity from its maker. Jesus removes that terror completely, His sacrifice making it possible for you to stand before God without dread, welcomed rather than consumed.
"For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? "
"Is there anyone else, out of everyone alive, who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from fire, as we have, and survived?"
The people marvel that anyone could hear God's voice directly and survive - it underlines just how holy and awesome God truly is. Jesus, fully God yet fully approachable, lets you hear His voice today through His word without that same terror, because He has already borne what separated you from God.
"Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it. "
"You go near and listen to everything the LORD our God says. Then tell us everything the LORD our God tells you, and we will listen and do it."
The people ask Moses to be their go-between, trusting him to relay God's words faithfully. Jesus becomes the perfect and final go-between, not just relaying words but embodying them completely, so that hearing Him is hearing God Himself.
"And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me; and the LORD said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. "
"The LORD heard what you said to me, and the LORD said to me: I have heard what this people said to you - everything they said was good."
God approves of the people's request, showing He welcomes honest human limitation rather than demanding more than people can bear. Jesus shows the same gentleness, meeting you where you are and never mocking your fears or weaknesses when you come to Him honestly.
"O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! "
"If only they had a heart like this always - to honour me and keep all my commands always, so that things would go well for them and their children forever!"
God's longing wish here - 'O that there were such an heart in them' - reveals His deep desire for genuine, lasting devotion rather than mere outward compliance. Jesus shares this same yearning, wanting your obedience to flow from a transformed heart that truly loves Him, not fear or duty alone.
"Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. "
"Go and tell them: Return to your tents."
Sending the people back to their tents shows an ordinary, everyday setting is where faith is meant to be lived out, not just at the dramatic mountain encounter. Jesus meets you the same way, in the routines of home and daily life, not only in extraordinary spiritual highs.
"But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it. "
"But you, stand here with me, and I will tell you all the commands, statutes, and laws that you are to teach them, so that they can follow them in the land I am giving them to take as their own."
Moses alone remains to receive the fuller teaching he must then pass on to the people - a picture of faithful transmission across generations. Jesus entrusts His disciples with the same task, teaching them so they in turn can teach others, keeping His words alive for every generation after.
"Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. "
"So you must be careful to do exactly as the LORD your God has commanded you - don't turn aside to the right or to the left."
Not turning aside to the right or left pictures a life of careful, steady obedience rather than drifting off course. Jesus calls you to the same focused faithfulness, keeping your eyes fixed on Him rather than being pulled away by distraction or compromise.
"Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. "
"Walk in every way the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live, and things may go well for you, and you may live long in the land you are going to possess."
Walking in God's ways is tied here to genuinely living well - obedience isn't restriction but the path towards a full and lasting life. Jesus describes Himself as the way to walk in, offering life abundant to anyone who follows Him faithfully.