The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

When Iethro the Priest of Midian Moses father in lawe heard all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and howe the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt,

Then Iethro the father in lawe of Moses, tooke Zipporah Moses wife, (after he had sent her away)

And her two sonnes, (whereof the one was called Gershom: for he sayd, I haue bene an aliant in a strange land:

And the name of the other was Eliezer: for the God of my father, said he, was mine helpe, and deliuered me from the sword of Pharaoh)

And Iethro Moses father in law came with his two sonnes, and his wife vnto Moses into the wildernes, where he camped by ye mout of God.

And he said to Moses, I thy father in law Iethro am come to thee, and thy wife and her two sonnes with her.

And Moses went out to meete his father in law, and did obeisance and kissed him, and eche asked other of his welfare: and they came into the tent.

Then Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done vnto Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians for Israels sake, and all the trauaile that had come vnto them by the way, and howe the Lord deliuered them.

And Iethro reioyced at all the goodnesse, which the Lord had shewed to Israel, and because he had deliuered them out of the hande of the Egyptians.

Therfore Iethro sayd, Blessed be the Lord who hath deliuered you out of the hande of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh: who hath also deliuered the people from vnder the hand of the Egyptians.

Now I know that the Lord is greater then all the gods: for as they haue dealt proudly with them, so are they recompensed.

Then Iethro Moses father in lawe tooke burnt offerings and sacrifices to offer vnto God. And Aaron and all the Elders of Israel came to eat bread with Moses father in law before God.

Now on the morow, when Moses sate to iudge the people, the people stoode about Moses from morning vnto euen.

And when Moses father in law saw all that he did to the people, he sayde, What is this that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thy selfe alone, and all the people stande about thee from morning vnto euen?

And Moses sayd vnto his father in law, Because the people come vnto me to seeke God.

When they haue a matter, they come vnto me, and I iudge betweene one and another, and declare the ordinances of God, and his lawes.

But Moses father in law said vnto him, The thing which thou doest, is not well.

Thou both weariest thy selfe greatly, and this people that is with thee: for the thing is too heauie for thee: thou art not able to doe it thy selfe alone.

Heare nowe my voyce, (I will giue thee counsell, and God shalbe with thee) be thou for the people to Godwarde, and report thou the causes vnto God,

And admonish them of the ordinances, and of the lawes, and shew them the way, wherein they must walke, and the worke that they must do.

Moreouer, prouide thou among al the people men of courage, fearing God, men dealing truely, hating couetousnesse: and appoynt such ouer them to be rulers ouer thousandes, rulers ouer hundreths, rulers ouer fifties, and rulers ouer tennes.

And let them iudge the people at all seasons: but euery great matter let them bring vnto thee, and let them iudge all small causes: so shall it be easier for thee, when they shall beare the burden with thee.

If thou do this thing, (and God so command thee) both thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go quietly to their place.

So Moses obeyed the voyce of his father in law, and did all that he had sayd:

And Moses chose men of courage out of all Israel, and made them heads ouer the people, rulers ouer thousandes, rulers ouer hundreths, rulers ouer fifties, and rulers ouer tennes.

And they iudged the people at all seasons, but they brought the hard causes vnto Moses: for they iudged all small matters themselues.

Afterward Moses let his father in law depart, and he went into his countrey.

In the third moneth, after the children of Israel were gone out of the lande of Egypt, the same day came they into the wildernes of Sinai.

For they departed from Rephidim, and came to the desart of Sinai, and camped in the wildernesse: euen there Israel camped before the mount.

But Moses went vp vnto God, for ye Lord had called out of the mount vnto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Iaakob, and tell the children of Israel,

Ye haue seene what I did vnto the Egyptians, and how I caryed you vpon eagles wings, and haue brought you vnto me.

Now therefore if ye wil heare my voyce in deede, and keepe my couenant, then ye shalbe my chiefe treasure aboue all people, though all the earth be mine.

Yee shall be vnto mee also a kingdome of Priestes, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speake vnto the children of Israel.

Moses then came and called for the Elders of the people, and proposed vnto them all these things, which the Lord commanded him.

And the people answered all together, and sayd, All that the Lord hath commanded, we will doe. And Moses reported the wordes of the people vnto the Lord.

And the Lord sayd vnto Moses, Lo, I come vnto thee in a thicke cloude, that the people may heare, whiles I talke with thee, and that they may also beleeue thee for euer. (for Moses had tolde the wordes of the people vnto the Lord)

Moreouer, the Lord sayd vnto Moses, Goe to the people, and sanctifie them to day and to morow, and let them wash their clothes.

And let them be ready on the third day: for the thirde day the Lord will come downe in the sight of all the people vpon mount Sinai:

And thou shalt set markes vnto the people rounde about, saying, Take heede to your selues that ye goe not vp the mount, nor touche the border of it: whosoeuer toucheth the mount, shall surely die.

No hand shall touche it, but he shalbe stoned to death, or striken through with darts: whether it be beast or man, he shall not liue: when the horne bloweth long, they shall come vp into the mountaine.

Then Moses went downe from ye mount vnto the people, and sanctified the people, and they washed their clothes.

And he said vnto the people, Be ready on the third day, and come not at your wiues.

And the thirde day, when it was morning, there was thunders and lightnings, and a thicke cloude vpon the mount, and the sounde of the trumpet exceeding loude, so that all the people, that was in the campe, was afrayde.

Then Moses brought the people out of the tents to meete with God, and they stoode in the nether part of the mount.

And mount Sinai was all on smoke, because the Lord came downe vpon it in fire, and the smoke therof ascended, as the smoke of a fornace, and all the mount trembled exceedingly.

And when the sound of the trumpet blew long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by voyce.

(For the Lord came downe vpon mount Sinai on the toppe of the mount) and when the Lord called Moses vp into the top of the mount, Moses went vp.

Then the Lord said vnto Moses, Go down, charge the people, that they breake not their boundes, to go vp to the Lord to gaze, least many of them perish.

And let the Priestes also which come to the Lord be sanctified, least the Lord destroy them.

And Moses sayde vnto the Lord, The people can not come vp into the mount Sinai: for thou hast charged vs, saying, Set markes on the mountaine, and sanctifie it.

And the Lord sayd vnto him, Go, get thee downe, and come vp, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the Priestes and the people breake their boundes to come vp vnto the Lord, least he destroy them.

So Moses went downe vnto the people, and tolde them.

Then God spake all these wordes, saying,

I am the Lord thy God, which haue brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt haue none other Gods before me.

Thou shalt make thee no grauen image, neither any similitude of things that are in heauen aboue, neither that are in the earth beneath, nor that are in the waters vnder the earth.

Thou shalt not bowe downe to them, neither serue them: for I am the Lord thy God, a ielous God, visiting the iniquitie of the fathers vpon the children, vpon the third generation and vpon the fourth of them that hate me:

And shewing mercie vnto thousandes to them that loue me, and keepe my commandemets.

Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vaine: for the Lord will not hold him guiltles that taketh his Name in vayne.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keepe it holy.

Sixe dayes shalt thou labour, and doe all thy worke,

But the seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any worke, thou, nor thy sonne, nor thy daughter, thy man seruant, nor thy mayde, nor thy beast, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.

For in sixe dayes the Lord made the heauen and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seuenth day: therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy dayes may be prolonged vpon the land, which the Lord thy God giueth thee.

Thou shalt not kill.

Thou shalt not commit adulterie.

Thou shalt not steale.

Thou shalt not beare false witnes against thy neighbour.

Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house, neither shalt thou couet thy neighbours wife, nor his man seruant, nor his mayde, nor his oxe, nor his asse, neyther any thing that is thy neighbours.

And all the people sawe the thunders, and the lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountaine smoking and when the people saw it they fled and stoode afare off,

And sayde vnto Moses, Talke thou with vs, and we will heare: but let not God talke with vs, lest we die.

Then Moses sayde vnto the people, Feare not: for God is come to proue you, and that his feare may be before you, that ye sinne not.

So the people stoode afarre off, but Moses drew neere vnto the darkenes where God was.

And the Lord sayde vnto Moses, Thus thou shalt say vnto the children of Israel, Ye haue seene that I haue talked with you from heauen.

Ye shall not make therefore with me gods of siluer, nor gods of golde: you shall make you none.

An altar of earth thou shalt make vnto me, and thereon shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheepe, and thine oxen: in all places, where I shall put the remembrance of my Name, I will come vnto thee, and blesse thee.

But if thou wilt make mee an altar of stone, thou shalt not buylde it of hewen stones: for if thou lift vp thy toole vpon them, thou hast polluted them.

Neither shalt thou goe vp by steppes vnto mine altar, that thy filthines be not discouered thereon.

Now these are the lawes, which thou shalt set before them:

If thou bye an Ebrewe seruant, he shall serue sixe yeres, and in the seuenth he shall go out free, for nothing.

If he came himselfe alone, he shall goe out himselfe alone: if hee were married, then his wife shall go out with him.

If his master haue giuen him a wife, and she hath borne him sonnes or daughters, he wife and her children shalbe her masters, but he shall goe out himselfe alone.

But if the seruant saye thus, I loue my master, my wife and my children, I will not goe out free,

Then his master shall bring him vnto the Iudges, and set him to the dore, or to the poste, and his master shall bore his eare through with a nawle, and he shall serue him for euer.

Likewise if a man sell his daughter to be a seruant, she shall not goe out as the men seruantes doe.

If shee please not her master, who hath betrothed her to him selfe, then shall hee cause to buy her: hee shall haue no power to sell her to a strange people, seeing he despised her.

But if he hath betrothed her vnto his sonne, he shall deale with her according to the custome of the daughters.

If he take him another wife, he shall not diminish her foode, her rayment, and recompence of her virginitie.

And if he do not these three vnto her, the shall she go out free, paying no money.

He that smiteth a man, and he die, shall dye the death.

And if a man hath not layed wayte, but God hath offered him into his hande, then I wil appoynt thee a place whither he shall flee.

But if a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.

Also hee that smiteth his father or his mother, shall die the death.

And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if it be founde with him, shall die the death.

And hee that curseth his father or his mother, shall die the death.

When men also striue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with the fist, and he die not, but lieth in bed,

If hee rise againe and walke without vpon his staffe, then shall he that smote him go quite, saue onely hee shall beare his charges for his resting, and shall pay for his healing.

And if a man smite his seruant, or his maide with a rod, and he die vnder his hande, he shalbe surely punished.

But if he continue a day, or two dayes, hee shall not be punished: for he is his money.

Also if men striue and hurt a woman with childe, so that her childe depart from her, and death follow not, hee shall bee surely punished according as the womans husband shall appoynt him, or he shall pay as the Iudges determine.