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Exodus 20

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1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 I am Jehovah thy God, who brought· thee ·out of the land of Egypt, out·​·of the house of servitude*.

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before My faces.

4 Thou shalt not make to thee a graven image, nor any figure of what is in the heavens above, or what is in the earth beneath, or what is in the waters beneath the earth.

5 Thou shalt not bow· thyself ·down to them, nor serve them; for I, Jehovah, thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the sons, on the third and on the fourth generation* of those who hate Me;

6 and doing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold· him ·innocent who takes His name in vain.

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep· it ·holy.

9 Six days shalt thou serve, and do all thy work*;

10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God; thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son nor thy daughter, thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy beast, nor thy sojourner who is in thy gates;

11 for in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and made· it ·holy.

12 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the ground that Jehovah thy God is giving to thee.

13 Thou shalt not murder.

14 Thou shalt not commit·​·adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not answer against thy neighbor as a false witness*.

17 14 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

18 15 And all the people saw the voices, and the torches, and the voice of the shophar*, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and they quaked, and stood far·​·off.

19 16 And they said to Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; and let not God Speak with us, lest perchance we die.

20 17 And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come for the sake of tempting you, and so·​·that the fear of Him may be before your faces, that you sin not.

21 18 And the people stood far·​·off, and Moses approached the dense·​·darkness where God was.

22 19 And Jehovah said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the sons of Israel, You have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens.

23 20 You shall not make with Me gods of silver and gods of gold; you shall not make them to you.

24 21 An altar of ground thou shalt make to Me, and shalt sacrifice on it thy burnt·​·offerings, and thy peace·​·offerings, thy flocks, and thy herds; in every place where I shall cause My name to be remembered, I will come to thee, and I will bless thee.

25 22 And if thou make for Me an altar of stones, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou move thy chisel on it, then thou wilt profane it.

26 23 And thou shalt not go·​·up on stairs on My altar, that thy nakedness be not revealed upon it.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Gate

  
People around a village gate, by Adrianus Eversen

Gates" in ancient times had a significance that does not hold in the modern world. Cities then were enclosed by walls for protection; gates in the walls let people in and out to do their business, but were also the weak points in the cities' defenses. In the Bible, cities on one level represent the minds of individual people. On a broader level, they represent beliefs shared by a community. The gates, then, represent openings where the Lord can feed us an understanding of truth and a desire for good. They also represent points where the hells can invade and sway us with false ideas and evil desires. We are kept in balance during our lifetimes, with influences from both the Lord and from hell. Ideally, we will over our lifetimes continue to invite the Lord farther and farther in and drive the hells back until ultimately the Lord can occupy our minds completely. And that point our belief in Him and His power and love will hold the gates and deny evil any entrance. As individuals, we at that point become angels. As communities, we at that point become part of the Lord's church. And at that point the gates become an entry point, introductory truths that allow people to enter churches and start bringing the Lord into their lives.