Study Desk

"So today you must remember and accept that the Lord is God. He is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other god!

But you were afraid of the fire. And you did not go up the mountain. So I stood between you and the Lord to tell you what the Lord said. He said,

but the seventh day is a day of rest in honor of the Lord your God. So on that day no one should work—not you, your sons and daughters, foreigners living in your cities or your men and women slaves. Not even your cattle, donkeys, and other animals should do any work! Your slaves should be able to rest just as you do.

"So you people must be careful to do everything the Lord commanded you. Do not stop following God!

The Lord your God is always with you, and he hates for his people to worship other gods! So if you follow those other gods, the Lord will become very angry with you. He will destroy you from the face of the earth.

He brought us out of Egypt so that he could give us the land that he promised our ancestors.

"So remember that the Lord your God is the only God, and you can trust him! He keeps his agreement. He shows his love and kindness to all people who love him and obey his commands. He continues to show his love and kindness through a thousand generations,

So you must be careful to obey the commands, laws, and rules that I give you today.

In the desert he fed you manna—something your ancestors had never seen. He tested you to make you humble so that everything would go well for you in the end.

"So at the end of 40 days and 40 nights, the Lord gave me two stone tablets—the stones of the agreement.

Then the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and quickly go down from here. The people you brought out of Egypt have ruined themselves. They stopped obeying my commands so quickly. They melted gold and made an idol for themselves.'

Let me destroy these people completely, so no one will even remember their names. Then I will make another nation from you that is stronger and greater than these people.'

I looked and I saw you had sinned against the Lord your God. I saw the calf you made from melted gold! You stopped obeying the Lord so quickly.

So I took the two stone tablets and threw them down. There before your eyes I broke the stones into pieces.

Then I bowed down before the Lord with my face to the ground for 40 days and 40 nights, as I did before. I did not eat any food or drink any water. I did this because you had sinned so badly. You did the thing that is evil to the Lord , and you made him angry.

The Lord was very angry with Aaron—enough to destroy him! So I also prayed for Aaron at that time.

"So I bowed down before the Lord 40 days and 40 nights, because the Lord said he would destroy you.

If you punish your people, the Egyptians might say, "The Lord was not able to take his people into the land he promised them. And he hated them. So he took them into the desert to kill them."

"So I made a box from acacia wood. I cut two stone tablets like the first two stones. Then I went up on the mountain. I had the two stone tablets in my hand.

So obey the laws and commands of the Lord that I am giving you today. These laws and commands are for your own good.