THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Once upon a time, in the land of Egypt, the Israelites were slaves to the Pharaoh. But God heard their cries and sent Moses to lead them out of slavery and into the Promised Land.

As Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness, they came to a mountain called Sinai. There, God spoke to Moses and gave him ten commandments that the people must follow in order to live a good and righteous life.

The first commandment was, “You shall have no other gods before me.” God reminded the people that He was the one true God and that they should worship only Him.

The second commandment was, “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath.” God warned the people not to worship anything other than Him and not to create any physical representations of other gods.

The third commandment was, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” God reminded the people to treat His name with respect and not to use it in a casual or disrespectful way.

The fourth commandment was, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” God instructed the people to set aside one day each week to rest and worship Him.

The fifth commandment was, “Honor your father and your mother.” God told the people to show respect and gratitude to their parents and elders.

The sixth commandment was, “You shall not murder.” God forbade the taking of innocent life.

The seventh commandment was, “You shall not commit adultery.” God reminded the people to respect the sanctity of marriage and to remain faithful to their partners.

The eighth commandment was, “You shall not steal.” God warned the people not to take what belonged to others.

The ninth commandment was, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” God reminded the people to speak the truth and not to lie or spread false rumors.

And finally, the tenth commandment was, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” God told the people not to envy or desire what belonged to others, but to be content with what they had.

After God had given Moses the Ten Commandments, Moses brought them down from the mountain and shared them with the people.