Moses told his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will.

When they have a dispute, it comes to me and I decide between a person and his neighbor, and make known the statutes of God and his instructions."

You will certainly wear yourself out, both you and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it by yourself.

Now listen to me. I'll advise you, and may God be with you. You are to represent the people before God and bring the disputes to God.

You are to teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they're to go and the things they're to do.

You are to look for capable men among the people, men who fear God, men of integrity who hate dishonest gain. You are to set these men over them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

They are to judge the people at all times. Let them bring every major matter to you, but let them judge every minor matter. It will lighten your burden, and they'll bear it with you.

If you do this, and God so commands you, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will also go to their homes in peace."

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

They judged the people at all times; the difficult matters they brought to Moses, but every minor matter they judged.

Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and he went to his own land.

On the third New Moon after the Israelis went out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came to the desert of Sinai.

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain: "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and declare to the sons of Israel,

"You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.

And now if you carefully obey me and keep my covenant, you are to be my special possession out of all the nations, because the whole earth belongs to me,

but you are to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to me.' These are the words you are to declare to the Israelis."

All the people answered together: "We'll do everything that the LORD has said!"

Then Moses reported all the words of the people back to the LORD. The LORD told Moses, "Look, I'm coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may listen when I speak with you and always believe you." Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

The LORD told Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes,

and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

You are to set boundaries for the people all around: "Be very careful that you don't go up on the mountain or touch the side of it. Anyone who touches the mountain is certainly to be put to death.

No hand is to touch that person, but he is certainly to be stoned or shot; whether animal or person, he is not to live.' They are to approach the mountain only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast."

When Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes.

He told the people, "Be ready for the third day; don't go near a woman."

When morning came on the third day, there was thunder and lightning, with a heavy cloud over the mountain, and the very loud sound of a ram's horn. All the people in the camp trembled.

Moses brought the people from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the base of the mountain.

When the LORD came down on Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

The LORD told Moses, "Go down and warn the people so they don't break through to look at the LORD, and many of them perish.

Moses told the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai because you warned us: "Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.'"

The LORD told him, "Go down, and come back up with Aaron, but the priests and the people must not break through to go up to the LORD. Otherwise, he will attack them."

So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

You are to have no other gods as a substitute for me.

"You are not to craft for yourselves an idol or anything resembling what is in the skies above, or on earth beneath, or in the water sources under the earth.

You are not to bow down to them in worship or serve them, because I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the guilt of parents on children, to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,

but showing gracious love to the thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

"You are not to misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave unpunished the one who misuses his name.

"Remember the Sabbath day, maintaining its holiness.

Six days you are to labor and do all your work,

but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. You are not to do any work neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your livestock, nor any foreigner who lives among you

because the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them in six days. Then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

"You are not to commit murder.

"You are not to commit adultery.

"You are not to steal.

"You are not to give false testimony against your neighbor.

"You are not to desire your neighbor's house, nor your neighbor's wife, his male or female servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything else that pertains to your neighbor."

They told Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen, but don't let God speak with us, or we may die.

Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you may fear him in order that you don't sin."

The LORD told Moses, "This is what you are to say to the Israelis, "You have seen for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven.

You are not to make gods of silver alongside me, nor are you to make for yourselves gods of gold.

You are to make an altar of earth for me, and you are to sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep, and your cattle. Everywhere I cause my name to be remembered, I'll come to you and bless you.

You are not to ascend to my altar on steps, so that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.'"

"These are the ordinances that you are to set before them.

"When you acquire a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh he is to go out a free man without paying anything.

If he came in by himself, he is to go out by himself. If he was married, his wife is to go out with him.

If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and children belong to her master, and he is to go out by himself.

But if the servant, in fact, says, "I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I won't go out a free man,'

then his master is to bring him before the judges and he is to bring him to the door or to the doorpost. His master is to pierce his ear with an awl, and he is to serve him permanently.

"When a man sells his daughter as a servant, she won't go out as the male servants do.

If she's displeasing to her master who selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He does not have the right to sell her to foreign people, because he has dealt unfairly with her.

If he has selected her for his son, he is to treat her according to the ordinance for daughters.

If he does not do these three things for her, she may go out without paying anything at all."

"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies is certainly to be put to death.

If he didn't lie in wait, but God let him fall into his reach, then I'll appoint for you a place to which he may flee.

If a man acts deliberately against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you are to take him to die even if he's at my altar.

"Whoever strikes his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

"Whoever kidnaps a person, whether he has sold him or whether the victim is still in his possession, is certainly to be put to death.

"Whoever curses his father or his mother is certainly to be put to death.

"If people quarrel and one strikes the other with a rock or his fist, and he does not die but ends up in bed,

and the injured person then gets up and walks around outside with the help of his staff, the one who struck him is not liable, except that he is to compensate him for his loss of time and take care of his complete recovery.

But if the servant survives a day or two, the master is not to be punished because the servant is his property.

"If two men are fighting and they strike a pregnant woman and her children are born prematurely, but there is no harm, he is certainly to be fined as the husband of the woman demands of him, and he will pay as the court decides.

If there is harm, then you are to require life for life,

"If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant and destroys it, he is to release him as a free man in exchange for his eye.

If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he is to release him as a free man in exchange for his tooth.

"If an ox gores a man or woman so that they die, the ox is certainly to be stoned and its flesh may not be eaten, but the owner of the ox is free from liability.

But if the ox has gored previously, and its owner has been warned about it but didn't restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, the ox is to be stoned and its owner also is to be put to death.

"If the ox gores a male or female servant, the owner is to give 30 shekels of silver to the servant's master, and the ox is to be stoned.

the owner of the pit is to make restitution. He is to pay money to its owner, and the dead animal will become his.

"If a man's ox strikes his neighbor's ox and it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the money. They also are to divide the dead animal.

But if it was known that the ox had gored previously, and its owner didn't restrain it, he shall certainly repay ox for ox, and the dead ox will become his."

"If a man steals an ox or sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he is to repay five oxen for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

but if the sun has risen on him, then it is a capital crime in that case. A thief shall certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he is to be sold for his theft.

If what was stolen is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox, a donkey or a sheep, he is to repay double.

"When a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed over or releases his livestock so that they graze in another man's field, he is to make restitution from the best of his field or vineyard.

"When a fire breaks out and spreads into thorn bushes and consumes stacked grain or standing grain or the field, the one who started the fire certainly is to make restitution.

"When a man gives his neighbor money or goods for safekeeping and it's stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if found, is to repay double.

If the thief is not found, the owner of the house is to appear before the judges to see whether or not the thief took his neighbor's property.

"In every ownership dispute involving an ox, donkey, sheep, garment, or anything that is lost where a person says, "This is mine,' the case between the two of them is to come before the judges, and the one that the judges declare guilty is to repay double to his neighbor.

"When a man gives a donkey, ox, sheep, or any animal to his neighbor for safe keeping, and it dies or is injured or is driven away when no one is looking,

the two of them are to take an oath in the LORD's presence that the accused has not taken his neighbor's property. Its owner is to accept this, and the neighbor is not to make restitution.

But if it was actually stolen from him, the neighbor is to make restitution to its owner.

If it was torn to pieces, let the neighbor bring the remains as evidence, and he is not to make restitution for what was torn apart.

"When a man borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it's injured or dies while its owner was not with it, he is certainly to make restitution.

If its owner was with it, he is not to make restitution. If it was hired, its fee covers the loss."

"When a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to be married and has sexual relations with her, he must pay her bride price, and she is to become his wife.

If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he is to pay an amount equal to the bride price for virgins.

"You are not to allow a sorceress to live.

"Whoever has sexual relations with an animal is certainly to be put to death.

"Anyone who sacrifices to a god, except the LORD alone, is to be utterly destroyed.

"You are not to wrong or oppress an alien, because you were aliens in the land of Egypt.