Bible stories for kids

The Ten Commandments for Kids

The Ten Commandments are the ten rules God gave his people at Mount Sinai and wrote on two tables of stone (Exodus 20). Here is the whole story for kids, with all 10 commandments in words children understand. Read it aloud, listen to it narrated, or open the picture storybook, with the Bible's own words beside it.

Ages 3 to 12About 8 minutes read aloudExodus 19-34

The storybook opens full screen, one page at a time. The whole story is also below, with the Bible text beside it.

By Sankalp Jonna · Last reviewed October 31, 2026

Where it is in the Bible

Bible passages: Exodus 19, 20, 24, 32 and 34. The commandments themselves are Exodus 20:1-17, and again in Deuteronomy 5.
Who is in it: Moses, his brother Aaron, and the children of Israel
Where it happens: Mount Sinai, in the wilderness of Sinai
When: In the third month after God brought Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 19:1)
Key verse: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3, KJV)

The 10 Commandments in words kids understand

From Exodus 20:1-17, each in plain words with the King James line beside it. Churches number them in slightly different ways; this is the order most Protestant churches use.

Love God first. Have no other gods but God.KJV: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Don't worship idols. Don't make statues or pictures to bow down to and worship.KJV: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image”
Treat God's name with respect. Don't use God's name in a careless or empty way.KJV: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain”
Keep the Sabbath day special. Work for six days, and rest on the seventh, a day kept special for God.KJV: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.”
Honour your father and mother. Listen to them, respect them and care for them.KJV: “Honour thy father and thy mother”
Don't kill. Every person's life belongs to God.KJV: “Thou shalt not kill.”
Keep your marriage promise. A husband and wife stay faithful to each other.KJV: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
Don't steal. Don't take what belongs to someone else.KJV: “Thou shalt not steal.”
Don't lie about others. Tell the truth about other people.KJV: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Don't covet. Don't long for things that belong to someone else, wishing they were yours.KJV: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house”

The story

This story is true. It is in the Bible, in the book of Exodus.

Have you ever made a big promise? In this story, a whole crowd of people make a promise to God, all together, in one big voice. Listen for what they say.

Scene 1 of 6

Carried on eagles' wings

The Israelite camp of tents on a wide desert plain at the foot of Mount Sinai, early morning, with an eagle soaring high above

God's people, the children of Israel, had been slaves in Egypt. Then God set them free, and brought them out into the wide, dry desert.

After three months, they came to a great mountain called Mount Sinai. They put up their tents at the bottom of the mountain.

Their leader, Moses, climbed up to meet God. And God gave Moses a message for the people:

“how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”

Bare means carried. God had carried his people, the way an eagle carries its young. If they would listen to his voice, God said, they would be his own special treasure.

Moses came down and told the people everything God had said. And all the people answered together:

“All that the LORD hath spoken we will do.”

Exodus 19:1-8King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

¹King James Version: In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.Berean Standard Bible: In the third month, on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
²King James Version: For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.Berean Standard Bible: After they had set out from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
³King James Version: And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;Berean Standard Bible: Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel:
⁴King James Version: Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.Berean Standard Bible: ‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.
⁵King James Version: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:Berean Standard Bible: Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.
⁶King James Version: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.Berean Standard Bible: And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.”
⁷King James Version: And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.Berean Standard Bible: So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.
⁸King James Version: And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.Berean Standard Bible: And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.

Scene 2 of 6

The mountain of smoke and fire

Mount Sinai wrapped in thick cloud and smoke with fire glowing at the top, the people standing far back at the foot of the mountain, looking up in awe

God told Moses that in three days, he would come down onto the mountain, where all the people could see.

So the people got ready. They washed their clothes. Moses marked a line all the way around the mountain, and the people stayed back behind it.

On the third day, in the morning, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud sat on the mountain. A trumpet sounded, very loud, and the people in the camp trembled.

Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God.

The whole mountain was covered in smoke, because the Lord had come down on it in fire. The smoke rose up like smoke from a great oven. The trumpet grew louder and louder.

Then God called Moses to the very top of the mountain. And Moses went up.

Exodus 19:9-20King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

⁹King James Version: And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.Berean Standard Bible: The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
¹⁰King James Version: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,Berean Standard Bible: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes
¹¹King James Version: And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.Berean Standard Bible: and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
¹²King James Version: And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:Berean Standard Bible: And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
¹³King James Version: There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.Berean Standard Bible: No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows—whether man or beast, he must not live.' Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”
¹⁴King James Version: And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.Berean Standard Bible: When Moses came down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.
¹⁵King James Version: And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.Berean Standard Bible: “Be prepared for the third day,” he said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”
¹⁶King James Version: And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.Berean Standard Bible: On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram's horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
¹⁷King James Version: And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.Berean Standard Bible: Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.
¹⁸King James Version: And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.Berean Standard Bible: Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
¹⁹King James Version: And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.Berean Standard Bible: And as the sound of the ram's horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.
²⁰King James Version: And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.Berean Standard Bible: The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up,

Scene 3 of 6

God speaks ten words

The people of Israel gathered at the foot of the mountain, listening, as warm golden light pours down from the cloud on the mountaintop

Then God spoke, and all the people heard. First he told them who he was: the Lord their God, who had brought them out of Egypt.

Then God gave ten commandments. A commandment is something God tells us to do.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”

Do not make idols, statues to kneel down to and worship. Do not use God's name in a careless or empty way. Remember the Sabbath day. Work for six days, and rest on the seventh, a day kept special for God.

“Honour thy father and thy mother”

Do not kill. Husbands and wives, keep your promise to each other. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about other people. And do not covet. To covet is to want something that belongs to someone else, so much that you wish it were yours.

Ten commandments. And God had spoken every one.

Exodus 20:1-17King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

¹King James Version: And God spake all these words, saying,Berean Standard Bible: And God spoke all these words:
²King James Version: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.Berean Standard Bible: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
³King James Version: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.Berean Standard Bible: You shall have no other gods before Me.
⁴King James Version: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:Berean Standard Bible: You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.
⁵King James Version: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;Berean Standard Bible: You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
⁶King James Version: And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.Berean Standard Bible: but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
⁷King James Version: Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.Berean Standard Bible: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.
⁸King James Version: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.Berean Standard Bible: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
⁹King James Version: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:Berean Standard Bible: Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
¹⁰King James Version: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:Berean Standard Bible: but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.
¹¹King James Version: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.Berean Standard Bible: For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
¹²King James Version: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.Berean Standard Bible: Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
¹³King James Version: Thou shalt not kill.Berean Standard Bible: You shall not murder.
¹⁴King James Version: Thou shalt not commit adultery.Berean Standard Bible: You shall not commit adultery.
¹⁵King James Version: Thou shalt not steal.Berean Standard Bible: You shall not steal.
¹⁶King James Version: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.Berean Standard Bible: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
¹⁷King James Version: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.Berean Standard Bible: You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Scene 4 of 6

Come up to me

Moses reading aloud from a scroll to the people gathered beside a simple stone altar and twelve standing stones, with a cloud resting on the mountain behind

Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning, he built an altar at the bottom of the mountain, and set up twelve tall stones, one for each tribe of Israel.

Then Moses took the book and spoke God's words out loud to all the people. And once more, the people promised:

“All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.”

Then God called Moses to come up the mountain. God would give him tables of stone, with the commandments written on them. Tables of stone are flat stones for writing on.

So Moses went up the mountain, and a cloud covered it. From down below, the glory of the Lord looked like fire on the mountaintop.

Moses went right into the cloud. And he stayed on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 24:3-18King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

³King James Version: And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.Berean Standard Bible: When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”
⁴King James Version: And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.Berean Standard Bible: And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
⁵King James Version: And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.Berean Standard Bible: Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
⁶King James Version: And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.Berean Standard Bible: Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he splattered on the altar.
⁷King James Version: And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.Berean Standard Bible: Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”
⁸King James Version: And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.Berean Standard Bible: So Moses took the blood, splattered it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
⁹King James Version: Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:Berean Standard Bible: Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
¹⁰King James Version: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.Berean Standard Bible: and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.
¹¹King James Version: And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.Berean Standard Bible: But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.
¹²King James Version: And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.Berean Standard Bible: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
¹³King James Version: And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.Berean Standard Bible: So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God.
¹⁴King James Version: And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.Berean Standard Bible: And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”
¹⁵King James Version: And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.Berean Standard Bible: When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,
¹⁶King James Version: And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.Berean Standard Bible: and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
¹⁷King James Version: And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.Berean Standard Bible: And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.
¹⁸King James Version: And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.Berean Standard Bible: Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Scene 5 of 6

The golden calf

Moses on the mountain path holding two stone tablets, looking down at the distant camp where a small golden calf glints on a pedestal and people dance

Down in the camp, the people waited and waited. Where had Moses gone?

The people went to Aaron, Moses' brother. They asked him to make them gods to go in front of them. So Aaron took their gold earrings, melted them, and shaped the gold into a calf. The people said the golden calf was the god that had brought them out of Egypt. The next day, they had a feast, and they danced.

Up on the mountain, God told Moses what the people had done. And Moses prayed for them.

Then Moses came down the mountain, with two tables of stone in his hands. They were written on both sides.

“the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.”

When Moses came near the camp, he saw the golden calf, and the dancing. Moses was very angry. He threw down the stones, and they broke at the bottom of the mountain. Then he burned the golden calf in the fire.

Exodus 32:1-20King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

¹King James Version: And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.Berean Standard Bible: Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!”
²King James Version: And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.Berean Standard Bible: So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”
³King James Version: And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.Berean Standard Bible: Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.
⁴King James Version: And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.Berean Standard Bible: He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
⁵King James Version: And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.Berean Standard Bible: When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.”
⁶King James Version: And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.Berean Standard Bible: So the next day they arose, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
⁷King James Version: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:Berean Standard Bible: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.
⁸King James Version: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.Berean Standard Bible: How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them! They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'”
⁹King James Version: And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:Berean Standard Bible: The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
¹⁰King James Version: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.Berean Standard Bible: Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
¹¹King James Version: And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?Berean Standard Bible: But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
¹²King James Version: Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.Berean Standard Bible: Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.
¹³King James Version: Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.Berean Standard Bible: Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.'”
¹⁴King James Version: And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.Berean Standard Bible: So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
¹⁵King James Version: And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.Berean Standard Bible: Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
¹⁶King James Version: And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.Berean Standard Bible: The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
¹⁷King James Version: And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.Berean Standard Bible: When Joshua heard the sound of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “The sound of war is in the camp.”
¹⁸King James Version: And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.Berean Standard Bible: But Moses replied: “It is neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!”
¹⁹King James Version: And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.Berean Standard Bible: As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.
²⁰King James Version: And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.Berean Standard Bible: Then he took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, and scattered the powder over the face of the water. Then he forced the Israelites to drink it.

Scene 6 of 6

Two new stones

Early morning, Moses climbing the rocky mountain path alone, carrying two new blank stone tablets, toward a soft golden cloud resting on the mountaintop

Then the Lord told Moses to cut two new stones, like the first ones. God would write the very same words on them again.

So Moses cut two new stones. Early in the morning, he climbed Mount Sinai all alone, carrying the stones in his hands.

The Lord came down in the cloud and stood with him there. Then the Lord passed by in front of Moses, and called out:

“The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”

Merciful means God is kind when we do wrong. Longsuffering means he is very, very patient.

Moses bent down low and worshipped. Then he asked God to go with the people and forgive them.

Exodus 34:1-9King James VersionBerean Standard Bible

¹King James Version: And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.Berean Standard Bible: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the originals, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
²King James Version: And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.Berean Standard Bible: Be ready in the morning, and come up on Mount Sinai to present yourself before Me on the mountaintop.
³King James Version: And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.Berean Standard Bible: No one may go up with you; in fact, no one may be seen anywhere on the mountain—not even the flocks or herds may graze in front of the mountain.”
⁴King James Version: And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.Berean Standard Bible: So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the originals. He rose early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hands, he went up Mount Sinai as the LORD had commanded him.
⁵King James Version: And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.Berean Standard Bible: And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.
⁶King James Version: And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,Berean Standard Bible: Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
⁷King James Version: Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.Berean Standard Bible: maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
⁸King James Version: And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.Berean Standard Bible: Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped.
⁹King James Version: And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.Berean Standard Bible: “O Lord,” he said, “if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, my Lord, please go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our iniquity and sin, and take us as Your inheritance.”

Do you remember what the people said, all together? All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.

Can you say it too? All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.

They said it at the bottom of the mountain. Then they forgot.

And God wrote his words again, on two new stones.

The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious.

How to explain the Ten Commandments to a child

Start with the rescue. Before God gave a single commandment, he reminded his people that he had already set them free (Exodus 20:2). So the commandments are not how children earn God's love; they show how people God loves can live. The first ones are about loving God, and the rest are about treating other people well, the way Jesus summed them up (Matthew 22:37-40).

What this story shows about God

For grown-ups. The story itself never states a lesson, so here it is, with the verses behind it.

God rescues first

Before God gave a single commandment, he reminded his people that he had already set them free. The commandments were not how they earned his love. They were how a rescued people would live.

Exodus 20:2

God speaks so we can know him

God came down and spoke to the people himself, and then wrote his words on stone so they would not be lost.

Exodus 20:1; Exodus 24:12

God is merciful

When the people broke their promise, God gave his words again on two new stones, and named himself merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.

Exodus 34:1-7

Questions to ask after

Pick the ones that fit your child. There are no wrong answers.

Ages 3 to 5

What did all the people promise, together?
What did God write his words on?
What did Moses carry up the mountain the second time?

Ages 6 to 9

God told the people he had carried them like an eagle. What do you think that felt like?
Which of the ten commandments do you think is the hardest to keep? Why?
The people broke their promise, and God still wrote his words again. What does that tell you about God?

Ages 10 to 12

God reminded the people he had set them free before he gave them a single commandment. Why do you think he did it in that order?
The first commandments are about God and the rest are about other people. How are the two connected?
Why do you think the people found it so hard to wait for Moses?

If your child asks

Honest answers to the hard questions, with the verses behind them.

Why are the Ten Commandments numbered differently in different churches?

The Bible calls them "the ten commandments" (Exodus 34:28) but doesn't put numbers on them. Jewish, Catholic and Lutheran, and most Protestant traditions group the verses of Exodus 20 in slightly different ways, so the numbers shift. The words themselves are the same in every list.

Exodus 34:28

How do I explain "adultery" to a child?

For little ones: adultery is when a husband or wife breaks their promise to love only each other. When people marry, they make that promise, and the seventh commandment says to keep it. Exodus 20:14 says it in four words: "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

Exodus 20:14

Why was Mount Sinai so scary in the Ten Commandments story?

God was showing his people how great and holy he is. In Exodus 20:20, Moses told the frightened people, "Fear not: for God is come to prove you", so that they would take God's words seriously and not do wrong. The line around the mountain kept the people safe (Exodus 19:12).

Exodus 20:18-21

Do Christians still have to keep the Ten Commandments?

Jesus said he did not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it (Matthew 5:17). When someone asked him for the greatest commandment, he said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and to love your neighbour as yourself, and that all the law hangs on those two (Matthew 22:36-40). Churches explain how this applies to the Sabbath in different ways.

Matthew 5:17; Matthew 22:36-40

What happened to the people who made the golden calf?

For grown-ups: Exodus 32:25-35 tells that about three thousand men died that day, and that God sent a plague on the people. Our Ten Commandments story leaves this out. With a young child you could say: doing wrong hurt many people, Moses prayed for them, and God forgave them and went with them (Exodus 34:9-10).

Exodus 32:25-35; Exodus 34:9-10

What we added and left out

Every quoted line in this story is the King James Bible, word for word.

What we added

Plain explanations of old words, in the next breath: bare, commandment, tables of stone, covet, merciful, longsuffering.
The ten commandments in children's words inside the story. The Bible's own words for every one are in the scripture panel.
We say the people grew tired of waiting. The Bible says "the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount" (Exodus 32:1).

What we left out

The laws in Exodus 21 to 23 and the instructions for the tabernacle in Exodus 25 to 31.
The sacrifices and the sprinkled blood of the covenant (Exodus 24:5-8), and the elders' meal on the mountain (Exodus 24:9-11).
God's anger and Moses' long prayer for the people (Exodus 32:7-14), shortened to one sentence.
Moses making the people drink water with the ground-up calf in it (Exodus 32:20), the punishment that followed (Exodus 32:25-35), and Moses' shining face (Exodus 34:29-35).
Moses' second forty days on the mountain, when the new stones were written (Exodus 34:28).

Not in the Bible, so not in our story

The Bible doesn't say the stones had rounded tops, as many pictures show, or how big they were. It says there were two tables of stone, written on both sides by God (Exodus 32:15-16). It doesn't put numbers on the commandments either: it calls them "the ten commandments" (Exodus 34:28) and leaves the grouping to us.

Words from the story

Old Bible words your child might ask about.

Commandment: Something God tells us to do, or not to do.
Bare: An old word for carried.
Tables of stone: Flat, smooth pieces of stone, with words cut into them. Many people call them tablets.
Sabbath: The seventh day of the week, a day of rest kept special for God.
Covet: To want something that belongs to someone else, so much that you wish it were yours.
Graven: Cut or carved into something hard, like stone.
Merciful: Kind and forgiving to someone who has done wrong.
Longsuffering: Very, very patient.

Sources and how we made this story

References

Exodus 19:1-8: King James Version and Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 19:9-20: King James Version and Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 20:1-17: King James Version and Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 24:3-18: King James Version and Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 32:1-20: King James Version and Berean Standard Bible
Exodus 34:1-9: King James Version and Berean Standard Bible
King James Version (1769 Oxford text), public domain. Berean Standard Bible, public domain since 2023 (berean.bible).
Background: Ten Commandments on Wikipedia.

How we made this story

The retelling. Written by Tinykiwi with AI assistance, following how we tell these stories, then checked line by line against the Bible text. Every quoted line is the King James Version, word for word. What we explained, added and left out is listed above.
The pictures and narration. The illustrations are AI-generated and chosen by hand. The narration is an AI voice recorded ahead of time, and every recording is checked word for word against the text.
These stories are part of Tinykiwi, an audio Bible App for Kids we are building. For apps you can use today, see our guide to the best Bible story apps for kids.