James Boswell tells us that Samuel Johnson, who had a poor opinion of the way actors declaimed their lines, challenged celebrity actor-manager David Garrick to recite the Ninth Commandment,

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour,

and pronounced with glee that Garrick had read it improperly, by failing to stress the two words ‘not’ and ‘false’. Johnson’s biographer Sir John Hawkins (in whose recollection the example sentence was the Seventh, concerning adultery) said that Garrick put the stress on ‘shalt’.

How would you read it? And how would you read the following?

1 Behold, the half was not told me. [1 Kings 10:7]

When the Queen of Sheba came to see the glory of Solomon’s court.

2 There shall no deceitful person dwell in my house; he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight. [Psalm 101:10]

David promises to be more discriminating than others are.

3 Thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. [Luke 15:27]

He was offended because his father had just ordered the fatted calf, no less, to be served in honour of his wastrel brother.