Exodus 31
Lexham English Bible
Provision of Skilled People
31 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “See, I have called by name[a] Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill[b] and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, 4 to devise designs, to work with gold and with silver and with bronze, 5 and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of craftsmanship. 6 And, look, I have given with him Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, and I have put skill in the heart of all the skilled of heart, and they will make all that I have commanded you— 7 the tent of assembly and the ark of the testimony and the atonement cover that is on it and all the equipment of the tent, 8 and the table and all its equipment, and the pure gold lampstand and all its equipment, and the incense altar, 9 and the altar of burnt offering and all its equipment, and the basin and its stand, 10 and the garments of woven material, and the garments of the sanctuary[c] for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. According to all that I have commanded you, they will make it.
Provision of Rest from Work
12 And Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 13 “And you, speak to the Israelites,[d] saying, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, in order to know that I am Yahweh, who consecrates you. 14 And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers[e] of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it—that person will be cut off from among his people. 15 On six days work can be done, and on the seventh is a Sabbath of complete rest,[f] a holy day[g] for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death. 16 The Israelites[h] will pay attention to the Sabbath in order to fulfill the Sabbath[i] throughout their generations as a lasting covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites[j] forever, because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased[k] and recovered.”[l]
18 And when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.
Footnotes
- Exodus 31:2 In other words, “specifically chosen”
- Exodus 31:3 Or “understanding,” “discernment,” “cleverness”
- Exodus 31:10 Literally “the garments of the holiness” or “the holy garments”
- Exodus 31:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 31:14 Or “profaners,” those who treat it as common
- Exodus 31:15 Literally “a Sabbath of ‘Sabbathation.’” “Sabbathation” is not a real word, but devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase
- Exodus 31:15 Literally “holiness”
- Exodus 31:16 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 31:16 Or “keep the Sabbath to do/observe the Sabbath”
- Exodus 31:17 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 31:17 Or “rested”
- Exodus 31:17 Or “breathed freely,” “got his breath”
Exodus 31
New Living Translation
Craftsmen: Bezalel and Oholiab
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!
6 “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:
7 the Tabernacle;[a]
the Ark of the Covenant;[b]
the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement;
all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
8 the table and its utensils;
the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories;
the incense altar;
9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils;
the washbasin with its stand;
10 the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;
11 the anointing oil;
the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.
The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.”
Instructions for the Sabbath
12 The Lord then gave these instructions to Moses: 13 “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. 14 You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. 15 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. 16 The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. 17 It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”
18 When the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant,[c] written by the finger of God.
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