Exodus 31

The Voice

Eternal One: ² Look, I have a special calling upon one of the sons of Judah. His name is Bezalel (the son of Uri, son of Hur). ³ I have filled him with God’s Spirit, gifted him with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills with a variety of crafts. ⁴ He is an expert designer and works well with gold, silver, and bronze. ⁵ He is able to cut and set gems, work with wood, and skillfully perform any craft needed to help construct the congregation tent and its furnishings. ⁶ I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan to assist Bezalel. I have gifted all of Israel’s artisans with the skills needed to build everything I have instructed you: ⁷ the congregation tent, the covenant chest, the seat of mercy that covers it, all the furnishings for the tent, ⁸ the table and its accessories, the pure gold lampstand with all its tools, the altar of incense, ⁹ the altar for burnt offering with all its utensils, the washing basin and its stand, ¹⁰ the woven garments, Aaron’s sacred priestly garments, the clothes worn by Aaron’s sons when they serve as My priests, ¹¹ the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense to be used in the holy place. The craftsmen are to design and build all of these exactly as I have instructed you.

Eternal One: ¹³ Speak to the Israelites and tell them, “You must be careful to observe My Sabbaths. For the Sabbath Day serves as a sign between Me and you for all generations, so that you will know I am the Eternal One who has set you apart from all the other nations. ¹⁴ Keep the Sabbath because it is a sacred day for you, different from all other days. Anyone who violates the Sabbath or defiles it must be executed; anyone who works on the Sabbath will be cut off from the community. ¹⁵ You have six days out of every week to do whatever work is needed, but the seventh day is the Sabbath, a day set aside for rest and only rest. It is sacred to Me. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be executed. ¹⁶ Therefore, the Israelites are to keep the Sabbath and celebrate it throughout all their generations as an everlasting covenant. ¹⁷ The Sabbath exists as a sign forever of the covenant between Me and the people of Israel for I made heaven and earth in six days, but then on the seventh day I stopped My work and was refreshed.”