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Laws for the Sabbath

35 Moses called together the people of Israel and told them that the Lord had said:

(A) You have six days in which to do your work. But the seventh day must be dedicated to me, your Lord, as a day of rest. Whoever works on the Sabbath will be put to death. Don't even build a cooking fire at home on the Sabbath.

Offerings for the Sacred Tent

(Exodus 25.1-9; 35.10-19)

Moses told the people of Israel that the Lord had said:

I will welcome an offering from anyone who wants to give something. You may bring gold, silver, or bronze; blue, purple, or red wool; fine linen; goat hair; tanned ram skin or fine leather; acacia wood; olive oil for the lamp; sweet-smelling spices for the oil of dedication and for the incense; or onyx[a] stones or other gems for the sacred vest and breastpiece.

10 If you have any skills, you should use them to help make what I have commanded: 11 the sacred tent with its covering and hooks, its framework and crossbars, and its post and stands; 12 the sacred chest with its carrying poles, its place of mercy, and the curtain in front of it; 13 the table with its carrying poles and all that goes on it, including the sacred bread; 14 the lamp with its equipment and oil; 15 the incense altar with its carrying poles and sweet-smelling incense; the ordination oil; the curtain for the entrance to the sacred tent; 16 the altar for sacrifices with its bronze grating, its carrying poles, and its equipment; the large bronze bowl with its stand; 17 the curtains with the posts and stands that go around the courtyard and the curtain at the entrance; 18 the pegs and ropes for the tent and the courtyard; 19 and the finely woven priestly clothes for Aaron and his sons.

Gifts for the Lord

20 Moses finished speaking, and everyone left. 21 Then those who wanted to bring gifts to the Lord, brought them to be used for the sacred tent, the worship services, and the priestly clothes. 22 Men and women came willingly and gave all kinds of gold jewelry such as pins, earrings, rings, and necklaces. 23 Everyone brought their blue, purple, and red wool, their fine linen, and their cloth made of goat hair, as well as their ram skins dyed red and their fine leather. 24 Anyone who had silver or bronze or acacia wood brought it as a gift to the Lord.

25 The women who were good at weaving cloth brought the blue, purple, and red wool and the fine linen they had made. 26 And the women who knew how to make cloth from goat hair were glad to do so.

27 The leaders brought different kinds of jewels to be sewn on the special clothes and the breastpiece for the high priest. 28 They also brought sweet-smelling spices to be mixed with the incense and olive oil that were for the lamps and for ordaining the priests. 29 Moses had told the people what the Lord wanted them to do, and many of them decided to bring their gifts.

Bezalel and Oholiab

(Exodus 31.1-11)

30 Moses said to the people of Israel:

The Lord has chosen Bezalel[b] of the Judah tribe. 31-33 Not only has the Lord filled him with his Spirit, but he has given him wisdom and made him a skilled craftsman who can create objects of art with gold, silver, bronze, precious stones, and wood. 34 The Lord is urging him and Oholiab[c] from the tribe of Dan to teach others. 35 And he has given them all kinds of artistic skills, including the ability to design and embroider with blue, purple, and red wool and to weave fine linen.

Footnotes

  1. 35.9 onyx: See the note at 25.7.
  2. 35.30 Bezalel: See the note at 31.2.
  3. 35.34 Oholiab: Hebrew “Oholiab son of Ahisamach.”

35 Now Moses called a meeting of all the people and told them, “These are the laws of Jehovah you must obey.

“Work six days only; the seventh day is a day of solemn rest, a holy day to be used to worship Jehovah; anyone working on that day must die. Don’t even light the fires in your homes that day.”

Then Moses said to all the people, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5-9 All of you who wish to, all those with generous hearts, may bring these offerings to Jehovah:

Gold, silver, and bronze;

Blue, purple, and scarlet cloth, made of fine-twined linen or of goats’ hair;

Tanned rams’ skins and specially treated goatskins;

Acacia wood;

Olive oil for the lamps;

Spices for the anointing oil and for the incense;

Onyx stones and stones to be used for the ephod and chestpiece.

10-19 “Come, all of you who are skilled craftsmen having special talents, and construct what God has commanded us:

The Tabernacle-tent, and its coverings, clasps, frames, bars, pillars, and bases;

The Ark and its poles;

The place of mercy;

The curtain to enclose the Holy Place;

The table, its carrying poles, and all of its utensils;

The Bread of the Presence;

Lamp holders, with lamps and oil;

The incense altar and its carrying poles;

The anointing oil and sweet incense;

The curtain for the door of the Tabernacle;

The altar for the burnt offerings;

The bronze grating of the altar, and its carrying poles and utensils;

The basin with its pedestal;

The drapes for the walls of the court;

The pillars and their bases;

Drapes for the entrance to the court;

The posts of the Tabernacle court, and their cords;

The beautiful clothing for the priests, to be used when ministering in the Holy Place;

The holy garments for Aaron the priest, and for his sons.”

20 So all the people went to their tents to prepare their gifts. 21 Those whose hearts were stirred by God’s Spirit returned with their offerings of materials for the Tabernacle, its equipment, and for the holy garments. 22 Both men and women came, all who had willing hearts. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold, jewelry—earrings, rings from their fingers, necklaces—and gold objects of every kind. 23 Others brought blue, purple, and scarlet cloth made from the fine-twined linen or goats’ hair; and rams’ skins dyed red, and specially treated goatskins. 24 Others brought silver and bronze as their offering to the Lord; and some brought the acacia wood needed in the construction.

25 The women skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread and cloth, and fine-twined linen, and brought them in. 26 Some other women gladly used their special skill to spin the goats’ hair into cloth. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones to be used for the ephod and the chestpiece; 28 and spices, and oil—for the light, and for compounding the anointing oil and the sweet incense. 29 So the people of Israel—every man and woman who wanted to assist in the work given to them by the Lord’s command to Moses—brought their freewill offerings to him.

30-31 And Moses told them, “Jehovah has specifically appointed Bezalel (the son of Uri and grandson of Hur of the tribe of Judah) as general superintendent of the project. 32 He will be able to create beautiful workmanship from gold, silver, and bronze; 33 he can cut and set stones like a jeweler and can do beautiful carving; in fact, he has every needed skill. 34 And God has made him and Oholiab gifted teachers of their skills to others. (Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.) 35 God has filled them both with unusual skills as jewelers, carpenters, embroidery designers in blue, purple, and scarlet on linen backgrounds, and as weavers—they excel in all the crafts we will be needing in the work.

Rules About the Sabbath

35 Moses gathered all the Israelites together and said to them, “I will tell you what the Lord has commanded you to do:

“There are six days for working, but the seventh day will be a very special day of rest for you. You will honor the Lord by resting on that special day. Anyone who works on the seventh day must be killed. On the Sabbath you should not even light a fire in any of the places where you live.”

Things for the Holy Tent

Moses said to all the Israelites, “This is what the Lord commanded: Gather special gifts for the Lord. Each of you should decide in your heart what you will give. And then you should bring that gift to the Lord. Bring gold, silver, and bronze; blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood; oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and spices for the sweet-smelling incense. Also, bring onyx stones and other jewels to be put on the ephod and the judgment pouch.

10 “All of you who are skilled workers should make all the things the Lord commanded: 11 the Holy Tent, its outer tent, and its covering; the hooks, boards, braces, posts, and bases; 12 the Holy Box, its poles, the mercy-cover, and the curtain that covers the area where the Box stays; 13 the table and its poles, all the things on the table, and the special bread on the table; 14 the lampstand that is used for light and the things used with the lampstand, the lamps, and oil for the light; 15 the altar for burning incense and its poles; the anointing oil and the sweet-smelling incense; the curtain that covers the door at the entrance to the Holy Tent; 16 the altar for burning offerings and its bronze grating, the poles, and all the things used at the altar; the bronze bowl and its base; 17 the curtains around the yard, their posts and bases, and the curtain that covers the entrance to the yard; 18 the pegs used to support the Tent and the wall of curtains around the courtyard, and the ropes that tie to the pegs; 19 and the special woven clothes for the priest to wear in the Holy Place. These are the special clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they serve as priests.”

The Great Offering From the People

20 Then all the Israelites went away from Moses. 21 All the people who wanted to give came and brought a gift to the Lord. These gifts were used for making the Meeting Tent, everything in the Tent, and the special clothes. 22 All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds. They brought pins,[a] earrings, rings, and other jewelry. They all gave their jewelry as a special offering to the Lord.

23 Everyone who had fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn brought it to the Lord. Anyone who had goat hair or ram skins dyed red or fine leather brought it to the Lord. 24 Everyone who wanted to give silver or bronze brought that as a gift to the Lord. Everyone who had acacia wood came and gave it to the Lord. 25 Every skilled woman made fine linen and blue, purple, and red yarn. 26 And all the women who were skilled and wanted to help made cloth from the goat hair.

27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels. These stones and jewels were put on the ephod and judgment pouch of the priest. 28 The people also brought spices and olive oil. These things were used for the sweet-smelling incense, the anointing oil, and the oil for the lamps.

29 All the Israelites who wanted to help brought gifts to the Lord. They gave these gifts freely, because they wanted to. These gifts were used to make everything the Lord had commanded Moses and the people to make.

Bezalel and Oholiab

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “Look, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, from the tribe of Judah. (Uri was the son of Hur.) 31 And he has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God—he gave Bezalel special skill and knowledge to do all kinds of things. 32 He can design and make things with gold, silver, and bronze. 33 He can cut and set stones and jewels. He can work with wood and make all kinds of things. 34 The Lord has given Bezalel and Oholiab special skills to teach other people. (Oholiab was the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan.) 35 He has given both of these men special skills to do all kinds of work. They are able to do the work of carpenters and metalworkers. They can weave cloth with designs in it from blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen. And they are able to weave things with wool.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 35:22 pins Or “hooks.” These were like safety pins and were used like buttons to fasten their robes.

Instructions for the Sabbath

35 Then Moses called together the whole community of Israel and told them, “These are the instructions the Lord has commanded you to follow. 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 that day must be put to death. You must not even light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath.”

Offerings for the Tabernacle

Then Moses said to the whole community of Israel, “This is what the Lord has commanded: Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord:

gold, silver, and bronze;
blue, purple, and scarlet thread;
fine linen and goat hair for cloth;
tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather;
acacia wood;
olive oil for the lamps;
spices for the anointing oil and the fragrant incense;
onyx stones, and other gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece.

10 “Come, all of you who are gifted craftsmen. Construct everything that the Lord has commanded:

11 the Tabernacle and its sacred tent, its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases;
12 the Ark and its carrying poles;
the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement;
the inner curtain to shield the Ark;
13 the table, its carrying poles, and all its utensils;
the Bread of the Presence;
14 for light, the lampstand, its accessories, the lamp cups, and the olive oil for lighting;
15 the incense altar and its carrying poles;
the anointing oil and fragrant incense;
the curtain for the entrance of the Tabernacle;
16 the altar of burnt offering;
the bronze grating of the altar and its carrying poles and utensils;
the washbasin with its stand;
17 the curtains for the walls of the courtyard;
the posts and their bases;
the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;
18 the tent pegs of the Tabernacle and courtyard and their ropes;
19 the beautifully stitched garments for the priests to wear while ministering in the Holy Place—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests.”

20 So the whole community of Israel left Moses and returned to their tents. 21 All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle,[a] for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments. 22 Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. They brought to the Lord their offerings of gold—brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the Lord. 23 All those who owned the following items willingly brought them: blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; and tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather. 24 And all who had silver and bronze objects gave them as a sacred offering to the Lord. And those who had acacia wood brought it for use in the project.

25 All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen cloth. 26 All the women who were willing used their skills to spin the goat hair into yarn. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and the special gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest’s chestpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense. 29 So the people of Israel—every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the Lord had given them through Moses—brought their gifts and gave them freely to the Lord.

30 Then Moses told the people of Israel, “The Lord has specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 32 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 33 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft. 34 And the Lord has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their skills to others. 35 The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers.

Footnotes

  1. 35:21 Hebrew Tent of Meeting.

35 Moses had the entire community of Israel gather together so he could address them.

Moses: These are the instructions the Eternal One has commanded you to do: “You are to work for six days; but when the seventh day arrives, you are to observe a day of solemn rest on the Sabbath. You are to regard this day as holy to the Eternal. Anyone who works on this sacred day must be executed. Do not even start a fire in any of your houses on the Sabbath.”

These are the instructions The Eternal One has commanded you to do: “Take up an offering to the Eternal One. Let those with willing hearts bring the following as an offering to the Eternal One: gold, silver, bronze; blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linens; goat hair; rams’ skins dyed red; sea-cow skins; acacia wood; olive oil for lamps; spices for anointing oil and fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other stones for the high priest’s vest and breast piece.

10 “Let all who are gifted with wisdom and skill come and make these things the Eternal One has instructed: 11 the congregation tent, including the tent itself, its covering, all its hooks, panels, crossbars, posts, bases, and sockets; 12 the covenant chest and its poles for carrying it, including the seat of mercy that covers the chest and the veil shrouding the most holy place; 13 the table and its poles for carrying it, all the utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand that illuminates the tent, its tools, its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense and its poles for carrying it; the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the curtain at the entrance to the congregation tent; 16 the altar of burnt offering, including the bronze grate, its carrying poles, and various tools; the basin for washing and its stand; 17 the panels that hang around the perimeter of the courtyard, its posts and bases; and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; 18 the tent pegs and ropes for the congregation tent and its courtyard; 19 the finely woven clothing for priests serving in the holy place, the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the clothes for his sons to wear when they serve as priests.”

20 After Moses completed these instructions, the entire community of Israel filed out of his presence. 21 Then all those whose hearts and minds moved them came back, bringing their valuables as a contribution to the Eternal One for the congregation tent, all its service, and the sacred garments. 22 Everyone with a willing heart, both men and women, came back with brooches, earrings, signet rings, bracelets, and all sorts of other gold items, and presented them as an offering of gold to the Eternal One. 23 Those who possessed blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linens, goats’ hair, rams’ skins dyed red, and sea-cow skins brought them as well. 24 And those who were able to give items of silver and bronze brought their offering to the Eternal One. Those who had acacia wood brought it to be used in the project.

25-26 All the skilled and creative women who were able to spin made the blue, purple, and scarlet thread. All the women who were willing came forward to use their skills in spinning the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought the onyx stones and the stones for setting in the high priest’s vest and the breast piece. 28 They also brought the spices and oils for the light, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense.

29 All the Israelites, both men and women, who felt moved to provide the material needed to do this work, brought these offerings willingly and set them before the Eternal One exactly as He had instructed Moses.

Moses (to the Israelites): 30 Look, the Eternal One has called Bezalel (the son of Uri, son of Hur the Judahite) by name. 31 He has filled him with God’s Spirit, gifted him with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and skills with a variety of crafts. 32 He is an expert designer and works well with gold, silver, and bronze. 33 He is able to cut and set gems, work with wood, and skillfully perform any work needed to help construct the congregation tent and its furnishings. 34 Also, God has placed within both Bezalel and Oholiab (son of Ahisamach the Danite) the ability to teach. 35 He has gifted them and made them expert engravers, designers, and embroiderers using blue, purple, and scarlet thread on fine linen. They are master weavers, skilled craftsmen, and expert designers.