Exodus 31
English Standard Version
Oholiab and Bezalel
31 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name (A)Bezalel the son of Uri, son of (B)Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have (C)filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft. 6 And behold, I have appointed with him (D)Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. And I have given to all able men (E)ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 (F)the tent of meeting, and (G)the ark of the testimony, and (H)the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furnishings of the tent, 8 (I)the table and its utensils, and (J)the pure lampstand with all its utensils, and (K)the altar of incense, 9 and (L)the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and (M)the basin and its stand, 10 and (N)the finely worked garments,[a] the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests, 11 and (O)the anointing oil and the fragrant (P)incense for the Holy Place. According to all that I have commanded you, they shall do.”
The Sabbath
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. (Q)Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 (R)Six days shall work be done, but (S)the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. (T)Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 (U)It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that (V)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and (W)on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
18 And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the (X)two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with (Y)the finger of God.
Footnotes
- Exodus 31:10 Or garments for worship
Psalm 81
English Standard Version
Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me
To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] Of (B)Asaph.
81 (C)Sing aloud to God our strength;
(D)shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound (E)the tambourine,
(F)the sweet lyre with (G)the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at (H)the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule[b] of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it (I)a decree in (J)Joseph
when he (K)went out over[c] the land of Egypt.
(L)I hear a language (M)I had not known:
6 “I (N)relieved your[d] shoulder of (O)the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you (P)called, and I delivered you;
I (Q)answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (R)tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (S)Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no (T)strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a (U)foreign god.
10 (V)I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
(W)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel (X)would not submit to me.
12 So I (Y)gave them over to their (Z)stubborn hearts,
to follow their own (AA)counsels.
13 (AB)Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would (AC)walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and (AD)turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would (AE)cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you[e] with (AF)the finest of the wheat,
and with (AG)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Footnotes
- Psalm 81:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 81:4 Or just decree
- Psalm 81:5 Or against
- Psalm 81:6 Hebrew his; also next line
- Psalm 81:16 That is, Israel; Hebrew him
2 Samuel 1
English Standard Version
David Hears of Saul's Death
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned (A)from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, (B)a man came from Saul's camp, (C)with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, (D)he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, (E)“How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, (F)“By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 And he said to me, (G)‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. (H)And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David took hold of his clothes and (I)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept (J)and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not (K)afraid to put out your hand to destroy (L)the Lord's anointed?” 15 Then (M)David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, (N)“Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed (O)the Lord's anointed.’”
David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan
17 And David (P)lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it[a] should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in (Q)the Book of Jashar.[b] He said:
19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
(R)How the mighty have fallen!
20 (S)Tell it not in Gath,
(T)publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
(U)lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of (V)the uncircumcised exult.
21 (W)“You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor fields of offerings![c]
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, not (X)anointed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
(Y)the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were (Z)swifter than eagles;
they were (AA)stronger than lions.
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
(AB)who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 (AC)“How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
(AD)your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
27 (AE)“How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 1:18 Septuagint; Hebrew the Bow, which may be the name of the lament's tune
- 2 Samuel 1:18 Or of the upright
- 2 Samuel 1:21 Septuagint firstfruits
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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