Exodus 31:12-18

New International Reader's Version

The Sabbath Day

¹² Then the Lord spoke to Moses. ¹³ He said, “Tell the people of Israel, ‘You must always keep my Sabbath days. That will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and you for all time to come. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I am the one who makes you holy.

¹⁴ “ ‘Keep the Sabbath day. It is holy to you. Those who misuse it must be put to death. Those who do any work on that day must be separated from their people. ¹⁵ Do your work in six days. But the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest. You must rest on it. It is set apart for the Lord. Those who work on the Sabbath day must be put to death. ¹⁶ The Israelites must keep the Sabbath day. They must celebrate it for all time to come. It will be a covenant that lasts forever. ¹⁷ It will be the sign of the covenant I have made between me and the Israelites forever. The Lord made the heavens and the earth in six days. But on the seventh day he did not work. He rested.’ ”

¹⁸ The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai. Then he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law. They were made out of stone. The words on them were written by the finger of God.