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Rules about the Sabbath day

35 Moses brought all the Israelites together. Then he said to them, ‘These are the Lord's commands to you. You may work for six days each week, but the seventh day will be a holy day for you. It will be a day of complete rest to give honour to the Lord. If anyone works on that day, you must punish him with death. Do not light a fire in any of your homes on a Sabbath day.’

Materials for the tabernacle

Moses said to all the Israelites, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: Take an offering to give to the Lord from the things that you have. Everyone who wants to give something may choose to give these things:

gold, silver, bronze;

blue, purple and red material;

good linen, goats' hair;

red leather from sheep's skins and other kinds of good leather;

acacia wood;

olive oil for the lamps;

spices to make the special oil and the sweet incense;

onyx stones and other jewels to fix on the ephod and on the breastpiece.

10 Every clever person who has special skills must come to help. They must make all these things that the Lord has commanded:

11 the tabernacle, with the tent and the other material that covers it;

the rings, boards, sticks, poles and bases that are part of the tabernacle;

12 the Covenant Box, with its poles, its special lid and the curtain that hides it;

13 the special table with its poles and all its dishes;

the special bread that you will put on the table for the Lord;

14 the lampstand that will give light and its tools;

the lamps and the oil for the lamps;

15 the altar for incense and its poles;

the special oil and the sweet incense;

the curtain for the entrance of the tabernacle;

16 the altar for burnt offerings and its bronze net;

the poles for this altar and all its tools;

the large bowl for water and its base;

17 the curtains for the yard, its poles and their bases;

the curtain for the entrance of the yard;

18 pegs to fix the tent to the ground;

pegs and ropes to hold the curtain around the yard;

19 the special clothes for Aaron and his sons to wear when they serve the Lord as priests in the Holy Place.’

20 After Moses had said this, all the Israelites went away. 21 Everyone who decided to offer a gift to the Lord brought the things that they wanted to give. They brought the things to make the Tent of Meeting and the things to use in it. They also brought materials to make the priests' special clothes. 22 Both men and women brought beautiful things because they wanted to do that. They brought gold things and jewels that they had worn. They included rings, necklaces and other beautiful things. When they brought their gifts, they lifted them up as an offering of gold to the Lord.

23 Everyone who had blue, purple or red material, or good linen, brought it. They also brought goats' hair, red leather from sheep's skins and other kinds of good leather. 24 Those who brought gifts of silver or bronze offered them to the Lord. Everyone who had acacia wood brought it to help with the Lord's work.

25 All the women who knew how to make things used their hands to make material. They brought what they had made: blue, purple and red material and good linen. 26 Other clever women used goats' hair to make cloth. They did that because they wanted to help.

27 The leaders of the Israelites brought onyx stones and other jewels to fix on the ephod and on the breastpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil. These things were to burn in the lamps, and to make the special oil and the sweet incense.

29 Many Israelites chose to offer gifts to the Lord. Men and women all brought the gifts that they had decided to bring. Moses had told them about the work that the Lord had commanded them to do. So they brought these things to help with the work.

Bezalel and Oholiab

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, ‘Listen! The Lord has chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri and the grandson of Hur. He belongs to the tribe of Judah. 31 The Lord has filled him with his Spirit so that he has special skills. He knows how to make many kinds of things. 32 He can draw pictures of beautiful things that he wants to make. He can use gold, silver and bronze to make them. 33 He knows how to cut valuable stones and make them look beautiful. He knows how to cut wood into different shapes. He is very clever at all kinds of beautiful work.

34 The Lord has chosen Oholiab to help Bezalel. Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach. He belongs to the tribe of Dan. Bezalel and Oholiab can teach other people how to make things. 35 They have special skills to make all kinds of things. They can draw pictures of the things that they want to make. They can cut pictures in metal. They can use blue, purple and red material and good linen to make beautiful things with pictures on them. They are very clever at their work, so that the things that they make look beautiful.’

Preparation of Materials and People for Building

35 And Moses assembled all the community of the Israelites,[a] and he said to them, “These are the words that Yahweh has commanded for us to do them. On six days work can be done, and on the seventh there will be for you a holy day,[b] a Sabbath of complete rest,[c] for Yahweh; anyone doing work on it will be put to death. You will not kindle a fire in any of your dwellings on the day of the Sabbath.”

And Moses said to all the community of the Israelites,[d] saying, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded, saying, ‘Take from among you a contribution for Yahweh, anyone willing of heart, let him bring Yahweh’s contribution—gold and silver and bronze, and blue and purple and crimson yarns, and fine linen and goat hair, and red-dyed ram skins, and fine leather,[e] and acacia wood, and oil for the lamp, balsam oils for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, onyx stones and stones for mountings on the ephod and the breast piece.

10 “And let all the skilled of heart among you come and make all that Yahweh has commanded: 11 The tabernacle, its tent, and its covering; its clasps and its frames;[f] its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 12 the ark and its poles; the atonement cover and the curtain of the screen; 13 the table and its poles and all its equipment; and the bread of the presence; 14 and lampstand of the light and its equipment and its lamps and the oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense and its poles; and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense and the entrance curtain for the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of the burnt offering and the bronze grating that is for it, its poles and all its equipment; the basin and its stand; 17 the hangings of the courtyard, its pillars, and its bases, and the screen for the courtyard gate; 18 the pegs[g] of the tabernacle and the pegs[h] of the courtyard and their cords; 19 the woven garments for serving in the sanctuary—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons to serve as priests.”

20 And all the community of the Israelites[i] went out from before Moses. 21 And they came—every man whose heart lifted him and every man whose spirit impelled him—they brought Yahweh’s contribution for the work of the tent of assembly and for all its service and for the holy garments. 22 And they came, the men in addition to the women, all who were willing of heart; they brought brooches and jewelry rings and signet rings and ornaments—every variety of gold object—every man who waved a wave offering of gold for Yahweh, 23 and every man with whom was found blue and purple and crimson yarns and fine linen and goat hair and red-dyed ram skins and fine leather brought it. 24 All who were presenting a contribution of silver and bronze brought Yahweh’s contribution, and all with whom was found acacia wood for all the work of service brought it. 25 And every woman who was skilled of heart with her hands they spun, and they brought yarn—the blue and the purple, the crimson and the fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart lifted them with skill spun the goat hair. 27 And the leaders brought the onyx stones and stones for mountings for the ephod and for the breast piece 28 and the balsam oils and the oil for light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense. 29 Every man and woman whose heart impelled them to bring for all the work to be done that Yahweh had commanded by the agency of[j] Moses—the Israelites[k] brought freely to Yahweh.

30 And Moses said to the Israelites,[l] “See, Yahweh has called by name[m] Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 31 And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom and with skill[n] and with knowledge and with every kind of craftsmanship, 32 and to devise designs, to work with the gold and with the silver and with the bronze, 33 and in stonecutting for setting and in cutting wood, for doing every kind of design craftsmanship. 34 And he has put it in his heart to teach—he and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill of heart to do every work of a craftsman and a designer and an embroiderer with the blue and with the purple, with the crimson yarns and with the fine linen and a weaver; they are doers of every kind of craftsmanship and devisers of designs.

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 35:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Exodus 35:2 Literally “holiness”
  3. Exodus 35:2 Literally “a Sabbath of ‘Sabbathation.’” “Sabbathation” is not a real word, but it is devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase
  4. Exodus 35:4 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  5. Exodus 35:7 The particular kind of leather is uncertain
  6. Exodus 35:11 Or “boards” or “planks”
  7. Exodus 35:18 Literally “hands”
  8. Exodus 35:18 Literally “hands”
  9. Exodus 35:20 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  10. Exodus 35:29 Literally “by the hand of”
  11. Exodus 35:29 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  12. Exodus 35:30 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  13. Exodus 35:30 In other words, “specifically chosen”
  14. Exodus 35:31 Or “understanding,” “discernment,” “cleverness”