Exodus 35
Easy-to-Read Version
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:
2 “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. 3 On the Sabbath you should not even light a fire in any of the places where you live.”
Things for the Holy Tent
4 Moses said to all the Israelites, “This is what the Lord commanded: 5 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; 6 blue, purple, and red yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and fine leather; acacia wood; 8 oil for the lamps; spices for the anointing oil and spices for the sweet-smelling incense. 9 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
- Exodus 35:22 pins Or “hooks.” These were like safety pins and were used like buttons to fasten their robes.
Exodus 35
New King James Version
Sabbath Regulations
35 Then Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said to them, (A)“These are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do: 2 Work shall be done for (B)six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to (C)death. 3 (D)You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day.”
Offerings for the Tabernacle(E)
4 And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, (F)“This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying: 5 ‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. (G)Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord: (H)gold, silver, and bronze; 6 (I)blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and (J)goats’ hair; 7 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 8 oil for the light, (K)and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 9 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.
Articles of the Tabernacle
10 (L)‘All who are gifted artisans among you shall come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 (M)the tabernacle, its tent, its covering, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12 (N)the ark and its poles, with the mercy seat, and the veil of the covering; 13 the (O)table and its poles, all its utensils, (P)and the showbread; 14 also (Q)the lampstand for the light, its utensils, its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 (R)the incense altar, its poles, (S)the anointing oil, (T)the sweet incense, and the screen for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 (U)the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles, all its utensils, and the laver and its base; 17 (V)the hangings of the court, its pillars, their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle, the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 (W)the [a]garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place—the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests.’ ”
The Tabernacle Offerings Presented
20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 Then everyone came (X)whose heart [b]was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they (Y)brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought (Z)earrings and nose rings, rings and necklaces, all (AA)jewelry of gold, that is, every man who made an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And (AB)every man, with whom was found blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair, red skins of rams, and [c]badger skins, brought them. 24 Everyone who offered an offering of silver or bronze brought the Lord’s offering. And everyone with whom was found acacia wood for any work of the service, brought it. 25 All the women who were (AC)gifted artisans spun yarn with their hands, and brought what they had spun, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine linen. 26 And all the women whose hearts [d]stirred with wisdom spun yarn of goats’ hair. 27 (AD)The rulers brought onyx stones, and the stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate, 28 and (AE)spices and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The children of Israel brought a (AF)freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.
The Artisans Called by God(AG)
30 And Moses said to the children of Israel, “See, (AH)the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship, 32 to design artistic works, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of artistic workmanship.
34 “And He has put in his heart the ability to teach, in him and (AI)Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has (AJ)filled them with skill to do all manner of work of the engraver and the designer and the tapestry maker, in blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen, and of the weaver—those who do every work and those who design artistic works.
Footnotes
- Exodus 35:19 Or woven garments
- Exodus 35:21 Lit. lifted him up
- Exodus 35:23 Or dolphin
- Exodus 35:26 Lit. lifted them up
Exodus 35
New English Translation
Sabbath Regulations
35 Moses assembled the whole community of the Israelites and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do.[a] 2 In six days[b] work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a holy day[c] for you, a Sabbath of complete rest to the Lord.[d] Anyone who does work on it will be put to death. 3 You must not kindle a fire[e] in any of your homes[f] on the Sabbath day.”[g]
Willing Workers
4 [h] Moses spoke to the whole community of the Israelites, “This is the word that the Lord has commanded: 5 ‘Take[i] an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who has a willing heart[j] bring[k] an offering to the Lord:[l] gold, silver, bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen; goats’ hair; 7 ram skins dyed red; fine leather;[m] acacia wood; 8 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 onyx stones, and other gems[n] for mounting[o] on the ephod and the breastpiece. 10 Every skilled person[p] among you is to come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle with[q] its tent, its covering, its clasps, its frames, its crossbars, its posts, and its bases; 12 the ark, with its poles, the atonement lid, and the special curtain that conceals it; 13 the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the Bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand for[r] the light and its accessories, its lamps, and oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense with its poles, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; the hanging for the door at the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 the altar for the burnt offering with its bronze grating that is on it, its poles, and all its utensils; the large basin and its pedestal; 17 the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and its bases, and the curtain for the gateway to the courtyard; 18 tent pegs for the tabernacle and tent pegs for the courtyard and their ropes; 19 the woven garments for serving in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.’”
20 So the whole community of the Israelites went out from the presence of Moses. 21 Everyone[s] whose heart stirred him to action[t] and everyone whose spirit was willing[u] came and brought the offering for the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.[v] 22 They came, men and women alike,[w] all who had willing hearts. They brought brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments, all kinds of gold jewelry,[x] and everyone came who waved[y] a wave offering of gold to the Lord.
23 Everyone who had[z] blue, purple, or[aa] scarlet yarn, fine linen, goats’ hair, ram skins dyed red, or fine leather[ab] brought them.[ac] 24 Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as[ad] an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood[ae] for any work of the service brought it.[af] 25 Every woman who was skilled[ag] spun with her hands and brought what she had spun, blue, purple, or scarlet yarn, or fine linen, 26 and all the women whose heart stirred them to action and who were skilled[ah] spun goats’ hair.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other gems to be mounted[ai] for the ephod and the breastpiece, 28 and spices and olive oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense.
29 The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, every man and woman whose heart was willing to bring materials for all the work that the Lord through[aj] Moses had commanded them[ak] to do.
30 Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen[al] Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God—with skill, with understanding, with knowledge, and in all kinds of work— 32 to design artistic designs, to work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 33 and in cutting stones for their setting,[am] and in cutting wood, to do work in every artistic craft.[an] 34 And he has put it in his heart[ao] to teach, he and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill[ap] to do all kinds of work[aq] as craftsmen, as designers, as embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and in fine linen, and as weavers. They are[ar] craftsmen in all the work[as] and artistic designers.[at]
Footnotes
- Exodus 35:1 tn Heb “to do them”; this is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
- Exodus 35:2 tn This is an adverbial accusative of time.
- Exodus 35:2 tn The word is קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holiness”). S. R. Driver suggests that the word was transposed, and the line should read: “a sabbath of entire rest, holy to Jehovah” (Exodus, 379). But the word may simply be taken as a substitution for “holy day.”
- Exodus 35:2 sn See on this H. Routtenberg, “The Laws of the Sabbath: Biblical Sources,” Dor le Dor 6 (1977): 41-43, 99-101, 153-55, 204-6; G. Robinson, “The Idea of Rest in the Old Testament and the Search for the Basic Character of Sabbath,” ZAW 92 (1980): 32-43.
- Exodus 35:3 sn Kindling a fire receives special attention here because the people thought that kindling a fire was not work, but only a preparation for some kind of work. The Law makes sure that this too was not done. But see also G. Robinson, “The Prohibition of Strange Fire in Ancient Israel: A Look at the Case of Gathering Wood and Kindling Fire on the Sabbath,” VT 28 (1978): 301-17.
- Exodus 35:3 tn Heb “dwelling places”; KJV, ASV “habitations.”
- Exodus 35:3 sn The presence of these three verses in this place has raised all kinds of questions. It may be that after the renewal of the covenant the people needed a reminder to obey God, and obeying the sign of the covenant was the starting point. But there is more to it than this; it is part of the narrative design of the book. It is the artistic design that puts the filling of the Spirit section (31:1-11) prior to the Sabbath laws (31:12-18) before the idolatry section, and then after the renewal there is the Sabbath reminder (35:1-3) before the filling of the Spirit material (35:4-36:7).
- Exodus 35:4 sn The book now turns to record how all the work of the sanctuary was done. This next unit picks up on the ideas in Exod 31:1-11. But it adds several features. The first part is the instruction of God for all people to give willingly (35:4-19); the next section tells how the faithful brought an offering for the service of the tabernacle (35:20-29); the next section tells how God set some apart with special gifts (35:30-35), and finally, the narrative reports how the faithful people of God enthusiastically began the work (36:1-7).
- Exodus 35:5 tn Heb “from with you.”
- Exodus 35:5 tn “Heart” is a genitive of specification, clarifying in what way they might be “willing.” The heart refers to their will, their choices.
- Exodus 35:5 tn The verb has a suffix that is the direct object, but the suffixed object is qualified by the second accusative: “let him bring it, an offering.”
- Exodus 35:5 tn The phrase is literally “the offering of Yahweh”; it could be a simple possessive, “Yahweh’s offering,” but a genitive that indicates the indirect object is more appropriate.
- Exodus 35:7 tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.
- Exodus 35:9 tn Heb “and stones.”
- Exodus 35:9 tn Heb “filling.”
- Exodus 35:10 tn Heb “wise of heart”; here also “heart” would be a genitive of specification, showing that there were those who could make skillful decisions.
- Exodus 35:11 tn In Hebrew style all these items are typically connected with a vav (ו) conjunction, but English typically uses commas except between the last two items in a series or between items in a series that are somehow related to one another. The present translation follows contemporary English style in lists such as this.
- Exodus 35:14 tn “for” has been supplied.
- Exodus 35:21 tn Heb “man.”
- Exodus 35:21 tn The verb means “lift up, bear, carry.” Here the subject is “heart” or will, and so the expression describes one moved within to act.
- Exodus 35:21 tn Heb “his spirit made him willing.” The verb is used in Scripture for the freewill offering that people brought (Lev 7).
- Exodus 35:21 tn Literally “the garments of holiness,” the genitive is the attributive genitive, marking out what type of garments these were.
- Exodus 35:22 tn The expression in Hebrew is “men on/after the women,” meaning men with women, to ensure that it was clear that the preceding verse did not mean only men. B. Jacob takes it further, saying that the men came after the women because the latter had taken the initiative (Exodus, 1017).
- Exodus 35:22 tn Heb “all gold utensils.”
- Exodus 35:22 tn The verb could be translated “offered,” but it is cognate with the following noun that is the wave offering. This sentence underscores the freewill nature of the offerings people made. The word “came” is supplied from v. 21 and v. 22.
- Exodus 35:23 tn The text uses a relative clause with a resumptive pronoun for this: “who was found with him,” meaning “with whom was found.”
- Exodus 35:23 tn The conjunction in this verse is translated “or” because the sentence does not intend to say that each person had all these things. They brought what they had.
- Exodus 35:23 tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.
- Exodus 35:23 tn Here “them” has been supplied.
- Exodus 35:24 tn This translation takes “offering” as an adverbial accusative explaining the form or purpose of their bringing things. It could also be treated as the direct object, but that would seem unnecessarily repetitive.
- Exodus 35:24 sn U. Cassuto notes that the expression “with whom was found” does not rule out the idea that these folks went out and cut down acacia trees (Exodus, 458). It is unlikely that they had much wood in their tents.
- Exodus 35:24 tn Here “it” has been supplied.
- Exodus 35:25 tn Heb “wisdom of heart,” which means that they were skilled and could make all the right choices about the work.
- Exodus 35:26 tn The text simply uses a prepositional phrase, “with/in wisdom.” It seems to be qualifying “the women” as the relative clause is.
- Exodus 35:27 tn Heb “and stones of the filling.”
- Exodus 35:29 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
- Exodus 35:29 tn Here “them” has been supplied.
- Exodus 35:30 tn Heb “called by name” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). This expression means that the person was specifically chosen for some important task (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 342). See the expression with Cyrus in Isa 45:3-4.
- Exodus 35:33 tn Heb “to set.”
- Exodus 35:33 tn Heb “in every work of thought,” meaning, every work that required the implementation of design or plan.
- Exodus 35:34 sn The expression means that God has given them the ability and the desire to teach others how to do the work. The infinitive construct “to teach” is related to the word Torah, “instruction, guide, law.” They will be able to direct others in the work.
- Exodus 35:35 tn The expression “wisdom of heart,” or “wisdom in heart,” means artistic skill. The decisions and plans they make are skilled. The expression forms a second accusative after the verb of filling.
- Exodus 35:35 tn The expression “all the work” means “all kinds of work.”
- Exodus 35:35 tn Here “They are” has been supplied.
- Exodus 35:35 tn Heb “doers of all work.”
- Exodus 35:35 tn Heb “designers of designs.”
Exodus 35
New International Version
Sabbath Regulations
35 Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded(A) you to do: 2 For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath(B) rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it is to be put to death.(C) 3 Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.(D)”
Materials for the Tabernacle(E)(F)
4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the Lord an offering of gold, silver and bronze; 6 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[a]; acacia wood; 8 olive oil(G) for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
10 “All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the Lord has commanded:(H) 11 the tabernacle(I) with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the ark(J) with its poles and the atonement cover and the curtain(K) that shields it; 13 the table(L) with its poles and all its articles and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand(M) that is for light with its accessories, lamps and oil for the light; 15 the altar(N) of incense with its poles, the anointing oil(O) and the fragrant incense;(P) the curtain for the doorway at the entrance to the tabernacle;(Q) 16 the altar(R) of burnt offering with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the bronze basin(S) with its stand; 17 the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard;(T) 18 the tent pegs(U) for the tabernacle and for the courtyard, and their ropes; 19 the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary—both the sacred garments(V) for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests.”
20 Then the whole Israelite community withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple or scarlet yarn(W) or fine linen, or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or the other durable leather brought them. 24 Those presenting an offering of silver or bronze brought it as an offering to the Lord, and everyone who had acacia wood for any part of the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman(X) spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen. 26 And all the women who were willing and had the skill spun the goat hair. 27 The leaders(Y) brought onyx stones and other gems(Z) to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.(AA) 29 All the Israelite men and women who were willing(AB) brought to the Lord freewill offerings(AC) for all the work the Lord through Moses had commanded them to do.
Bezalel and Oholiab(AD)
30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills(AE)— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab(AF) son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach(AG) others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work(AH) as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.
Footnotes
- Exodus 35:7 Possibly the hides of large aquatic mammals; also in verse 23
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