Psalm 4

A Night Prayer

For the choir director: with stringed instruments.^(A) A psalm of David.

Resurrection Supported by Christian Experience

²⁹ Otherwise what will they do who are being baptized for the dead?^[a] If the dead are not raised at all, then why are people baptized for them?^{[b] 30} Why are we in danger every hour? ³¹ I face death every day,^(A) as surely as I may boast about you, brothers and sisters, in Christ Jesus our Lord. ³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus^(B) as a mere man, what good did that do me?^(C) If the dead are not raised, Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.^{[c](D) 33} Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ³⁴ Come to your senses^[d](E) and stop sinning; for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame.^(F)

The Sabbath Command

35 Moses assembled the entire Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do:^{(A) 2} For six days work is to be done, but on the seventh day you are to have a holy day, a Sabbath^(B) of complete rest to the Lord. Anyone who does work on it must be executed. ³ Do not light a fire in any of your homes on the Sabbath day.”^(C)

Building the Tabernacle

⁴ Then Moses said to the entire Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ⁵ Take^(D) up an offering among you for the Lord. Let everyone whose heart is willing bring this as the Lord’s offering: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁶ blue, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; ⁷ ram skins dyed red and fine leather;^[a] acacia wood; ⁸ oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁹ and onyx with gemstones to mount on the ephod and breastpiece.

¹⁰ “Let all the skilled artisans^[b] among you come and make everything that the Lord has commanded:^{(E) 11} the tabernacle—its tent and covering, its clasps and supports, its crossbars, its pillars and bases; ¹² the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the curtain for the screen; ¹³ the table with its poles, all its utensils, and the Bread of the Presence; ¹⁴ the lampstand for light with its utensils and lamps as well as the oil for the light; ¹⁵ the altar of incense with its poles; the anointing oil and the fragrant incense; the entryway screen for the entrance to the tabernacle; ¹⁶ the altar of burnt offering with its bronze grate, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; ¹⁷ the hangings of the courtyard, its posts and bases, and the screen for the gate of the courtyard; ¹⁸ the tent pegs for the tabernacle and the tent pegs for the courtyard, along with their ropes; ¹⁹ and the specially woven^[c] garments for ministering in the sanctuary—the holy garments for the priest Aaron and the garments for his sons to serve as priests.”^(F)

²⁰ Then the entire Israelite community left Moses’s presence. ²¹ Everyone whose heart was moved and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its services, and for the holy garments.^{(G) 22} Both men and women came; all who had willing hearts brought brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry—everyone who presented a presentation offering of gold to the Lord. ²³ Everyone who possessed blue, purple, or scarlet yarn,^(H) fine linen or goat hair, ram skins dyed red or fine leather,^[d] brought them. ²⁴ Everyone making an offering of silver or bronze brought it as a contribution to the Lord. Everyone who possessed acacia wood useful for any task in the work brought it. ²⁵ Every skilled^[e] woman^(I) spun yarn with her hands and brought it: blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. ²⁶ And all the women whose hearts were moved spun the goat hair by virtue of their skill. ²⁷ The leaders^(J) brought onyx and gemstones to mount on the ephod and breastpiece, ²⁸ as well as the spice^(K) and oil for the light, for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. ²⁹ So the Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts prompted them to bring something for all the work that the Lord, through Moses, had commanded to be done.^(L)

Bezalel and Oholiab

³⁰ Moses^(M) then said to the Israelites, “Look, the Lord has appointed by name Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³¹ He has filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every kind of craft ³² to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, ³³ to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every kind of artistic craft. ³⁴ He has also given^[f] both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. ³⁵ He has filled them with skill^[g] to do all the work^(N) of a gem cutter; a designer; an embroiderer^[h] in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen; and a weaver. They can do every kind of craft and design artistic designs.

36 Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the skilled^[i] people are to work based on everything the Lord has commanded. The Lord has given them wisdom and understanding to know how to do all the work of constructing the sanctuary.”^(O)

² So Moses summoned Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person in whose heart the Lord had placed wisdom, all whose hearts moved them,^(P) to come to the work and do it. ³ They took from Moses’s presence all the contributions that the Israelites had brought for the task of making the sanctuary. Meanwhile, the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.

⁴ Then all the artisans who were doing all the work for the sanctuary came one by one from the work they were doing ⁵ and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than is needed^(Q) for the construction of the work the Lord commanded to be done.”

⁶ After Moses gave an order, they sent a proclamation throughout the camp: “Let no man or woman make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” So the people stopped. ⁷ The materials were sufficient for them to do all the work. There was more than enough.