Exodus 35:4-36:19
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Collection of Materials. 4 Moses said to the whole Israelite community, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 (A)Receive from among you contributions for the Lord. Everyone, as his heart prompts him, shall bring, as a contribution to the Lord, gold, silver, and bronze; 6 violet, purple, and scarlet yarn; fine linen and goat hair; 7 rams’ skins dyed red, and tahash skins; acacia wood; 8 oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 9 onyx stones and other gems for mounting on the ephod and on the breastpiece.
Call for Artisans. 10 (B)“Let every artisan among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, with its tent, its covering, its clasps, its frames, its bars, its columns, and its pedestals; 12 the ark, with its poles, the cover, and the curtain veil; 13 the table, with its poles and all its utensils, and the showbread; 14 the menorah, with its utensils, the lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense, with its poles; the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense; the entrance curtain for the entrance of the tabernacle; 16 the altar for burnt offerings, with its bronze grating, its poles, and all its utensils; the basin, with its stand; 17 the hangings of the court, with their columns and pedestals; the curtain for the gate of the court; 18 the tent pegs for the tabernacle and for the court, with their ropes; 19 the service cloths for use in the sanctuary; the sacred vestments for Aaron, the priest, and the vestments for his sons in their ministry.”
The Contribution. 20 When the whole Israelite community left Moses’ presence, 21 all, as their hearts moved them and their spirit prompted, brought a contribution to the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting, for all its services, and for the sacred vestments. 22 Both the men and the women, all as their heart prompted them, brought brooches, earrings, rings, necklaces, and various other gold articles.(C) Everyone who could presented an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 Everyone who happened to have violet, purple, or scarlet yarn, fine linen or goat hair, rams’ skins dyed red or tahash skins, brought them. 24 Whoever could make a contribution of silver or bronze offered it to the Lord; and everyone who happened to have acacia wood for any part of the work, brought it. 25 All the women who were expert spinners brought hand-spun violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen thread. 26 All the women, as their hearts and skills moved them, spun goat hair. 27 The tribal leaders brought onyx stones and other gems for mounting on the ephod and on the breastpiece; 28 as well as spices, and oil for the light, anointing oil, and fragrant incense. 29 Every Israelite man and woman brought to the Lord such voluntary offerings as they thought best, for the various kinds of work which the Lord, through Moses, had commanded to be done.
The Artisans. 30 Moses said to the Israelites:(D) “See, the Lord has singled out Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and has filled him with a divine spirit of skill and understanding and knowledge in every craft: 32 in the production of embroidery, in making things of gold, silver, or bronze, 33 in cutting and mounting precious stones, in carving wood, and in every other craft. 34 He has also given both him and Oholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has endowed them with skill to execute all types of work: engraving, embroidering, the making of variegated cloth of violet, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen thread, weaving, and all other arts and crafts.
Chapter 36
1 “Bezalel, therefore, will set to work with Oholiab and with all the artisans whom the Lord has endowed with skill and understanding in knowing how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary, just as the Lord has commanded.”(E)
2 Moses then called Bezalel and Oholiab and all the other artisans whom the Lord had endowed with skill, men whose hearts moved them to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the contributions which the Israelites had brought for the work to be done for the sanctuary service. Still, morning after morning the people continued to bring their voluntary offerings to Moses. 4 Thereupon all the artisans who were doing the work for the sanctuary came from the work each was doing, 5 and told Moses, “The people are bringing much more than is needed to carry out the work which the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 Moses, therefore, ordered a proclamation to be made throughout the camp: “Let neither man nor woman make any more contributions for the sanctuary.” So the people stopped bringing their offerings; 7 there was already enough at hand, and more than enough, to complete the work to be done.
The Tent Cloth and Coverings. 8 (F)The various artisans who were doing the work made the tabernacle with its ten sheets woven of fine linen twined, having cherubim embroidered on them with violet, purple, and scarlet yarn. 9 The length of each sheet was twenty-eight cubits, and the width four cubits; all the sheets were the same size. 10 Five of the sheets were joined together, edge to edge; and the other five sheets likewise, edge to edge. 11 Loops of violet yarn were made along the edge of the end sheet in the first set, and the same along the edge of the end sheet in the second set. 12 Fifty loops were thus put on one inner sheet, and fifty loops on the inner sheet in the other set, with the loops directly opposite each other. 13 Then fifty clasps of gold were made, with which the sheets were joined so that the tabernacle formed one whole.
14 Sheets of goat hair were also woven as a tent over the tabernacle. Eleven such sheets were made. 15 The length of each sheet was thirty cubits and the width four cubits; all eleven sheets were the same size. 16 Five of these sheets were joined into one set, and the other six sheets into another set. 17 Fifty loops were made along the edge of the end sheet in one set, and fifty loops along the edge of the corresponding sheet in the other set. 18 Fifty bronze clasps were made with which the tent was joined so that it formed one whole. 19 A covering for the tent was made of rams’ skins dyed red and, above that, a covering of tahash skins.
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