Exodus 31:12-18
Lexham English Bible
Provision of Rest from Work
12 And Yahweh spoke to Moses and said, 13 “And you, speak to the Israelites,[a] saying, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, because it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, in order to know that I am Yahweh, who consecrates you. 14 And you must keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you; defilers[b] of it will surely be put to death, because anyone who does work on it—that person will be cut off from among his people. 15 On six days work can be done, and on the seventh is a Sabbath of complete rest,[c] a holy day[d] for Yahweh; anyone doing work on the Sabbath day will surely be put to death. 16 The Israelites[e] will pay attention to the Sabbath in order to fulfill the Sabbath[f] throughout their generations as a lasting covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites[g] forever, because in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh he ceased[h] and recovered.”[i]
18 And when he finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, he gave to Moses the two tablets of the testimony, stone tablets, written with the finger of God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 31:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 31:14 Or “profaners,” those who treat it as common
- Exodus 31:15 Literally “a Sabbath of ‘Sabbathation.’” “Sabbathation” is not a real word, but devised as an attempt to convey the sounds of the related nouns in the Hebrew phrase
- Exodus 31:15 Literally “holiness”
- Exodus 31:16 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 31:16 Or “keep the Sabbath to do/observe the Sabbath”
- Exodus 31:17 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 31:17 Or “rested”
- Exodus 31:17 Or “breathed freely,” “got his breath”
Exodus 31:12-18
New King James Version
The Sabbath Law
12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: (A)‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who (B)sanctifies[a] you. 14 (C)You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who [b]profanes it shall surely be put to death; for (D)whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Work shall be done for (E)six days, but the (F)seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is (G)a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for (H)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses (I)two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 31:13 consecrates
- Exodus 31:14 defiles
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
