Exodus 31

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

² ‘See, I have singled out Bezalel son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

³ I have filled him with the spirit of God and endowed him with skill and perception and knowledge for every kind of craft:

⁴ for the art of designing and working in gold and silver and bronze;

⁵ for cutting stones to be set, for carving in wood, for every kind of craft.

⁶ Here and now I give him a partner, Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and to all the men that have skill I have given more, for them to carry out all that I have commanded you:

⁷ the Tent of Meeting; the ark of the Testimony; the throne of mercy that covers it, and all the furniture of the tent;

⁸ the table and all its furnishings; the pure lamp-stand and all its accessories; the altar of incense;

⁹ the altar of holocaust with all its furnishings; the basin with its stand;

¹⁰ the sumptuous vestments – sacred vestments for Aaron the priest, and vestments for his sons – for the priestly functions;

¹¹ the chrism and the fragrant incense for the sanctuary. In this they are to do exactly as I have directed you’.

¹² Yahweh said this to Moses,

¹³ ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say, “You must keep my sabbaths carefully, because the sabbath is a sign between myself and you from generation to generation to show that it is I, Yahweh, who sanctify you.

¹⁴ You must keep the sabbath, then; it is to be held sacred by you. The man who profanes it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day shall be outlawed from his people.

¹⁵ Work is to be done for six days, but the seventh day must be a day of complete rest, consecrated to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the sabbath day must be put to death.

¹⁶ The sons of Israel are to keep the sabbath, observing it from generation to generation: this is a lasting covenant.

¹⁷ Between myself and the sons of Israel the sabbath is a sign for ever, since in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day he rested and drew breath”‘.

¹⁸ When he had finished speaking with Moses on the mountain of Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.